Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Geek Culture / Web Hosts

Author
Message
Oraculaca
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 6th Jan 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 15:22
Link
Hi, can any of you web type gurus tell me what you think of this host and package.

http://www.fasthosts.co.uk/hosting/windows-home/full-details/

My business has been going quite well for a year and a half through word of mouth however I've got a gap in contracts at the moment so thought I could use the spare time to do some advertising.

Initially the site will be purely for advertising but may be expanded to include a shop facility.
I've not had much experience with web page creation beyond html and have always used the rather limited space that comes with my broadband so any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

No.Art.Here
Back to top
Profile PM
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 15:33
Link
I would steer waaaaaay clear of FastHosts, to be honest. They have a habit of taking money without permission and their customer service is terrible. It wouldn't suprise me if their support system comprised of a random email reply generator which deliberately has no reference to the question asked.
Do a search for 'fasthosts reviews' BUT beware there are several mentions of the company themselves posting good reviews pretending to be customers. A good start is here:
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews80572.html
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Oraculaca
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 6th Jan 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 15:51
Link
Thanks for the warning. I will look through the reviews now.

No.Art.Here
Back to top
Profile PM
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 16:00 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2007 16:00
Link
No problem. Some more interesting ones here:
http://www.hostsearch.com/review/fasthostscouk_review.asp

I would seriously avoid them.
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Oraculaca
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 6th Jan 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 16:09
Link
Yeah thanks I've seen enough Is there anyone you would recommend?

No.Art.Here
Back to top
Profile PM
GatorHex
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Apr 2005
Location: Gunchester, UK
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 16:28 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2007 16:30
Link
Why not get you internet through plusnet/force9 and they give you free web hosting/.co.uk/php/perl as well

They just got voted best ISP so I guess the others must be realy terrible

I like they give me a fixed IP address at no extra cost. Handy if you wana run a DBP game server from home.

DinoHunter, CPU/GPU Benchmark, DarkFish Encryption DLL, War MMOG (WIP), 3D Model Viewer
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Oraculaca
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 6th Jan 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 16:35
Link
@Gatorhex thanks, im happy enough with virgin at the moment for my broadband. I want to keep the hosting separate so that Im not tied to the broadband provider. But thanks for your input.

No.Art.Here
Back to top
Profile PM
GatorHex
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Apr 2005
Location: Gunchester, UK
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 16:53 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2007 16:58
Link
I just got a post from Vigin today.

It said Unlimited 2mbps broadband £10 per month, download as much music and movies as you want.

I looked at the small print and it said

Fair use limit (didn't specify how much but i guess it's not unlimited then)
The actual price after the trial period is £18
And if i didn't use direct debit they would charge an extra £5 every month for handling.

Hardly what it said on the tin, all that small print put me off

You could try 1and1.com as a host they're pretty good only problem I've had is my credit card expiring and they just pulled my site without warning

DinoHunter, CPU/GPU Benchmark, DarkFish Encryption DLL, War MMOG (WIP), 3D Model Viewer
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Oraculaca
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 6th Jan 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 16:58
Link
Telewest despite some faults ran a good service. I dont know what Virgin are going to turn it into since they bought them over. I did notice they introduced the 'fair usage'policy . Its something I've not been pulled up on... yet, but if it does happen I will be looking around.

No.Art.Here
Back to top
Profile PM
Zappo
Valued Member
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 27th Oct 2004
Location: In the post
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 17:02 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2007 17:08
Link
Quote: "Is there anyone you would recommend?"

To be honest I haven't looked in a long time. I do consulting and Web programming for a company who looks after any hosting requirements I have. I don't think they would be suitable for you though as they are a proper corporate hosting and Web design company, not just a cheap host.
Your best bet is to have a look through some of the hosting review sites such as http://www.hostsearch.com as they seem to have real customers reviews and a nice search feature. I would recommend going for a Linux based host if you want to keep the price down and the speed up. Windows hosting is necessary if you want to write ASP but for anything else, choose Linux.

