Ye Olde Rad Blog

I've been researching web-hosting providers, because my current provider, Communitech (Kansas City), who was subsequently bought by Interland (Atlanta), charges me $32/month ($25 if paid annually). Back when I first set up the site (some 4 years ago), this was a reasonable rate. But now you can get more for le$$.

I've whittled down my research to the following 7 hosts: LunarPages (review), .. VenturesOnline (review),.. ICDSoft (review),,.. HTTPme (review) and WebIntellects (review),.. Burton (review) and DreamHost (review).

I like the way Webhostingratings provides an opportunity for hosters to dispute negative reviews (such as the one posted here in red background) and basically say, "You're full of malarky, pal." That helped me make my decisions.

But moving the site to a new host can be a royal pain, especially when you have to reconfigure things like forums and blogs (dasebase-driven). I've never done it before, so I'd be operating on the steeper slopes of the ever-treacherous learning-curve.

••• continued •••

So I called Communitect/Interland, my current web-hosting provider, and asked what was involved with terminating service. They said they need 30 days advance notice and asked why I was leaving. I told them they're charging me too much diñero. So the girl (with a sweet Georgia accent) connected me with an account rep, who analyzed my usage and offered to cut my monthly fee in *half*.

So I'll be staying with them for now, for US$16 a month, which is a reasonable rate , and now I don't have to switch, altho some day, when I have more time, I would like to switch, just to say it's something I've done .. another feather to add to my hat (repertoire) of digital skills.

But if you're looking for a web-hosting provider, those companies I listed above are reportedly the best. Note that I need/prefer a Unix-based server. Unfortunately, my current host does not have a very good rating (2.1 out of 10) Things quickly went down hill after the company (Communitech) was bought by Interland. I don't think they're that bad anymore.

This site is hosted on a Sun Microsystems Enterprise 250 server featuring dual-UltraSparc processors with 2-Megs of RAM, running the Solaris 64-bit operating system with RAID-5 SCSI drives.