I wasn't sure which section to ask this in, but it is sort of a general question. I am a newb and have never had my own hosting. So, I'm looking around at all the cheap shared hosting out there. Are most of the people selling hosting here just reselling space from a well-known host (like hostgator or lunarhost) with its own data center, and pretending they have their own server? Or are there really a bunch of guys running these single servers from the basement and selling bits of space on them? Some of the sites look shady... Is it a mistake to go with one of the "little guys"? It isn't like I am expecting huge traffic on my sites any time soon...
It would be a mistake to use one of these new hosting services, you're better off going with a web host that has been around for a long time that way you can do some research to decide whether or not their users are happy with the service they are providing.
Well I used godaddy, I had a few problems with them in the past with some the of the scripts, But usually learning a bit on how HTACCESS files work, I was able to get most of my scripts working .. But there are a few of them out there, You could start out with a free hosting account, Just so you could have a feel on how it works, Once you ready for your own hosting account, Then all you have to do is a bit of research and compare prices with those big names company..
Some of them are the reliable hosting company's sales rep. Some are private server that offer hosting. many are resellers. I would suggest to host with private hosting company since they have more time for support and can fix problem fast. there are many DP members like this offering their service in hosting section.