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Divergent Lines exclusively uses
DreamHost for all our hosting needs. There is plenty
to consider when choosing a web host, I'll cover some of the high-points as they relate to DreamHost.
They are a real company with their own on-site servers. They aren't resellers who have to call someone else for help whenever
you have an issue.
DreamHost's Hosting Plans
Currently Dream Host offers four shared Hosting plans, in addition to what is listed below, each account also comes with a 91-day
money back guarantee, 24 hour email tech support, unlimited mySQL databases, web-based email access, unlimited email aliases,
1 free domain registration, unlimited domain forwarding and mirroring, SSL access, QuickTime streaming, and support for php4,
SSI (server side includes), .htaccess, cgi, shell, and more. Also, if you sign up for a year, they waive the one-time $24.95
setup fee. DreamHost's servers run on Debian Linux. Here are some of the details about their shared hosting plans (you can
see a side-by-side comparison
here):
- Crazy Domain Insane: $9.95 per month, 800 MB of disk space, 40 GB of bandwidth, 60 email accounts, 15
shell/ftp accounts, 3 domains hosted, and 15 sub-domains hosted.
- Sweet Dreams: $19.95 per month, 1600 MB of disk space, 48 GB of bandwidth, 140 email accounts, 35
shell/ftp accounts, 7 domains hosted, and 35 sub-domains hosted, and custom DNS service.
- Code Monster: $39.95 per month (as of this writing, there is a sale going on where you can get this plan for
the price of the "Sweet Dreams" account seen above), 2560 MB of disk space, 64 GB of bandwidth, 300 email accounts, 75
shell/ftp accounts, 15 domains hosted, 75 sub-domains hosted, custom DNS, free Miva Merchant License, and an
anonymous FTP server.
- Strictly Business: $79.95 per month, 3680 MB of disk space, 88 GB of bandwidth, 620 email accounts, 155
shell/ftp accounts, 31 domains hosted, 155 sub-domains hosted, custom DNS service, free Miva Merchant License, unique
IP address, and a free SSL to use with your free secure server.
There are also plenty of addons available such as extra disk space, extra bandwidth, the ability to host more domains, and extra
email accounts.
DreamHost Service
I have had to contact DreamHost's tech support about three times in about three years. Each time it was more of a question
than a problem. They always responded quickly and clearly to help resolve my issue.
I have experienced nearly a 100% uptime over the past three years; not bad.
Account administration is handled through their custom control panel seen
here. I have found this Panel to be
fully-featured and easy to use.
DreamHost Dedicated Hosting
I don't have any experience with Dreamhost's
dedicated hosting (or dedicated hosting
in general, for that matter) but if it is half as good as their shared hosting packages, it is worth looking into.
DreamHost has a fantastic "Knowlege Base" that clearly explains nearly every aspect of their services. You will find clear,
concise instructions on everything from setting up Outlook Express to configuring a cron job. This is one of the better
knowlege bases I've seen available.
Any Negatives?
There are really two areas where I think DreamHost could do better. The first is their prices on domain names; starting at $14.95
for a .com is a little too steep when you can go across the street and get it for much less. If you are looking at buying a
domain name, I suggest getting it through
Yahoo! Small Business .
You can pick up a domain through yahoo for around $10 and modify your DNS settings to point at your DreamHost account. I really
suggest taking advantage of Yahoo's domain names. Yahoo also offers an impressive selection of web hosting
options in case you would like to find another provider to compare with DreamHost.
The second area where there is room for improvement is in their web stats package. They use Analog to keep track of site
visitors; I think there are plenty of other packages out there that could do a better job of monitoring stats. That said,
there are plenty of free stats packages available that you can instll yourself, so this really is a minor issue.
Conclusion
DreamHost has been great for us and our clients. If you are looking for quality hosting at a great price, do yourself a favor
and at least look into DreamHost before you make your final decision.
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