How do I know what I want from a host?
My current site is very basic - html only, on a free web space provider.
I'm working on another site, which is slightly more advanced - but I'm finding the hosting info very confusing. The more I read up, the more confused I get!
What I DO want on my site
JavaScript Menu Navigation
User Feedback - (prob FreeForm)
User Search - (prob FreeFind)
I'll have some ebooks available for download - free at the moment, but I may go into sales later
I'll have a few short articles available to print (or download as zip?)
Site stats - I use Sitemeter on my first site and I'm happy with that, but I'm easy on my new site, if the host wants something different.
What I MIGHT want (now or later)
Favicon
Newsletter or e-zine (prob Listbot)
Tips - maybe somehow automated rather than having to change site manually every week
What I WON'T want
Message board - lots of these I can recommend, better than anything I could run
Music, movies, Flash, etc
Do I need a host with CGI? Or any other specs that I need to check are available when looking at hosts? Such as levels of sub-directories allowed?
Sorry about the length of this post - if anyone can give me pointers I'd be grateful.
D Reuby
Maverick posted this at 06:16 — 15th February 2001.
They have: 334 posts
Joined: Dec 1999
At this point, about all you need is CGI. Javascript is browser-rendered, so there no support for that on the hosting end. Everything else you need, forms, feedback, search, etc, is simple CGI. In fact, if that's all you need, there are free hosts that give CGI access, so until you need something a bit more advanced, there's no need to take the leap into paid hosting. You're better off saving that until you need something more advanced, like a shopping cart system or databases or something else that a free host can't provide. For a CGI-enabled free host, try Hypermart or Virtualave (and probably many others). Or, there are CGI hosts, like Bravenet and others, that host your scripts like forums, guestbooks, sites stats, etc, so that you can have those features even if your freehost doesn't support them.
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