OK, I have definitely realised (a little too late) that Netfirms is not a satisfactory host for any serious application. They: - oversell and are really slow as a result - do not allow full use of .htaccess meaning permalinks essentially do not work, sucks for SEO These are two reasons enough for me to want to move, but regrettably MY 30 days money-back has expired... Can you guys recommend to me a host with at least the following specs (bandwidth and storage space NOT primary): - not a dedicated server (not in the market for that yet) - does not run at snail's pace - provides full .htaccess, specifically permalink support (for Joomla, Wordpress, etc.) - allows applications access to local POP server, for crying out loud!! - MYSQL/PHP - doesn't have a bad rap for one reason or another!! - suitable to host a couple of low-to-medium bandwidth sites Seems to be more difficult than I thought... Appreciate any help...
Sorry I saw some things in your post: - allows applications access to local POP server, for crying out loud!! Basically most hosts will allow you to do that. Don't know what has gotten into Netfirms. - doesn't have a bad rap for one reason or another!! Define bad rap Seriously though - you can do some research on hosting forums etc or just ask the users here, make a list 5-6 hosts and test-drive them (support, speed, etc). Happy hunting.
Seems they are more of a "mass-market" provider and can't really trust their customers to set things up properly. Or it could be that they had problems with spam...? Consistent problems/shortcomings reported by users! Not occasional problems, but tangible disadvantages as per my list above! Sure, that's why I ask here - there are lots of experienced webmasters around who can give recommendations. Much obliged
You mean Bad rep not rap, that's why I asked for definition Problems with spam is something normal and there are other ways of fighting it rather than not give access to the pop service. Just my 2 cents.
Oops, sorry for the misunderstanding! I say "bad rap", some kind of confused etymology going on there! Well, I couldn't agree more - now I need to find how to get round it. Just also discovered that on their Plus package, even though Netfirms lets you register up to 3 domains, they only let you set up pop mail on one of them... DOH!!!!
Have you considered Hostgator? I've been with them for well over a year and they're a great hosting company for sites that don't "abuse resources" - your requirements seem to fit the bill. I'm on their $9.95/month plan - details here. I especially like their unlimited add-on domains, subdomains, etc starting from their 9.95 package. Be sure to read point #7 on their TOS page - you can't run server-intensive processes such as BitTorrent, any software that interfaces with an IRC network, etc. Joomla, Wordpress and other common CMS software are absolutely OK - eg an example of my Wordpress site, and CMS Made Simple site. Their servers are really fast. In my distant past, I used to run Ranking Power, an auto site generator, on a few hosts, and Hostgator always seemed to return the fastest performance. Of course I now use Hostgator for white hat Wordpress and CMS Made Simple sites only. Let me know if you have any questions.
Great, this is the kind of fresh feedback I was after, from people who are running sites right now! Thanks for this, and I hope any info posted here can help others too. markowe
Hello markowe, If you're not looking for hosting that requires .NET then check out our plans. We have yet to receive any negative feedback fron any of our clients. I know this is not a guarantee on our reliability or speed, but we offer everyone our 14 day money back guarantee You can view our shared plans here: http://www.visagehosting.com/sharedhosting.php If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!
Thanks for all the generous offers regarding hosting guys Your offers are being considered! I am waiting for see if N****ms are going to be able to give me a satisfactory answer to my questions first...!
Check out dreamhost - while their control panel is custom, it's otherwise quite good. I'm quite happy there. Hostgator is another good choice, Bluehost a third possibility. If you need a dreamhost coupon, PM me.
http://www.hostmonster.com/track/coderweb/text1 //afil Not only do they allow htaccess, but they give php.ini access as well. Sister company of blue host, which has awesome reviews. They still oversell, but they can give what they promise. I've had sites survive digg and slashdot with this host. (As long as you have wp-cache on WP you're fine)