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  1. #1

    netfirms or dreamhost?

    well netfirms has a $10 for the first year deal going on, and dreamhost has a year for $20. the prices are good for me since they are in my range. but i need help deciding which one. I want to use the host for a forum. not a large one, a relatively small one. I've heard that netfirms has mysql errors a lot and their load times are slow, and i've also heard that dreamhosts servers are also slow and always have bugs/problems since they oversell. i want a reliable host so that i wont regret after buying. help?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    250
    1 whole year?

    Well i don't think you find anything reliable for $20 a year and most likely will regret it. Go with netfirms though, they oversell less.
    LicensePal.com

  3. #3
    thats what i was more leaning to. yeah just a year im fairly new to the whole web scene. im just a beginner that wants to get a small site going to keep myself occupied and learn new things

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    <<Canada>>
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    You sould do some research on both of them. Just do search on WHT, you will get tons of review on bot of them. If i was you, never go with dreamhost, there lot story about them. Best of luck.
    <<< Please see Forum Guidelines for signature setup. >>>

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    250
    Oh and another thing you should remember is keep your own backups of your site. And try to backup as much as you can.

    Alot of people come complaining here that their low budget hosts server crashed and lost all the info.

    Good luck.
    LicensePal.com

  6. #6
    thats ironic, because my host did crash. but it was a "free host" i had a feeling that it wouldnt last very long. but fortunately i did get a back up of my whole site, so thats why im actually going to pay for a host. hey its one step up ;]

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Richmond, VA
    Posts
    3,119
    It goes against the grain, but I'd recommend going with Dreamhost over Netfirms.

    We're using Netfirms to host one of our sites, and while it hasn't been a horrible experience, there are two major things that I find to be lacking. One, email does not work properly. We've had several instances with our incoming mail where some messages come through, and others are bounced back to the sender, with no rhyme or reason. This will go on for a few days, get fixed, and then start up again. The other problem I have with Netfirms is that their control panel (custom, possibly built on top of cPanel/WHM) gives me lots of errors, even when I'm doing something simple, such as clicking a link to visit a different page in the panel.

    Having said that, Netfirms' support is great - response times are usually within 3 hours - I've never had to call in for support, so I am not sure how that would go.

    I've never personally used Dreamhost, but I have a friend who uses them exclusively to host several of his Websites, and he swears up and down that they're great. I've noticed that, oftentimes, his sites are slow to load, but he seems to be happy.

    Anyway, hope this bit of insight helps you in some way or another. Good luck in choosing your host.
    Daniel B., CEO - Bezoka.com and Ungigs.com
    Hosting Solutions Optimized for: WordPress • Joomla • OpenCart • Moodle
    Data Centers in: Chicago (US), London (UK), Sydney (AU), Sofia (BG), Pori (FI)
    Email Daniel directly: ceo [at] bezoka.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Behind a linux box
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    687
    between these two ... dreamhost ...
    They are friendly and they haven't lost any of my files yet
    They had their problems but they sorted them out.
    P.S: I'm pushing a few gigs every month on dreamhost.
    Got Fused?

  9. #9
    Dreamhost, no question about that.

  10. #10
    Dreamhost. I've tried both.
    1. Netfirms would hang during sftp syncing.
    2. You get only one SSH/SFTP access with Netfirms
    3. Weird logins & passwords for extra FTP users.
    4. Ditto for MySQL databases you create (weird logins/passwords).
    5. No user forums.
    6. OK for static files though.

    If your site is small, you might want to try asmallorange.com for $25/yr. 75MB space only though.

  11. #11
    offering 200gb space is insulting to customrs intelligence

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Behind a linux box
    Posts
    687
    I'm just waiting for those that will fill those 200GB of space ...
    wget --mirror sourceforge.net
    ...anyone?
    Got Fused?

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by markp9114
    ... it was a "free host" i had a feeling that it wouldnt last very long.... <snip> ...so thats why im actually going to pay for a host. hey its one step up
    Heh-heh, you sound just like me a couple of years ago. I was on a free host but wanted to make that next step up to a service that would allow more options. I also knew my occasional little video clips would blow through any bandwidth allowance available at free hosts.

    I don't have any experience with NetFirms so I can't compare directly, but I'm happy with DreamHost. As mentioned above, they went through a very rough patch with the power outage in late summer and subsequent infrastructure problems but things seem to be back to normal now. My only caution would be that if your forum becomes popular with lots of users, apparently you may end up using too many "CPU minutes" and DH may ask you to move. (edit: As will most other low-cost hosts) Check their user forums for some people's experiences with that. I have no idea what "popular" means in terms of actual number of users, nor whether some forum software may be more CPU-intensive than others, but it's something to keep in mind.

