An All Around Good Free Web Host

[alphaneutrino]

Welcome to the thread! I've started it to see what the general consensus is on what makes an all around good Free Web Host (FWH).

INQUIRY #1:
What I'm looking for in replies is mainly specific features (i.e., 20MB of space, MySQL, 10GB of bandwidth, etc.). Keep in mind that I'm not asking for features that will create the ultimate host or anything wild like that.

When you reply to this post, understand that you (as a webmaster) will often not use more than 10MB of space and 3GB of bandwidth unless your site is in the minority (i'm referring to the large fan sites, communities, rings, and anything else that requires significant resources) as opposed to the majority of sites on the web (which are usually worked on for a month or two and then forgotten).

So basically what I'm trying to create here is a compilation of opinions from all the members on what makes a web host all around good while not unrealistically feature-full.

INQUIRY #2:
The other part of this inquiry is: if you think that a webhost should offer hundreds of megabytes of storage space or every scripting language available, how should such features be funded. Most webmasters don't mind advertisments while not really liking them either. Some webmasters aren't willing to put up with advertisements at all. So with that in mind, if you expect a webhost to provide for your free and awesome feature-full web hosting account, how should it pay the thousands of dollars per month to allow a few hundred people to have the same features as you.

There's no specific purpose for this inquiry except that I think it would be interesting to see what people can come up with on each question (realistic answers only).

Thanx for contributing or just reading what others contribute!

-- alphaneutrino

 

[trenzterra]

I run two sites. One coming out and one running fine. My first site:

Requirements:

+25MB
+Lots of GB of bandwidth(I have many downloads)
Popups and popunders okay

My second site which is for a forum

+20MB
+Lots of GB of bandwidth
Multimania type DHTML ad okay
MySQL database
PHP

 

[alphaneutrino]

*************************************************
Originally posted by trenzterra
I run two sites. One coming out and one running fine. My first site...
*************************************************


Thanx for the reply trenzterra! Your post is exactly what I am looking for.

I do have a question for you though: are the files (I am assuming that the files are legal as in not warez or copyrighted non-distributable audio/video) large? What is the maximum size of one of these files? As you know many free and pay web hosts limit file sizes, so I am just wondering what types of files could you be allowing for download and how big they are.

-- alphaneutrino

 

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by alphaneutrino
Originally posted by trenzterra
I run two sites. One coming out and one running fine. My first site...


Thanx for the reply trenzterra! Your post is exactly what I am looking for.

I do have a question for you though: are the files (I am assuming that the files are legal as in not warez or copyrighted non-distributable audio/video) large? What is the maximum size of one of these files? As you know many free and pay web hosts limit file sizes, so I am just wondering what types of files could you be allowing for download and how big they are.

-- alphaneutrino

my largest file is 2MB. All my files are mIRC Scripts made by me.

 

[alphaneutrino]

Originally posted by trenzterra
my largest file is 2MB. All my files are mIRC Scripts made by me.

Understood. Okay, that's one opinion in the bag! :classic2:

Let's hope for more...

-- alphaneutrino

 

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by alphaneutrino


Understood. Okay, that's one opinion in the bag! :classic2:

Let's hope for more...

-- alphaneutrino

you are planning to launch a free web host?

 

[Phan]

I think 5mb is plenty for most regular sites.

If people have 25mb worth of scripts or something, they need paid hosting or something else. That is a lot of space for that.

Since I don't know any other web languages other than HTML (i.e. CGI, PHP, etc.) than here is mainly what I look for:

1MB+
FTP
Text Link, Pop-Ups,Pop-Unders, or if I'm lucky enough, No Ads (won't be possible most likely though)

Bandwidth needs to be reasonable, for example, not 100mb (too low) and not Unlimited (as to there isn't such thing AND most hosts that promise this end up with Warez, etc.)

Let us know if you set this host up!

 

[alphaneutrino]

In reply to the same question from trenzterra and Phan regarding me setting up a free host: Possibly!

The only thing that I can promise you is that if I set up my own Free Web Host it will be the fair to as many people as possible and will be as reliable as I can possibly make it. Obviously these aren't very definite statements but from the past three years of watching free web hosts come online and soon after go offline, I know that starting an unreliable free web host is a waste of everyone's time and resources.

So for now, all I am looking for is to learn what the current trends in desired features are. If I start to seriously look at starting a free web host, I will announce it here (if I find a way not to break the rules of course). Maybe I will even do something like a thread for status updates if I am serious about this. The main thing I've learned about businesses and relations between them and customers is that knowledge is power and is respected. What I mean is that people like to know what's going on with a company they deal with. So if I start a free web host, my clients will be in the know about everything related to the business (possibly except for the bank account numbers :biggrin2.

