Results 1 to 14 of 14
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    72

    How important is a popular control panel?

    How important, exactly, is a popular control panel? I was thinking of making my own (not just for the control panel, to also learn more about the *nix system and hosting tools in general), but if customers are afraid to sign up because of it, what's the point?

    Still, I would rather not depend on other companies for such a vital part of my business (see ensim's huge upgrade costs and Cpanel's "surprises").

    Providing that I set up a nice demo, and that my CP has pretty much the same features and interface as Cpanel (as well as the security found in ensim), would that be enough for customers, or would they want one of the popular Control Panels instead?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    1,700
    Popularity has nothing to do with it. If the CP is easy to use, people will signup. End of story.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    72
    Thanks for the reply, that's good news. I remember someone said that one of the keys to a good hosting company is a popular control panel (so that users would know that they could always move to another host with ease )

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    Kalamazoo
    Posts
    33,412
    Originally posted by dimva
    . . . . .I remember someone said that one of the keys to a good hosting company is a popular control panel (so that users would know that they could always move to another host with ease )
    Well, that would be a reason 'to' use a "popular" control panel.

    But, if you have a good cp with a demo, I don't see where it would matter to a lot of hostees. However, if they're looking for a particular panel, that's what they're doing.
    There is no best host. There is only the host that's best for you.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    2,533
    Hey I would drop cpanel is a second for another cp that was as feature rich and cheaper .
    I offer multiple domains per an account and this is the business model I have chosen, to be able to use that business model I need to be able to offer "add-on" domains and cpanel is the only CP that does it this way, so cpanel was chosen as the CP.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    530
    Some people go for the big names, others don't. Personaly, it's my goal to get a variety of servers running as many as possible. If the panel works well, it will be used.

    If it works really well, you could sell it =)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    1,354
    Originally posted by SpiritAu
    Hey I would drop cpanel is a second for another cp that was as feature rich and cheaper .
    I offer multiple domains per an account and this is the business model I have chosen, to be able to use that business model I need to be able to offer "add-on" domains and cpanel is the only CP that does it this way, so cpanel was chosen as the CP.
    42go can do that as well, which is one of the reasons we use it
    Blacknight
    ICANN accredited domain registrar

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    72
    I wish I could see a demo of 42go without having to download and install it....

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    1,354
    There's a demo on the developer's site
    Blacknight
    ICANN accredited domain registrar

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    421
    Theres 2 different angles to the control panel.

    1) Server admin/you - you want the most popular control panel because there are a lot more people that have it and would know how to fix problems that might occur. If theres a bug, the company (the CP provider) will also have a lot more people complaining about it (in turn, getting it fixed faster). The control panel provider will also have more funds available to them to get something added or fixed to their product. There are many other reasons but the above are the biggest ones (I think so anyway).

    2) Customers - probably don't care. If it works and its easy, its all good. They don't need to worry about it working or not (thats your job) so if its there and does what they need, they should be fine with anything.

    Hope that helps.
    "Last year, some resourceful software enthusiasts cracked Sony Music's proprietary technology simply by scribbling around the edges of the disc with a Magic Marker pen, thus enabling playback on any device." - news.com

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    1,354
    2 very good points.

    One thing that you should be aware of is security. If the CP is very tightly integrated with the server you won't be able to update and upgrade stuff until the developers release patches, as which stage it might be too late. Just bear that in mind.
    Blacknight
    ICANN accredited domain registrar

  12. #12
    For many customers, your hosting business IS your control panel. If you don't have a good one, you suck, in the customer's eyes.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    98
    a good cp is mucho importante

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    84
    Many of my customers dont even use our Cpanel and just go for the FTP. It really varies customer to customer. It is also to have many differenct servers running with different cpanels so that way your customers can pick and choose what they want.

    Regards,
    landon[at]worldnethosters.com
    worldnethosters.com - "Your Gateway to the Net"

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