Are comparisons with other hosts allowed?

[timtak]

I think that I have narrowed my search down to one of two hosts.

I wanted a place with a forum.

This forum seems to be freeer than the other place. But I wondered if I am allowed to mention that site and ask for comparisons.

I wonder if this post will be "moderated" or if it will appear immediately. I posted to the other hosts user forums three hours ago and it has yet to appear.

[timtak]

Well that is cool. My post arrived immediately.

Please allow me to ask some questions.

1) Is Hostgator getting better or worse and if so at what rate or is it staying the same?
The "other option" had glowing reviews but now the forums are silent (or perhaps "moderated"). My own host that I want to leave was fine once but seems to have gone down hill at least for me.

2) Both my current host and "the other option" sometimes have problems with notifications of expiry it seems. I know that I have a problem with my current host and lost a domain. Have people had problems here with lack of notification here?

3) When a site uses too much of the resources is it throttled or simply turned off?

4) Hostgator offers massive memory allowance. The "other option" also. But the "other option" specifies that only a few GB can be used for multimedia files (including pictures). It seems unlikely that people are going to fill up the hundreds of GB with plain text files but, even so "a few GB" is more than my current host. Are there similar restrictions in place on multimedia files here and where can I read them?

5) Does this site offer paid support?
The other option offers paid support and when people post to the forums they get a response from a moderator saying "you should ask support."

6) When one submits a support request, is there a dumb computer generated ("AI"?) response before one gets a human? With my current host I always get a dumb response first which ignores all the the things I have asked and suggests the things that I say I have already tried. I can see why they do it, and I would not fault a host for trying AI first. I wish that they would admit that it is AI and say "while you are waiting please read these suggestions" or something.

[blade32]

I can try and answer 5 and 6. On these forums you will get peer-to-peer support, you occasionally get a HG staff member posting. However if it's an important issue (downtime) or something you wish to keep private, people will ask you to support a ticket as that is the most reliable way. Mostly HG staff will know why your site is down, unless they are experiencing the same problems.

There is no AI (as far as i can tell), the support system is powered by kayako.

[timtak]

Thanks very much. I am glad there is no AI.

I really can appreciate the secrecy (keeping down-time off forums). People expect so much for so little.

[But wouldn't it be great if there were one host called "no bull hostings" which admitted to all downs, let people post what they like on the forums? But perhaps that would be impossible. Perhaps hosting at this ridiculous price always relies on the oversell, the future as a nice a sort of pyramid scheme.]

How about direct comparisons. The other option is not bad. I would like to ask what people think.

[timtak]

Thanks very much. I am glad there is no AI.

I really can appreciate the secrecy (keeping down-time off forums). People expect so much for so little.

[But wouldn't it be great if there were one host called "no bull hostings" which admitted to all downs, let people post what they like on the forums? But perhaps that would be impossible. Perhaps hosting at this ridiculous price always relies on the oversell, the future as a nice a sort of pyramid scheme.]

How about direct comparisons. The other option is not bad. I would like to ask what people think.

[GvilleRick]

These forums are the most open I have seen. You are not able to see many of the topics yet since your forum account is not fully activated. HG often posts in the forum when there is a problem with a server which causes downtime.

One other correction, the ticket support system is no longer Kayako but is a custom system that HG has recently put in place. Honestly it appears they are still working out all the kinks.

HG has grown pretty rapidly and that does tend to lead to certain problems, among which is an increase in time to answer tickets. I have personally never had any problems with response times to my tickets but there are cases where folks have had some problems. HG has stated publicly that they are continuing to look for techs to work the help desk.

As for what happens if you use too many resources, your account will be suspended if it causes a problem on the server. Again this is pretty common in shared hosting. If someone else's account is causing problems then you would hope that it is suspended so that your site doesn't suffer.

[::Quick::]

In my opinion HostGator is a fantastic host. 25% average CPU usage over 90 seconds (The ONLY CPU limit), a massive amount compared to other hosts.

15 second wait time for Live Chat Support and 1 hour support time for Tickets but mostly Live Chat will be able to help you with Level I and Level II support.

[timtak]

They are the most open I have seen too.

