Month: July 2007

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Reseller Hosting vs Shared Web Hosting

Shared and Reseller web hosting have many similarities, many web hosts offer both shared and reseller hosting. The main difference between the two are…

  • Shared Web Hosting: You are sharing resources on a server and there are other shared web site hosting clients on the same server.
  • Reseller Hosting: Similar to shared web hosting in the sense that you are also sharing server resources with other clients. However, you can create your own web hosting accounts and manage them.

The upstream reseller hosting provider still remains in control of their server and are responsible for updating the server software and maintaining the server. The upstream reseller hosting provider will usually also provide support to the reseller, so if there are any issues or faults the reseller will be able to contact the host.

Do I need a Reseller Hosting account?
Most personal and small business users will have no use for a reseller account, a reseller account is useful to those users who have a number of web sites and want to save money, as a reseller account can be cheaper than purchasing multiple shared hosting accounts. Even though, depending on your web hosting provider, you may also be able to host multiple domains under a shared hosting solution and so making a reseller hosting account only worth it if you weigh up the space or bandwidth versus cost for both types of accounts as well how much of those resources you require for your accounts.

With a reseller account you can also sell hosting, so this can be a relatively cheap step into the web hosting business. You have the flexibility of controlling your own clients, creating, suspending and terminating accounts. You also have the knowledge that the server is being maintained for you, so you only have to worry about your clients and web site.

The Benefits
If you own a number of web sites, using a reseller account can save you money, and you can create accounts when you need them and share the resources between your web sites easily. You can find reseller hosting accounts with plenty of bandwidth and disk space from around R350 a month, which can be a big saving if you have a number of web sites needing hosting.

You also don’t have to worry about the maintenance of the server, since the reseller hosting provider should have this covered. You should also receive technical support included with your account.

If you have plans to start to own web hosting business, a reseller account can be an easy first step in the hosting industry. It is a relatively low cost solution, meaning you can concentrate primarily on building your business slowly and generate a steady monthly income. One of the biggest mistakes new hosts make is try to accomplish too much in a short period of time.

The disadvantages
Potential clients may not be totally confident purchasing a hosting account from a reseller, because you in affect are the middle man. If a problem arises with the server or a customers account, they need to contact you and if you are unable to deal with the problem yourself, you would in turn have to contact your upstream reseller hosting provider. This can be a long process from initially receiving the first support request to getting the problem resolved. However if you have proper customer support in place this shouldn’t be a major problem.

As mentioned previously, as a reseller you have certain access to administrative functions and if you have experience with the control panel and server software you may find managing your clients and their accounts easier than doing certain tasks manually.

Final thoughts
Reseller hosting is worth the money but only if you require the resources its offering. It is a good step in selling web hosting and if done properly enables a small business to generate a profit from reselling shared hosting accounts.

If you have high bandwidth or disk space requirements reseller hosting may not be the best solution and you may possibly require a dedicated server. This however does require you to have the technical knowledge otherwise you may just have to get a high resource reseller hosting account or multiple reseller hosting accounts.

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End of Days for PHP 4

A few days ago an announcement was made by the developers of PHP at http://php.net concerning the discontinuation of of PHP 4:

Dated: [13-Jul-2007]

Today it is exactly three years ago since PHP 5 has been released. In those three years it has seen many improvements over PHP 4. PHP 5 is fast, stable & production-ready and as PHP 6 is on the way, PHP 4 will be discontinued.

The PHP development team hereby announces that support for PHP 4 will continue until the end of this year only. After 2007-12-31 there will be no more releases of PHP 4.4. We will continue to make critical security fixes available on a case-by-case basis until 2008-08-08. Please use the rest of this year to make your application suitable to run on PHP 5.

For documentation on migration for PHP 4 to PHP 5, we would like to point you to our migration guide (http://www.php.net/manual/en/migration5.php). There is additional information available in the PHP 5.0 to PHP 5.1 (http://www.php.net/manual/en/migration51.php) and PHP 5.1 to PHP 5.2 (http://www.php.net/manual/en/migration52.php) migration guides as well.

We have many servers running PHP 5 as default and it is completely stable. Pretty much all commercial scripts work with it or can be made to with a few tweaks. We recommend that all our clients that have PHP 4 dependent script look to their code to migrate it to PHP 5.

