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Re: Web Hosting?
I use FirmEdge.com and Netweaver.com. Both are very reliable, and inexpensive.
It works out at £60 per year for a self-maintained host package from FirmEdge. I think they have cheaper plans, but (when I get my a$$ in gear) I'm planning to put a lot of images on the site and want to run a content-management system so my wife can modify the site without asking me to author the pages.
It costs £35 per year for a simpler HTML/eMail only package from Netweaver in Padiham. This is good for most small businesses who want email, a web presence and domain. I think they register the domain for free when you sign on for their hosting. Netweaver also have cheaper plans.
Both are extremely reliable. (How often is AccyWeb "down"? I think that's on FirmEdge servers.) The support from FirmEdge is quicker than NetWeaver, who only offer email support in the afternoons.
Beware free hosting. There was a study a couple about three years ago, when broadband penetration overtook dialup, of how long a casual browser will wait for a website. I think it came out at three seconds for the page to show anything at all, and another five seconds for it to complete loading. Not sure if that's still valid, but if you're on very cheap or free servers, you're sharing the physical machine and its connection to the internet with a large number of other subscribers. The more you pay, the lower that number, until for a premium price, you have a machine to yourself.
The price you pay is directly linked to how much space you need on the server, the speed of its connection to the internet, the monthly transfer allowance, and the "contention ratio" (how many other users you're sharing the server with).
Firmedge requires a bit more techy knowledge, but I'd still recommend that over Netweaver, simply because you have a wealth of knowledge on AccyWeb who can help you if you need it. However, if price is paramount and you only want simple HTML pages and email, Netweaver is the one.
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