It is great that there is a post about downtime. My current host never seems to tell me anyway (there are no forums that I know of).

[To be honest I don't care too much about technical support. I tend to work out my own problems. But I hate it when it is the hosts fault but I get a lot of polite PR bull. E.g. my host changed some minor detail in their server layout so that my ftp client could no longer connect. Perhaps my client had been improperly set up but it worked. They changed something, did not tell me, and for a long time I could not connect. They never admitted that they changed anything, even though I had changed nothing. (I had to set the "PAS V", passive, setting to on when it had been off and worked for years previously).]

okay, suspended is fine.

How about direct comparison? Or is it not cool to mention (and in some areas surely praise) another host on the forums? I guess that in any comparison there will be areas in which one host wins and others where the other host does. So I can appreciate wanting to avoid direct comparsion. All the same, after 5 years of hosting secrecy, I am looking for openness.

I am a member of the moodle forums, and the power of the community seems to be immense. If a host can take the heat, then an open forum can be an enourmous help to users.

As this one is, has been already. The "other option" is failing. Their forums are censored or very slowly moderated it seems.

Thanks also to ::Quick:: 25% does seem very generous. I am guessing that there are more than 100 users on any one machine?

Has anyone done any analysis of that?

Tim

[timtak]

Oh, by the way, I had not noticed that my account is not fully activated. There was a message to that effect, but since I could post, I presumed that it was.

So I will get even more openness. Cool.

[ghpk]

as long as you follow TOS, Hostgator is a very friendly and technically sound host, excellent staff and some very good peer support leaders who give heads up to help other peers.

Although forum is not the official mode of support but people do find the solution to their questions/problems before they could raise a ticket.

I am here since 3+ yrs with multiple dedicated servers and have been very happy.

[timtak]

Thank you too ghpk for your positive review.

The "other option(host)" that I am looking into had rave reviews but recently the forums have been quiet, perhaps due to moderation (censorship?).

Thanks for pointing out the TOS at the bottom of every page.

REf my questions...

> 0) Is direct comparison with other hosts allowed.
As yet no answer on that one.

> 1) Is Hostgator getting better or worse and if so at what rate or is it staying the same?
Answer(thank you!): Getting worse in terms of technical support but perhaps only termporarily.

As mentioned I am not too fussed about technical support so long as it is my fault, and so long as there is an excellent forum like this one I don't really care (or 12 hours, or even 24 hours is fine). All the same I would like to know whether performace (speed, downtime), and other performance related issues (such as tolerance of heavy load sites) is getting better worse or staying the same.

>2) Both my current host and "the other option" sometimes have problems with notifications of expiry it seems.

Answer (thank you): HG uses these forums to announce things. That sounds okay. Far far better than my current host.

> 3) When a site uses too much of the resources is it throttled or simply turned off?

Answer(Thank you): turned of temporarily. Okay fine!

>4) Hostgator offers massive memory allowance. The "other option" also. > But the "other option" specifies that only a few GB can be used for multimedia files (including pictures). It seems unlikely that people are going to fill up the hundreds of GB with plain text files but, even so "a few GB" is more than my current host. Are there similar restrictions in place on multimedia files here and where can I read them?

No answer yet and no mention in the TOS, AFAIK. The "other option" admits in its TOS that in fact one can only use 5GB for multimedia (which is far better than my current host). How about HG?

I'd like to be able upload masses of powerpoint (multimedia) and video (flash or mp4) files that are rarely downloaded. The former for students, the latter for family. Both download rarely. CPU and bandwidth is not something that I would expect on a shared host at HG prices. But the more disk space for this sort of thing the better. I am not expecting the full "600GB" (this seems to be absurd) but I would like to know the real limit for files of my choice.

If I amb really offered 600GB then I think about using the root directory as a good place to keep a backup (even if it is not backed up by HG) of my whole file space but perhaps that is not allowable, to use HG as a spare hard disk.

The other option does not backup multimedia files.

Upon reflection these are two issues.
Can one upload the full 600GB in multimedia (assuming that CPU and bandwidth are not overused)?
How much and what of that upload will be kept in two places, i.e. backed up, by HG?

The other host only allows 5GB really (discounting text files!) and does not back up some multimedia (e.g. video) at all it seems.