If you have a dedicated server with Osirion System Technologies please request the PHP 5 upgrade any time between now and December. If you don’t want your server upgraded to PHP 5 that is also fine, though the upgrade is highly recommended.

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Reseller Hosting As An Online Business Choice

Reseller hosting is an easy way to make money from the web industry. Though some might think there are technicalities involved, most hosting firms that offer reseller hosting can either directly or indirectly offer the support to the reseller hosting clients. All that reseller hosting entails is the division of a server’s resources, both disk space and traffic (or otherwise referred to as bandwidth). From this allocated disk space and traffic, Reseller’s make their hosting packages from their reseller control panel and can create a new client through this control panel and assign the relevant hosting package to the client.

Your reseller hosting provider should also be able to give you tutorials and any help you may need with using the reseller control panel. Actual server maintenance and software updates are handled by your reseller hosting provider and they manage the dedicated hosting server so you don’t have to. Not only does this give you more time to do more important tasks, but it saves you on requiring the technical knowledge of running a dedicated server. As a part of a marketing plan, you can offer similar packages that other hosting companies are offering at lower rates due to your lower costs. You can also use some reseller hosting programs and GUI control panels that will enable your clients to manage their web resources which will take some work load of you.

Once you have your reseller hosting solution and have created your shared hosting packages that you will offer to your clients, you are ready to start.

Dealing in reseller web site hosting you might have offer more space and bandwidth than a regular shared web hosting plan. Web hosting is very cut-throat trade that your triumph depends on the performance of your dedicated server. Cheaper reseller hosting to win the price war may sometimes be dangerous in case of long time downtime. That is not to say that every reseller hosting provider that is affordable has low downtime, but you should do research into all your narrowed down list of hosting provider choices to avoid a provider that has a lot of downtime.

Offering multiple or even unlimited domain names, parked or add-on, on a shared hosting account can be one of the value added features of your shared hosting packages from your reseller hosting package. Other selling points of your service can be flexible packages in terms of space, bandwidth, other features and price. Giving your clients the option to upgrade space or bandwidth over time, whether at an additional upgrade cost or for free, can also be beneficial to you. A successful client will generally need more of both these resources over time.

Before you dive into a reseller hosting plan, make sure to:

• Choose a dependable reseller hosting service provider that has a good record and has been running for some time.
• Choose a trustworthy reseller hosting service provider that offers flexible reseller web hosting packages in terms of price, space and bandwidth / traffic.
• Choose a reseller service provider that offers a powerful and user-friendly reseller hosting control panel to you as well as a user-friendly control panel to your clients.
• Choose a reseller hosting provider that can handle your queries and perhaps those of your clients fast and efficiently

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Logo Design – The Great Company’s Presentation

A web page without a logo may not look too good. This depends on the company however choosing to host a web page. They will also need to specify what kind of company they have, and thus it will make it easier for the designers to do the needful. The clients will have a very good idea of what they need, and this is what one would need when it comes to the design.

They of course need not give any rough sketches, but a good input will make a lot of difference. Artists will play a very important role in this.

The more creative they are the better the logo looks. The logo will also have to be compatible with the content of the site. It is a must that the logo will match the mood of the site, as well as what the content is all about.

A logo speaks about the company and no one should compromise on the logo design at all. This should involve a lot of time as well as effort, as this will allow the projection of the company to be on a large platform when it comes to quality.

The designs could be complex or even very simple, based on the need of the client. Sometimes there will be a need to create a simple logo, even if the content is heavy. This will blend in with what is needed, and will also attract the viewers in such a way. Simple logos too can speak volumes about a company.

If a complex design is needed, it is always a wise idea to match the entire web page with what the other requirements are. Soon after this, the placement of the logo on the web page is very important.

It will not do, if the logo is placed just about anywhere on the web page. One has to see to it that a lot of care is taken when it comes to making the logo prominent on the web page. Though it is prominent, it must not clash with the rest of the content. It is also a good idea if the company designing the logo, keeps an eye on the use of the colors.

They must blend with the idea of the site content, and must also not look out of place. Even if it is placed in a good place, it must look attractive without occupying unnecessary space.