Thanx for checking the thread out, and keep the opinions rolling in!


-- alphaneutrino

 

[Coight]

It seems to me one of these threads are started every week!

 

[alphaneutrino]

Originally posted by Myacen Network
It seems to me one of these threads are started every week!

That is probably true but I couldn't find one with exactly the criteria in the inquiry that I was interested in...so I started my own. If you've got an opinion on the topic, please share it!

Thanx

-- alphaneutrino

 

[trenzterra]

hey alpha can you help me host my forum? I can't find any host that meets my criteria... if you want to host me please ICQ me at 138602900 or email me at furrypandy@pacific.net.sg

I would like:

+25mb
+lots of gb of bandwidth(or "unmetered" can do, but I don't think I will use that much in thebeginning)
+fully featured ftp
+no ads(preferred, but ads okay, so long they are like Multimania's or banner okay)
+fully functional PHP
+MYSQL database

If you would like to host me, please ICQ me or email me, otherwise, its okay too...

 

[alphaneutrino]

Originally posted by trenzterra
If you would like to host me, please ICQ me or email me, otherwise, its okay too...

I'd like to help you out trenzterra but I have no way of hosting you, at least not right now. If in the near future I start a free web host, I will contact you with an invitation!

-- alphaneutrino

 

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by alphaneutrino



I'd like to help you out trenzterra but I have no way of hosting you, at least not right now. If in the near future I start a free web host, I will contact you with an invitation!

-- alphaneutrino

ok thanks. Wish you good luck on the future web host

 

[eminence]

What I would like to see in a host:
30MB+
PHP
MySQL
FTP
1GB+ bandwidth
5MB file size limit
ability to have .zip or .rar files on the server (no warez or cracks or hacks just original work like winamp skins and other such stuff)
A Unix server or atleast an Apache based server.


And to answer the question of funding I think that it should be done via user placeable banner. eg. you give the webmaster some javascript or PHP to put into there pages where they want the ads to show.

Or via a !short! text link that appears at the bottom of the page.

Pop-Ups or Pop-Unders and GeoCities style ads should be avoided at all costs. Watermarks are not really all that conducive to a good site, you know the ones I mean, they sit on top of the page and hover there. They come with the page as you scroll down aswell.

Obviously an Ad free host would be brilliant but you can't expect to get away with that now-a-days.

 

[alphaneutrino]

A RANT, AND MY WEB HOST

Originally posted by eminence
What I would like to see in a host...

Thanx for your thoughts eminence. With regard to your funding ideas, I agree on the user-placeable banner. Do you have any non-advertising banners or pop-type advertising ideas?

It seems that advertising is what keeps the Internet afloat, and I find that distrubing because it also keeps Cable TV afloat. The problem with Cable TV is that all shows must have scripts written with commercials in mind causing the unforgettable suspense look on the actors as the commercial begins. That's really annoying to me and the Internet has inherited those traits in the sense that every website you go to, there's some sort of advertising trying to catch your attention. So instead of site content there's Intel's Blue Man Group telling me that the Pentium 3 or 4 is right for me.

I didn't want to go on a rant but I'm just trying to avoid the belief that without advertising, a free web host cannot serve the community.

The only other idea I've personally come up with is voluntary donations. Unfortunately these are excruciatingly hard to come by because most people think they are a joke and I don't think that a free web host should have to plead with its users on the What's New page to get donations to come in as it threatens to shut down otherwise.

My business idealogy is different from anybody else that I've met because I feel that a customer should always feel like they got what they paid for. If that is not the case, then the respective company is not doing business well and needs to change itself. As I see it, a free web host is a very hard to start and then run not only for financial reasons but also for reasons of respect. When the free web host's customers don't feel like they are being offered enough features for the price (keep in mind this is a FREE web host), there is a serious problem in the clientele and not the company.

At the same time, I believe that a free web host should have responsibilities that it must be sure to take care of. The web host's main responsibility is the satisfaction of its customers, yet if I were to start a free web host I cannot spend my life savings allowing my customers to run large forums while I am trying to pay off credit card loans and answering tech support calls while purchasing 100GB hard drives to keep the unlimited web space a real feature.

YOU MAY IGNORE EVERYTHING ABOVE BUT READ THE FOLLOWING:
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All that I am saying in my above rant is that no one company can satisfy every one of it's customers, no matter what the company offers and no matter how good its intentions are, but to satisfy just one customer to the ultimate extent where they only have good things to say is the only thing I as an entrepreneur could ask for.

With that in mind I will be posting an official announcement for the grand opening of a web host that I have been working on December 20, 2001. The actual grand opening will commence on January 1, 2002 12:01 AM (the first day that the web host will accept sign-ups).

Thanx,
alphaneutrino