Even if HG does not back up more that a certain amount of a certain type of file, the ability to upload all of the approx 120 GB of my files (in my portable hard disk, that I back up to my desk tops) would be good for when I go somewhere and forget my portable hard disk, or it crahses. I would then be able to connect to the net and access all my files at least since the last HG crash. That would be great. But unlikely.

I must say that HG too seems too good to be true, so it may not be still yet be the ultimate "no b.s host." By that I mean the honest host. But perhaps it is. Can one *really* upload hundreds of GB, to the root directory say?!

> 5) Does this site offer paid support?
> The other option offers paid support and when people post to the forums they get a response from a moderator saying "you should ask support."

I don't know if HG has paid support but it seems that the do not push it. That's cool, fine.

> 6) When one submits a support request, is there a dumb computer generated ("AI"?) response before one gets a human? With my current host I always get a dumb response first which ignores all the the things I have asked and suggests the things that I say I have already tried. I can see why they do it, and I would not fault a host for trying AI first. I wish that they would admit that it is AI and say "while you are waiting please read these suggestions" or something.
Answer(thank you): No. Great.

[gwyneth]

Timtak,

This forum is really free-wheeling. But despite your first level of activation, you don't get to see the other 11 peer support forums until you get an account.

You're better off registering your domain at a separate company from whoever you choose to host. That said, people who choose HG as both registrar and host firm seem to have no problems with the domain registrar side.

The best idea is just give HG a try--there's a money back guarantee so you can flee without losing anything if it doesn't work out.

[slapshotw]

Originally Posted by timtak

When one submits a support request, is there a dumb computer generated ("AI"?) response before one gets a human?

There isn't an AI response like you've described, however, the first time you submit a ticket you'll be sent an automated message asking to confirm your email address. You just click a link in it to activate. Don't forget to do this and don't ignore the message!

[timtak]

Thank you for telling me about the money back guarantee, gwyneth, I may try it. But the biggest issue is the effort invovled in moving. One of the good things about the other option is that they offer a site movement service and they will give me 6 montsh extension for the time that I have already paid on the other host.

Thank you, slapshotw, for telling me about the need to click the link in the email.

1) Are comparisons with other hosts allowed?

2) Is HG getting worse performance wise?

3) Can I reallly upload 600GB, even of of multimedia files (the other host only really offers 5GB even though it says 760GB)?

4) Will there be backup service for all types of files (the other hosting option does not backup video files for instance)?

Tim

[skeetr]

Originally Posted by timtak

Thank you for telling me about the money back guarantee, gwyneth, I may try it. But the biggest issue is the effort invovled in moving. One of the good things about the other option is that they offer a site movement service and they will give me 6 montsh extension for the time that I have already paid on the other host.

Thank you, slapshotw, for telling me about the need to click the link in the email.

1) Are comparisons with other hosts allowed?

I have never seen HG delete posts because of this. But if you are a customer of HG, why would you want to publicly compare HG to anyone else on the forums?

2) Is HG getting worse performance wise?

In my opinion, NO....performance wise, HG is Top Notch and I havent noticed anything change since I was a customer over a year ago.

3) Can I reallly upload 600GB, even of of multimedia files (the other host only really offers 5GB even though it says 760GB)?

Yes, you can upload 600GB of multimedia files. Of course, having those 600GB of multimedia displayed to your viewers may run into other problems (ie: CPU loads, etc). Just make sure you own the copyright to all files that you have, and you are not just using the 600GB as storage.

4) Will there be backup service for all types of files (the other hosting option does not backup video files for instance)?

I have never known certain file types NOT being backed up along with the rest of the site, so I would have to answer yes to this also unless you are over the 50k inode limit which at that time nothing on your site will be backed up. Its always a good idea to have your own backup solution and NOT rely on HG to have a good backup of your site and files. Many people rely on HG to maintain good current backups and when a catastrophe hits, they are usually the first ones to be bad mouthing HG because they have "lost x amount of manhours and x amount of data". Have your own backups so that just in case a catastrophe does hit your server, you can upload the backup and HG can restore it. Look in the forums (when you have access for different solutions that people use).