A web logo design company will have the necessary professionals to carry out this task, and the client will get what he needs. He only has to specify what he needs, and together as a team they will bring out the best. The design professionals are trained in such a way, that they will not overshadow the thoughts of the client.

Yet they will give good inputs and also make sure the best is given to the client. If the right effort is put into the task, the best logo can be attained.

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Web Hosting – Choosing The Best Server

When it comes to web hosting, we will have to first understand that the World Wide Web connects people all over the world. The communication standard is called http. This method can be used to connect computers all over the world. Web pages are basically documents on the computer that store required information, depending on the individual owner of the site.

These in turn will be stored as files on the computer with the help of servers. These pages can then be viewed then on the web browser. This will need an Internet service provider to do the needful, and these are all interconnected.

Web hosting is all about making the web page with information created, available on the World Wide Web with the help of a server. There are different ways to host web pages. One way is that it can be done by you.

The other way is to approach a good web hosting company to do the needful. While hosting a web page on your own, you will have to take into consideration that a lot of things will be involved. This will include hardware, software as well as maintenance expenses, and this could run up to a big amount.

It is easier to ask a company to host it for a good fee, as they will have the correct technical team to do the support. This will be their job, and they will be working constantly to provide the needful. You could also rent a server from an Internet service provider, but that too will have its drawbacks.

The whole problem about hosting it yourself is that you will have to spend a lot of time maintaining this. When the web page is being hosted, it will also need a domain name. This is what makes the web page unique.

This will allow each web page to have its own domain name. There will be no two web pages that will have the same name. While approaching a company to host the web page, the domain name has to be registered. Only then will it become visible to all the viewers. While some web hosting companies offer a free domain name with their hosting package, the domain name still has to be chosen with care. It has to be in a way that it is connected to the site content or name. It should also be short and probably very easy to remember. If these steps are followed, there will be more traffic to the site.

Web hosting will also involve monitoring the web page often. The owner of the site will have to make sure that the site has not expired. This will happen if the subscription with the hosting company has not been renewed. Losing this will mean losing a lot of customers and visitors, so it is better to keep track of the hosting services.

The web hosting services will also not cost much, so it is a good idea to spend that money and maintain a good site. The hosting company will take care of your every need.

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Web Hosting – What A Site Owner Needs!

Web hosting is all about making a client’s web page available on the World Wide Web through the Internet. This means it becomes accessible to anyone in the world. The web hosting is very important, as without this, there will be no web page to access. The type of web hosting company also has to be chosen the right way.

It is very important to keep in mind that the company will have to offer all the best technical details and also support. Without this if there are problems experienced by visitors, it could lead to a bad reputation to the site owner.

The site owner will then prefer not to use the services of this web hosting company. The company will basically have a server, and will thus allot space to the web page owner, depending on how much he needs. It could vary from site to site.

The content of each site will vary of course and this has to be kept in mind when it comes to web hosting. Some may be very simple sites and some can be very complex. Sometimes if the web page is very simple, and there are ways of getting money through advertising, then free web hosting is offered by certain companies.

If the web page is very complex, this will need a lot of database support as well as technical support. This will cost money but of course the rates will be very reasonable. The web hosting company will then offer the best services in relation to the technical support that it has to provide to the site.

It has to be very clear, as the site will have to be accessible by anyone at any time. There are several types of web hosting too, and these will include free hosting, shared hosting, clustered hosting and even blog hosting.

The hosting for the web has to be very reliable, and also has to be available through the Internet at all times. Most web hosting services will never slip when it comes to this, as this is the most important part of their services. They also will make sure that the maintenance is well planned, so that there will be no kind of restarts with the servers.

The team will also work diligently towards providing a good support in all ways as this will assure them that the client stays with them at all costs.

While the web page is being hosted, there will be several things taken into consideration. However the web hosting companies will provide database server software, scripting software and operating system. Thus when a customer needs to host the site, he can choose the kind of software he needs according to his comfort.

The client need not worry about web content management too, as this is also part of the services when it comes to web hosting. E-mail and other multi media services too will be taken care of for the client. A client may be in peace when it comes to web hosting.

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Web Development – What Is It In General Terms?

