Affordable web hosting that supports flash based web gallery

[f_k2]

It looks like I'm going with Slideshow Pro to create my flash based web gallery

(I don't know anything about html and web hosting). Could someone please

recommend an affordable web hosting service that will support slideshow pro,

and maybe other software like Jalbum and Simpleviewer. I don't have many

requirements, maybe 2GB of web space and similar bandwidth a month. Most of all

it has to let me use my registered domain name and a similar email address.

I've been looking at Site5 and HostRocket, are those good and affordable? I

don't need the livebooks.com type. Thanks very much!

[Charles_Webster]

I use Powweb.com. It's about $100 per year. I think I get 5 GB of storage and 2GB of bandwidth and a dozen or more mailboxes. Good reliability but I'm not doing business over the 'net.

 

<Chas>

[jay_reiter1]

I use dreamhost and I've been very happy - they answer questions promptly and thoroughly, never make you feel stupid if its a simple question. My site's galleries were built using JAlbum with fhotoplayer flash plugin and the upload was seamless. If you google dreamhost promotion you'll almost alwayss find a code for a good deal. Lots of band space, great customer service, low prices - worth checking out.

jay

[patricklavoie]

I think any web hosting should handle you requirement...i use www.lunarpages.com, 7$/

month free domain name, 200 gig of storage, +++ many goodies. for the past 5 years me

and 20 of my clients / friends that are also there never had any problem. go take a look.

[jacob_brown]

NEVER get your domain name from the place you do your hosting. If you ever have a hosting problem or dispute, your host can hold your domain hostage.

 

The latest example of this apparently happenened just the other day, when Shawn King had a dispute with his host/domain-provider over yourmaclife.com (which the host has taken control of and turned off) -- he had to quickly create a new domain (yourmaclifeshow.com) and now has to hope people will find the new address.

[don_e]

You get a domain from a registrar, not the from the hosting service. If your site is taken down, you put it up on another server and point the dns to it.

 

For this story to make sense: Mr King never owned the domain, the hosting service did. If that's the case, he has no legitimate complaint. The hosting service can kick you off its server, if it wants, but it can't take your domain away from you, if you registered it.

 

If your story is accurate, Mr King didn't own yourmaclife.com

[des adams]

Thanks very much for the info you have already given here. By getting a web hosting service do they actually create your web page or do you first have to set that up yourself and then they simply manage it for you? Thanks. Al

[don_e]

A hosting service may provide tools, including webpage templates and other features. I do not recommend this. What seems a simple solution usually ends up being very complicated. It is best to have all the rights and duties of ownership and not have to conform to someone else's business model.

 

Create your own domain registry record -- why is that important? Consider Mr King, above. It turns out he is the owner of yourmaclife.com, but look at the registry record:

 

Domain Name: YOURMACLIFE.COM

Registrar: TUCOWS INC.

Whois Server: whois.opensrs.net

Referral URL: http://domainhelp.tucows.com

Name Server: OAK.FOREST.NET

Name Server: WILLOW.FOREST.NET

Status: clientTransferProhibited

Status: clientUpdateProhibited

Updated Date: 16-feb-2007

Creation Date: 21-jan-2002

Expiration Date: 21-jan-2008

 

Did he create this record and disable his ability to transfer and update the site? Who did the registration?

 

Registration Service Provider:

digital.forest, Inc., hostmaster@forest.net

877-720-0483

http://www.forest.net/

This company may be contacted for domain login/passwords,

DNS/Nameserver changes, and general domain support questions.

 

Although Tucows is the registrar, Mr King permitted his host to register his site. The record for yourmaclifeshow.com indicates he learned his lesson.

 

The next issue is to sign with a hosting service. All this means is that you are renting disk space on a computer that has a direct connection to the internet.

 

What is important here is that the host supports your needs. There is no such thing as a host "supporting" flash galleries, unless it means the hosting service won't permit it on their server. Browsers support flash, not hosts. Same with javascript. Hosts do or don't support php. The host needs to provide php 4 or 5 for your php scripts to work.

 

Three issues of concern to hosting services are disk usage, bandwidth usage, and security. Security is the most important and they may not permit certain activities. You may not be able to get a login and password to work on your site directly on the host's server. This can be a hindrance to developers, and is the reason why we run our own server for our clients during development. Afterwards, the client either finds their own host or takes one of our recommendations.