Tim

Hope this helps you out a bit.

[whatrevolution]

Originally Posted by skeetr

But if you are a customer of HG, why would you want to publicly compare HG to anyone else on the forums?

Because the comparison could be relevant. He could want to be sure HG compares with or beats the service he's accustomed to. It helps HG compete when they know what their customers like about their competition; so the comparison could squeeze more value out of HG. I could go on.

[skeetr]

Good points....thanks

[slapshotw]

Originally Posted by timtak

4) Will there be backup service for all types of files (the other hosting option does not backup video files for instance)?

The answer to this question, on HostGator and any other host you may use, is "pretend the host does not have a backup policy." You *need* to do your own backups, no matter what, without question. HG does a backup every sunday unless your account has over 50,000 INODES (files + folders) but it doesn't matter.

Pretend HG went out of business tomorrow. Would you be able to recover your site? If not, your self-backup plan isn't good enough.

[timtak]

Dear Skeetr and whatrevolution

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

Because the comparison could be relevant.

Hear hear.
I am really into openness at the moment.

So I am going to say it!

The other site is Siteground, the host with a tech center in Rumania. Its deal appears to be very similar Host Gator. But they limit multimedia files to 5Gb, with rather makes a mockery of their "750GB limit". I think however, if one has a low hit video blog (as I do) and or large powerpoint files (as I do) then it is easy to go over the 5GB limit without either using too much CPU or using the site as a backup.

If no one views the files at all then that is just a backup. But if they are viewed occasionally then that is okay, presumably. I wonder how many hits the files would need to have before they are not seen as being "backup."

Also the other company censors their forums. I have sent posts like this to their forums and it does not get there.

Only trouble is they have a site moving service, and would move my stuff, so they say. I could not even do it, so I am not entirely convinced. And anway, I think it may be time to moved to wordpress so a fresh start might be a good idea.

I am glad to hear that HG's performance has not gone down hill.

I am not too fussed about backups. I do take my own when I care about the data.

Tim

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by timtak

Thank you for telling me about the money back guarantee, gwyneth, I may try it. But the biggest issue is the effort invovled in moving.

Of course. But if you have an extra domain, you could try it out for a month. And with the 9.95 coupons kicking around (which makes the first month of the medium shared plan free), you could test at no cost.

[timtak]

gwyneth
Yes, I just saw a coupon at a review site. I was not sure whether to believe it, but I will now that you say.

i also when to webhosting talk where
1) Brent Oxely seems to be something of a hero.
2) There are people getting pissed off with him but he keeps posting to webhostingtalk in a polite and rational manner.
3) Host Gator also offers a site moving service!? (which was the only remaining advantage of the host with the tech support center in Rumania).

I can't find mention of Host Gator the site moving service. Does it cost money?

The only thing that scares me is if Brent were to leave. I hope he keeps up the good work.

Tim

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by timtak

3) Host Gator also offers a site moving service!? (which was the only remaining advantage of the host with the tech support center in Rumania).

I can't find mention of Host Gator the site moving service. Does it cost money?

The only thing that scares me is if Brent were to leave. I hope he keeps up the good work.

The moving service is free within the first month, there's a form somewhere for doing it.

Well, he's the owner (check out his Host Gator blog--the link is at the bottom of this page). I've been a hosting customer since 1994, at four or five companies before HG, and, come to think of it, he's the only owner who's ever even revealed his/her existence, let alone made himself/herself available to one and all.

[timtak]

gwyneth
Yes, I just saw a coupon at a review site. I was not sure whether to believe it, but I will now that you say.

i also when to webhosting talk where
1) Brent Oxely seems to be something of a hero.
2) There are people getting pissed off with him but he keeps posting to webhostingtalk in a polite and rational manner.
3) Host Gator also offers a site moving service!? (which was the only remaining advantage of the host with the tech support center in Rumania).

I can't find mention of Host Gator the site moving service. Does it cost money?

The only thing that scares me is if Brent were to leave. I hope he keeps up the good work.

Tim

[whatrevolution]

Someone hit back, and clicked ok.

[Honsu]

You really should go with Hostgator.
It's great.
http://www.aggzzu.bedavahostum.info/my-image3.jpg