# I'm making a new webpage... What server should I use? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106 "2002-05-14T22:55:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/1 "2002-05-14T22:55:08Z")
I’ve had several webpages in the past, all of which went flat for one reason or another. Pretty much I wasn’t all that happy with binding templates and my own custom made sites (using website building software) would not load onto servers. I’m looking for a free site, a banner add or something like that doesn’t really bother me all that much. I’m looking for reliability, not a site which will “forget” my username and lock me out of editing my site (as has happened with some free servers in the past). I’m looking for a flexible design, moderate number of editing tools and easy interface. I know I’m asking a lot, but does anyone have any ideas? There’s a large number of free servers out there and I’d like to make the right choice. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/2 "2002-05-15T00:15:10Z")
I think this thread belongs in IMHO. Does your ISP offer a few megabytes of space for a webpage? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/3 "2002-05-15T01:07:11Z")
Whatever you do, don’t use Crosswinds. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/4 "2002-05-15T01:08:43Z")
Thank you Arnold for moving my thread to the appropriate place. And no, my server is a **very** small town provider. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/5 "2002-05-15T01:23:50Z")
I want exactly the same thing, so if anyone has any answers, I join **clayton\_e** in hoping to hear them. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/6 "2002-05-15T04:50:55Z")
Check [this website](http://www.freewebspace.net/) for free Web hosting services. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/7 "2002-05-15T12:08:11Z")
If you’ve got a broadband connection that gives you a static IP address, then you could host it yourself with (for example) an Apache webserver. If you have a dynamic IP, then there is a service (that I can’t remember the name of) that will handle updating the DNS entries when the IP changes. ---
**Author:** ![obidiah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@obidiah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obidiah)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/8 "2002-05-15T12:18:53Z")
That is what I would do, too, if possible. Host from your house. It gives you complete control and flexibility over your webspace and server config. I can tell you from personal experience that “free” webhosts are free for a reason. Either you deal with pop up banners, lockouts, unreliable service, etc. However, I work at a small hosting company, so I am biased, I guess! ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/9 "2002-05-15T23:10:33Z")
I am on a rather slow connection, (24k dialup, don’t laugh, please?) so broadcasting from my home is not a very attractive option. I will look further into that site listed above by urban ranger. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/10 "2002-05-15T23:48:30Z")
If you don’t find something 100% free, a non-profit group to which I belong uses [pair.com](http://www.pair.com/pair/compare/). Their lowest option is $20 setup and $6/month. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/11 "2002-05-16T00:13:14Z")
If you want rock solid stability, stick with Geocities. Really. They used to be a festering pile of suck, but for a basic site, they’re the way to go these days. Especially if you’re not planning on running any scripts. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/12 "2002-05-16T00:53:48Z")
Free Geocities site no longer permit FTP access to upload your files. They do permit HTTP but I’m not sure whether it’s only through Front Page. I used Geocities for about 2 years until they turned off the FTP, so I bought a domain which is till hosted by Geocities, but at around $9.95 a month I get bells and whistles but no ASP. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/13 "2002-05-16T01:11:22Z")
I don’t know what you mean by “only through Front Page.” Probably my stupidity. I thought Front Page was a web page design app. You can still upload any html, text, or image files to geocities, but you have to do it through forms, rather than ftp. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/14 "2002-05-16T01:50:45Z")
Tried [Freewebz.com](http://Freewebz.com)? Theirs isn’t bad, but you can’t upload media files or anything. It requires html knowledge, but at least allows you to put their banner on the bottom of your page. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/15 "2002-05-16T02:12:57Z")
Well, it depends on where you live and what you want to do. I live in Las Vegas and use [EV1.net](http://EV1.net) as a service provider. For 10 bucks a month I get 7 email addresses and 300 megs of web space. That’s enough space to put up a pretty big site. I don’t have ASP, CGI or other options but, hey, it’s only 10 bucks. If it is for personal stuff and you only have one provider in town use geocities, though I personally hate that site. If it is for a buisness there are alot of 10 to 20$ a month web hosting services out there. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/16 "2002-05-16T04:16:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bup \* > \*\*I don’t know what you mean by “only through Front Page.” Probably my stupidity. I thought Front Page was a web page design app. > > You can still upload any html, text, or image files to geocities, but you have to do it through forms, rather than ftp. \*\* Front Page has FTP and HTTP transfer protocols built in, so when you finish your editing, you push a button in FP and it does the upload. (checking to see what pages have changed and uploading those only). You don’t ahve to switch over to something like WS\_FTP and tell it which pages to transfer. I don’t know other apps that you can use to transfer via HTTP. Also, they provide a specific site name for the HTTP transfer via FP so I just assumed that they only allow HTTP transfers via FP. I could be talking outta my bum here, so check. You are correct on point 2, but at 5 files per upload form, it depends on how big your site it, and maybe I should have pointed that out. My site is about 300-400 pages so I didn’t like the forms. As the OP implies ‘several’ pages, the form may work very well. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-making-a-new-webpage-what-server-should-i-use/109106/17 "2002-05-16T19:31:49Z")
I found a good deal from (don’t laugh) an eBay auction. [http://www.dixiesys.com](http://www.dixiesys.com) seems to be doing OK. I just got a $20 a year hosting plan with them, for a friend of mine, via an eBay auction from Dixiesys. $20 a year gives plenty. And, so far, their tech support seems to be quite responsive. And it’s decent hosting - no ads, no BS. Very decent indeed. I’ve also got a “reseller” account with Dixiesys, which is $10 a month, and I can host up to 10 domains. 6 GB traffic, which may or may not be enough bandwidth, depending on what kind of sites you have. (For me, it’s enough. I host my low traffic sites there.) Techchick recommended [http://www.readyhosting.com](http://www.readyhosting.com) to me, and it’s been fine. $100 a year (that’s less than $10 a month) and I get all sorts of bells and whistles (things I don’t know how to use yet). (Your second, third, etc account is only $50 a year, so that’s DIRT cheap.) But I have used a little bit of … COLD FUSION!!! which is very cool. I love Readyhosting. (Knock on wood - so far.) I also have used [http://www.pair.com](http://www.pair.com) (which someone else recommended) and it was fine too.