EDIT: Also, don't be too worried about hosting it abroad. UK hosting is slightly more expensive than US data centre hosting (for example) on average. Especially as the exchange rate is still in our favour. Even if you hosted in the UK, most companies will only offer support via email or a ticketing system so you probably won't notice the difference.
Back to top
Profile PM Website
Matt Rock
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Mar 2005
Location: Binghamton NY USA
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 17:57 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2007 18:01
Link
A Plus hosts my website, and they're phenomenal. They're available via email, telephone, and live chat for tech support and billing 24 hours a day. They have a long list of plans and features, including site-building tools, file managers, automatic search engine submissions, and a slew of marketing and design tools that I've learned to not live without . Oh, and they're cheap... check out their prices! Lots of space for low costs, and you could probably get away with only spending $5.99 to $9.99 (USD) to get far more space than you'll probably ever need. Our website hasn't suffered any downtime since we got it last September, and when I contact them for tech support, regardless of the issue they're always willing to offer advice, even at the expense of talking to me for two hours to sort out a problem (I'm a web idiot lol, they helped me, a total noob, with every question you can think of hehe). I strongly recommend them for great service, reliability, and overall content. Oh, and if you decide to use them, tell them I sent you (Matt T. from www.misoftstudios.com) and they'll give me a free month (and you'll get that same deal when/ if you become a member). Pretty cool referral system imo... another reason to get hosting through them . And trust me, once you're with them, you'll be preaching as I am, lol.

Edit: Here's a link to the plan I'm on. Note the storage, bandwidth, emails (great service there), and the two free domain names! Unlimited subdomains, 99.99% guaranteed uptime per year, and if you don't like them, you can have your money back after 30 days. I A-Plus

Another company worth checking out is Spida Host, offered by a fellow TGC'er, Josh. Check out his website also before you make any final decisions .


Text Adventure Competition 2007
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
BiggAdd
Retired Moderator
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 6th Aug 2004
Location: != null
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 18:12 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2007 18:13
Link
I'm with Streamline. Their Customer service is excellent and Hosting package is brilliant for the price. about £40 for Unlimited Space and Bandwidth + Free Uk domain.

Link

Back to top
Profile PM
Dazzag
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Cyprus
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 19:12
Link
Quote: "I'm with Streamline"

Yeah, I was going to say. Look at that review site, and there is a few sites with top marks, but only with a few reviews (<10). Streamline on the other hand still has a not bad mark, but has loads (hundreds) of reviews. Probably best to look there I reckon, and I'll look to move all my stuff there I think once I am ready. I stupidely went with FastHosts because a mag said it was good and had lots of ads for it. When I wanted to downgrade the package because development was taking longer than I thought then I emailed them a month early (pay yearly), got no reply, and still they charged me another year on the higher package that I don't really need. Well annoying, but I decided the package will do me for now for other stuff too, so I wasn't that bothered. Streamline's packages look better though by the looks of things. And the reviews are a hell of a lot better.

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Oraculaca
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 6th Jan 2003
Location: Scotland
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 19:28
Link
Thanks for the suggestions folks.

Streamline looks like a really good deal, especially when you take a 2 year contract. I think I might be tempted to go with them.

No.Art.Here
Back to top
Profile PM
Josh
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 7th Dec 2002
Location: Pompey, Great Britain =D
Posted: 3rd Jul 2007 23:53 Edited at: 3rd Jul 2007 23:58
Link
Word of warning: if any service says it`s unlimited, it`s not. Apart from it being physically impossible, those types of hosting companies limit you to using x% of the servers resources at any one time.

Usually they limit to around 5%, so if you end up with a medium/high traffic website you're account will be suspended. This is because you are using a high number of resources in that instance, rather than lots of space/bandwidth over the course of a month.

For example checkout the TOS on APlus and Streamline.


Checkout SpidaHost @ www.spidahost.com, SpidaHost can offer all sorts of custom options, web designs and more. You can get in contact with us at Sales@SpidaHost.com

Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Steve J
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 22nd Apr 2006
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Posted: 4th Jul 2007 00:24
Link
surpasshosting is great. PHP 4/5, Fantastico, Cpanel, really high amounts of bandwidth and storage.

surpasshosting.com

Time is ticking away.
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Back to top

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2024-11-18 21:26:26
Your offset time is: 2024-11-18 21:26:26