 

Determine your needs and buy a hosting package that supports them. Nail down how you go about editing your site on the host server. Read the fine print.

 

Keep track of all your logins and passwords. If you work with a developer, you'll have to make them available. When the work is completed, change the passwords. Never associate with a developer who doesn't provide a proper and binding Letter of Agreement, or contract.

[des adams]

Don E, thanks very much for your detailed answer I'm grateful to you. Al

[kaiyen]

Not much for me to add, except that I also use Lunarpages. Excellent performance (I had issues with that with other companies - thumbnails not loading fast enough, etc), and great support.

 

allan

[patricklavoie]

<...It will be free for as long as you host with Lunarpages. The domain is registered in your name, you own it and have complete control over it. Register additional domain names for only $7.95!..>

 

Thats is why i choose Lunarpages for the past 4 years :) the name is MINE. i dont know any other web hosting like them, as cheap as them.

[jacob_brown]

Patrick, you don't understnad what I'm saying. If you have a monetary dispute with your host they may well freeze your site as well as screw with your ability to move your domain to another host. I've seen it in many instances over many years.

 

There is no inherent advantage to registering one's domain at the same place the site-hosting is, and many potential pitfalls.

 

Also, lunarpages is merely a tucows reseller, as opposed to a real domain host like gandi.net (whose agreement with you clearly states that you own your domain, wording not duplicated by most other registrars). Why set yourself up for potential trouble when it can so easily be avoided?

[kaiyen]

Lunarpages only sells tucows site-building tools. It's not owned or "merely a reseller" of tucows, in general. It's a separate company.

 

No comment on their domain-name policy. I register through godaddy.

 

allan

[kaiyen]

Actually, I will say this about having lunarpages or any other host register your domain, even if they register it solely in your name - at least with lunarpages, the domain management (DNS servers, etc) is done through lunarpages, not through someone else (like godaddy). So if you have a dispute with lunarpages, while they can't take your domain away from you, they could probably take away your ability to manage it.

 

allan

[don_e]

If lunarpages registered your domain, do you have the password to the registration? If not, who does? Lunarpages? You might as well not "own" the site if you don't control the login and password to your registration account.

[mike w]

OK so I've been watching this thread for a while now and you folks have me confused. In your opinions where is the better place to register a domain name? Also what are the ins and outs of running your website from your own computer? I know that will open up a whole other can of worms but I feel I need to ask.

 

Thanks

Mike

[jacob_brown]

A few years ago slashdot had a discussion, and it was found that only 2 or 3 registrars literally said in their contracts that you owned your domain. The one I remembered, and decided to use, is the french gandi.net, which charges around $15/year for registration. That's $6 more than godaddy, but godaddy has a lot of complaints about it (see nodaddy.com, for examples). In addition to my domain I also have domains parked there. They offer free domain redirection, free email redirection, and even free bloghosting.

 

pairnic.com is run by the pair.com webhosts (excellent hosting, but you pay for what you get), and I've heard good things about them too.

 

The cheapest is godaddy, but I am not recommending them.

[don_e]

"...where is the better place to register a domain name?"

 

Directly with the registrar and not through an intermediary like a hosting service. Retain your username/password, any passphrases or identification information. There are a number of registrar locks that are the defaults in the registration. They serve the purpose of preventing changes being made by someone besides you, but you have to prove who you are when you request a change, thus the importance of passwords and phrases and whatever was used to identify you when you registered your domain (say, a cc#).

 

"...what are the ins and outs of running your website from your own computer?"

 

I assume you mean putting your home computer directly on the internet www. You would need a domain, install and configure networking, a web server and dns, and if you want them, a mailserver, an ftp server, and any other server you need. A working knowledge of perl and scripting in general. If you are not a security guru, I'd advise against it.

 

An alternative (but you'll still need to do all the above) is, instead of renting diskspace on a host, find a hosting service that rents virtual machines. Setup your home computer to add the vm to your networking, then just login.

 

I don't know much about Mac or Windows on this score. I'd guess there are sw 'solutions' around. Any full linux distribution includes all the tools you'll need.

[don_e]

We use itsyourdomain.com. No particular reason. No problems over 3 years for us or our clients.

[mike w]

Thanks Don that sounds a bit much to learn in a reasonable amount of time I'll probably be better off paying one of the big guys but I'm going to check on itsyourdomain.com for the registration.

 

Mike