OT - Free web hosting recommendations?

Gandalf Parker · #1 June 2nd, 2005, 10:18 AM

Definetly consider your own. You would be surprised at how much "ISP" you can get out of some old computer that wont even play crappy games anymore. None of my family and friends need to worry about ISP limits anymore. I have a dozen domains, 100 emails, elists, forums, blogs, shops, small bit of newsgroups, small irc, and a 24/7 game server running a mmorpg MUD game that I wish would die but it seems to popular with its playerbase. All with a computer that my kids refused to use, on a DSL.

Gandalf Parker

Ed Kolis · #2 June 2nd, 2005, 02:07 PM

Hmm, I wonder how much it would cost to register my own domain...

Gandalf Parker · #3 June 2nd, 2005, 02:42 PM

anywhere from $5/year to something like $35/year. More if you are also looking for services but if you are considering your own server then most of that is mute. maybe just DNS and backup mail server. I dont know what the cheapest are but I like DomainDirect

http://www.Any1can.net/DomainDirect.html

I also like that they have a nice gui webpage thingy that lets you search for open domain names

Ed Kolis · #4 June 2nd, 2005, 02:55 PM

Wait, according to your site there, it's possible to host a website without a domain name? How would people get to it? Type in an IP address? But if I'm behind a router don't I only have a local IP address?

Phoenix-D · #5 June 2nd, 2005, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Ed Kolis said:
Wait, according to your site there, it's possible to host a website without a domain name? How would people get to it? Type in an IP address? But if I'm behind a router don't I only have a local IP address?

All domain names do is redirect you to a certain IP address. So the IP issue will be have to be resolved either way.

Fyron · #6 June 2nd, 2005, 04:33 PM

Forward port 80 to your server, and typing in the WAN in a browser (from outsiede the LAN) will be directed to the server transparently. This is assuming that your ISP does not block port 80, of course. If that is the case, you will have to use a different port for your server.

You can uses a service like http://www.no-ip.com for dynamic DNS redirection to avoid registering a domain. It is how the SE4 tracker works: http://kazharii.no-ip.com:6969

Ed Kolis · #7 June 2nd, 2005, 05:58 PM

Neat! I'll have to get that network card, then... because that will really be the only expense involved!

And my new Internet service is through the cable company, so I shouldn't even need the dynamic DNS except to get a more interesting name for my site than my router's IP address, right?

Gandalf Parker · #8 June 2nd, 2005, 06:55 PM

A domain name makes your site "mobile" without losing any accumulated recgnition it might have built up.

And personally I think they are alot of fun. Consider that if you get something to put on the other side of the @ sign, then you are unlimited to what you can put before the @. And some combinations of the two can be alot of fun also. You could be just Ed@ if you snagged kolis.ca or kolis.biz or KolisWorld.com or KolisOnline.net and you could give personalized emails to your whole family. Not to mention guru@ or admin@ or TerranEmpire@

Its also fun to say "you can write me at kolis.ca" then make me@ actually work.