    Good luck and have fun experimenting!
    Last edited by Klinn; 10-06-2006 at 08:52 AM.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    862
    I switched my backup host from servage to DramHost, this year.
    And I like DH a lot. They are open, flexible, reliable enough for what I do.

    I added more account and I have no comlaint.
    I would like them more if they offer free shared SSL,
    and improve the way stat page is setup.
    But I'm only paying about $2 per month, and I think I'm getting
    insane value in return.
    They are crazy, for sure, and I like that.
    Now, I'm using one of DreamHost account for my main site,
    and using PowWeb for very minor role they can handle.

  15. #15
    If its only those 2, them Dreamhost as well ^^

    Just because they are friendly and trustworthy.

  16. #16
    thanks all for the replies! hmm still deciding. there are lots of good things and bad things about both of them and nothing can be perfect so i guess im going to have to take a chance. although the netfirms $10/year + 2 free domains sounds like a great deal i think i would prefer cpanel with dreamhost. hMm decisions decisions.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by markp9114
    ...<snip> i think i would prefer cpanel with dreamhost.
    DH has their own web control panel, they don't use CPanel. When I switched, it took me a little while to get used to it but it works fine for me. If there are specific features about CPanel you like/need then you may want to check DH's demo more closely.

    BTW, after reading about the various CPanel security issues in these forums, I was glad to know that DH would not fall victim to the same code holes.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Klinn
    DH has their own web control panel, they don't use CPanel. When I switched, it took me a little while to get used to it but it works fine for me. If there are specific features about CPanel you like/need then you may want to check DH's demo more closely.

    BTW, after reading about the various CPanel security issues in these forums, I was glad to know that DH would not fall victim to the same code holes.
    If I were you I'd stay the hell away from cPanel, much because of the above mentioned security issues, but also the tech-staff at the ISPs I use have all advised me to not choose cPanel for my accounts, with no exception.

  19. #19
    oh really? didnt know that.. thanks for the heads up =]

  20. #20
    well i've been researching a little and it sounds like hostgator would be good for me with the fast speed. If i use a coupon for the baby plan it says its $.01/month. Is the correct because that seems too cheap

  21. #21
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Behind a linux box
    Posts
    687
    It's 1 cent for the first month, the next are $9.95 ...
    I think the coupon is for people to try their services ...and if they don't like them ...they don't loose a thing.
    Got Fused?

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Australia - NSW
    Posts
    1,053
    Quote Originally Posted by Siropel
    I'm just waiting for those that will fill those 200GB of space ...
    wget --mirror sourceforge.net
    ...anyone?
    For $20 a year, I might as well try it.
    I'll keep you informed.

    Quote Originally Posted by Siropel
    It's 1 cent for the first month, the next are $9.95 ...
    I think the coupon is for people to try their services ...and if they don't like them ...they don't loose a thing.
    Use the coupon, make a backup 1 day before the month of service ends. Don't pay the $9.95. Resignup using the coupon, repeat.
    Recommended: Stablehost, Hivelocity, Fused

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Honolulu, Hawaii
    Posts
    165
    Dreamhost also charges a $50 set up fee, according to their TOS.

    There is a per-plan one time setup fee of $49.95 for all shared hosting packages, and if the customer wishes to cancel DreamHost shared Web Hosting services within ninety-seven (97) days of the initial signup they shall be able to do so for any reason (aside from disablement for Terms of Service or Spam Policy violations) and have their money promptly refunded.
    http://www.dreamhost.com/tos.html
    <<< Please see Forum Guidelines for signature setup. >>>

  24. #24
    oh okay, thanks guys!

  25. #25
    Currently using both dreamhost and netfirms for different sites - both of them reasonably good, and inexpensive ($10 / $20 as you've mentioned). My experience with both

    a) Netfirms uptime seems better - I've had occasional blips with dreamhost, very rate with netfirms. Also, support response is MUCH faster with netfirms.

    b) On the other hand, Netfirms has an odd process for setting up MySQL / database driven websites - so if you're needing to set up something, be prepared for 3 - 4 sessions of interactive discussion with their customer support to figure out how to tweak it.

    c) Dreamhost theoretically allows unlimited domains, whereas Netfirms restricts it to 3 - in case that's a restriction you don't want.

    Either way - at the low price compared to most others (hostgator works out to around $100 for a year), either one's a good choice.

    Best wishes

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