# website opinions



## Voodoowolf (Jul 15, 2009)

well oddly enough as much as i am a techy and can build my own computers and such i have never tried to get my own domain/website but i'm looking into it now...
only thing is i dont know what hosting sites and such are good or not =/ since i would like to have a site for my art that isnt through another site like FA or DeviantArt (they dont look so great with business people lol)

main thing is i'm fine with paying a bit a month for a website but i just dont want to get my credit card bill at the end of the month and find out they screwed me and charged me like 200 bucks...

so anyone got any suggestions as to where i should go...

and man do i feel like an idiot right now... i can code simple shit in java but i dont know where to go for a website :-?


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## Shino (Jul 15, 2009)

Your best bet is to register a domain through GoDaddy and get their basic web hosting service. ($10 for the domain/yr and $4/mo for the hosting.)

I have 4, scratch that, 5 domains through them and have for years, and I've never had any problems.

As far as the web design goes, I reccommend seeing if you can get your hands on a copy of Dreamweaver. Barring that, there are several online design resources available. Just be sure not to make your site to gaudy and cluttered, nor too plain and boring. Also, pick an appropriate domain name so that when you give out your e-mail address you don't feel embarassed by it.

Good luck.


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## Voodoowolf (Jul 15, 2009)

thanks much =3 i shall look into that definitely

i have dreamweaver and my enjoyment of design on my side so should be set with that =D

and yeah i have had far to many embarrassing emails must think on that one >>


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## Irreverent (Jul 15, 2009)

Shino said:


> Your best bet is to register a domain through GoDaddy and get their basic web hosting service. ($10 for the domain/yr and $4/mo for the hosting.)



Good advice, and probably a full stop for the amateur home web developer.  http://www.netfirms.ca/web-hosting/ is probably my go-to for this sort of thing in Canada....mostly because my own company isn't in the SoHo hosting space. 

 But consider what the site is for.......If you're going to be doing anything that will drive high traffic volume to the new site (likely at a stiff premium) or are building something for e-commerce (downtime is lost money), you really  need to pay close attention to the terms of use and terms of service offered by the hosting company.  Research a couple before you commit.


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## Runefox (Jul 15, 2009)

Yeah, I can recommend GoDaddy, too. I was on their second-tier hosting service (my domain is still with them) for a while, and the speed and stability was excellent. The only real problem is that there is a limitation on the number of FTP connections you can make (it was once two, which made queueing things up in FTP programs problematic since many are configured out of the gate to make multiple connections). As I understand it, that's been lifted. Currently, I'm using their free basic hosting that comes with my domain until I can afford to get a VPS somewhere. Unfortunately, their pricing on VPS hosting is not very competitive, so I'd personally have to look elsewhere for that.

That said, their ToS basically states that you can toss anything on there, so you're not restricted by content type unless you're using their free service.

Oh, and just so we're clear, their normal hosting package is just that - You get webspace where you can run PHP and Perl scripts, MySQL databases, and other stuff, but you don't get any real control over the setup (though they DO offer custom php.ini's). A VPS or dedicated hosting, by comparison, offer full control over the operating system, including installing servers like POP3/SMTP/IMAP, Ventrilo, game servers, or even just running applications. It's more expensive, but a lot more versatile. In that same line, the major difference between a VPS and dedicated server is that one is a virtual server running on a single piece of hardware along with several others, while the other is actual, dedicated hardware. You'll usually get higher bandwidth allowance and disk space with a VPS, while you'll get lower available RAM and CPU speed.

With regard to Dreamweaver, do be sure that you learn HTML as you go if you haven't already, and try not to rely on the graphical interface. If you graduate from straight HTML pages into dynamically-generated PHP/Perl/etc pages/packages, you'll have a much harder time adapting your designs to a template than if you were familiar with HTML code.


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## Carenath (Jul 15, 2009)

I'll also highly recommend GoDaddy for domains, you have a lot of flexibility with them.
Im not so sure about their hosting as I've never used it.

RuneFox, if you want a good VPS, I recommend KnownHost, they seem to be the best mix of price and features.
Dispite what happened the forums, I would also recommend RackForce, but rather than spending the cash on a VPS, go for one of their basic dedicated servers, it is prettymuch the same deal but you dont compete for hardware resources.

Until I can get a better deal on a dedicated server that wont rape my wallet if I get hit by a sudden surge in bandwidth use, Im sticking with them.


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## Runefox (Jul 15, 2009)

Carenath, as far as that goes, I've been looking at Rackster, which is based in Canada and whose pricing is in Canadian dollars. For the money, it looks like I'd get a lot more than I would at either Rackforce or KnownHost.


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## Voodoowolf (Jul 16, 2009)

whoa thanks for all the very good advice =3 and i do know the basics in html along with bits of flash and java coding (go computer programing class lol) 
i was planning to do some shopping around for stuff and thanks to you guys and your suggestions i no longer have to bit my fingernails and hope i dont get badly screwed ^^ seriously thanks so much


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## Irreverent (Jul 16, 2009)

Runefox said:


> Carenath, as far as that goes, I've been looking at Rackster, which is based in Canada and whose pricing is in Canadian dollars. For the money, it looks like I'd get a lot more than I would at either Rackforce or KnownHost.



They have some good rates!  Unmetered 10mb/s is pretty good at that price point.  Best my company can do is 100gb xfer per month for $29.99.  What marketing does with my network.


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## SNiPerWolF (Jul 17, 2009)

I run a webdesign, flash design, graphic, and hosting site !!! we are cheap great deals :3!!!!!! and its run by furries


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## whoadamn (Jul 17, 2009)

lunarpages.com

1 payment, capable of being compensated for via Paypal without a credit card, once a year.


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## Runefox (Jul 17, 2009)

whoadamn said:


> lunarpages.com
> 
> 1 payment, capable of being compensated for via Paypal without a credit card, once a year.



Actually, most hosts require yearly payment up-front, including the mentioned GoDaddy (who also accept Paypal). I think there's another host I should mention, and that's FatCow, which is pretty affordable and has a lot of good features. Still, remember to read the ToS; If I'm not mistaken, FatCow prohibits the use of their webspace for general storage not relating to your site, and also (I believe) adult content, so if that's an inconvenience, then you should go elsewhere. I haven't read Lunarpages' ToS, but one thing to note about them is that their pricing is based on a 60-month up-front purchase. 24-month and 12-month purchases cost a _lot_ more than they advertise ($8.95/mo for 12-month versus $4.95/mo for 60-month, which is advertised as "the" price on their site).


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## ZentratheFox (Jul 18, 2009)

I have had TERRIBLE experiences with GoDaddy... the worst part is their email services...

I use Dot5Hosting, personally, when I'm not using my servers that I run here.


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## Runefox (Jul 18, 2009)

My previous employer used to have a lot of issues with Godaddy's e-mail services as well, particularly when using their service for our clients. Their mail servers would often:

1) Drop legitimate e-mail for no reason with their built-in SPAM filter that doesn't disable even when you want it to

2) Become blacklisted by other e-mail providers, including ISP e-mail

3) Just go down

Though I haven't personally had any troubles with their e-mail as of late. Still, for an individual, I'd still recommend their hosting (it _is_ fast, and it's almost never down - And the ToS says you can basically toss anything on it, while many others forbid that) and domain services.


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## whoadamn (Jul 18, 2009)

Runefox said:


> Actually, most hosts require yearly payment up-front, including the mentioned GoDaddy (who also accept Paypal). I think there's another host I should mention, and that's FatCow, which is pretty affordable and has a lot of good features. Still, remember to read the ToS; If I'm not mistaken, FatCow prohibits the use of their webspace for general storage not relating to your site, and also (I believe) adult content, so if that's an inconvenience, then you should go elsewhere. I haven't read Lunarpages' ToS, but one thing to note about them is that their pricing is based on a 60-month up-front purchase. 24-month and 12-month purchases cost a _lot_ more than they advertise ($8.95/mo for 12-month versus $4.95/mo for 60-month, which is advertised as "the" price on their site).


Oh yea, two years. Ended up being about $110, still not bad imo.


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