When we take web development into consideration, a lot of things will come up. It may be related to the design of a web page, content development for the page, e commerce, web server configuration as well as server coding. This of course requires professionals to handle this, and will also take a lot of time. If this job is done haphazardly, there will be no good viewers for this site.

Web development is very important when it comes to promoting a site. All care must be taken to give the correct technical support as well as the creative support a web page needs.

While in general terms we may consider the web development to also be part of the creative process, it is not so with the technical people. They will often refer to this when it comes to things like coding, writing etc.

Coding also is of course a backbone of any web page. Sites will vary from client to client. The type of sites they will want to develop will also include just about any material we may think of. Thus the web development has to be ready to offer any services required by them. It could be simple yet it could also be complex.

For example a certain web page can be very simple in composition as well as content. This kind of web page will require very simple coding. If there is a complex site, with plenty of graphics as well as other minute details, there will be some need to do complex coding. An example of complex sites will be some social group sites, or even those of companies who have various branches.

Those who are very easy with such kind of work will of course enjoy providing the needful to the customers. The people required of course will depend on the site that needs to be developed.

Web development is not so easy as it may seem, and only the best of all the professionals will be part of a team when it comes to the site development. They will of course work as a team when there is a large amount of work to be done.

The simple web pages will need a simple programmer to do the work and a web master will do for the task. But he too will have to collaborate with the rest of the team to provide the best work for the clients.

Most web development companies will have a good team and they will know exactly what the client needs, and will deliver so. They will work in such a way that they provide the necessary platform for the client to be satisfied. Complex sites will of course need the cooperation of the client, as he can give the inputs of what exactly he needs.

He will know what he needs to portray to the viewers and his valuable inputs will play a role in the outcome of the site. The web development is a very important piece of the site.

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Web Design – Choose The Best

A web design will surely need a lot of effort as well as some creativity. However there will be times when one has to design a web page all by them. Though it may sound complex, it is actually not so and will just require some time, before someone can completely take charge of their own website.

A web page will consist of several areas and this will include content, logos and graphic designs. The layout is also very important to consider. Web design tutorials can be found for free on the Internet. These are very useful for those who do not want to spend money on designing a web page.

When it comes to designing a web page, there will be a lot of software to consider. There will be simple ones as well as complex ones to handle. If one has to create a web design by him, it is always better to cut down on the images in the web page. Simple icons are also the best way to maintain a web page design, as this will not make things too complicated.

While designing a web page, it has to be kept in mind that the entire content is important.

Depending on what the site needs, there will be coding that has to be followed. The easiest ones used are the HTML and the CSS. Flash is used a lot of times, but this is advisable as it will take time to load. It is better to use the flash within a HTML coding if one compulsorily wants that effect. A web design needs a good layout and of course will need good navigation properties, for which the HTML coding is the best.

This can be done so that it is easier to maintain, and also gives the web page a simple but elegant look.

While designing a web page, it also has to be kept in mind that once it is complete, it should be loaded and checked how long it is taking to do so. Viewers will not have the patience to wait for the page to load, and thus it must be designed in such a way. Web page designing will have to include resolutions as well.

Today since there are several computers with different resolutions, web pages must be created in such a way that it can be viewed on any screen.

Just because there are several software to use, it does not mean that the webpage has to be cluttered with too many images. It is always wise to make sure that the web page is simple, and it must also be compatible with all web browsers. If they are so, it will allow the increase of traffic. The navigation on the web page must also be very easy to do by all the viewers.

They do not want to visit the site and find out that they are unable to find the information they are looking for. Keeping all this in mind a web page must be designed.

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Web Design – The Best Visual Presentation

A web design is all about the visual presentation of the web page. This is very important, as this is what will attract viewers all the time on the Internet. They will also be given the opportunity to a visual treat. It is very important to have the web page designed in such a way that it is user friendly.

Most people may be learning the Internet and all the web pages have to be so designed that it is appealing and at the same time easily approachable by all people. There will be several languages that are used for the design of these web pages and the most common of them are HTML and CSS.

The client can of course decide which language he wants for his site and he must also be sure that it matches the need of the website. He can accordingly allow the designer to do the needful. The web page design layout is more important than anything else. Even if the graphics and designs are not too extravagant, it is important to keep in mind that a visitor to the site will have to find what he wants.

If it is too complex for him to understand then it will become of no use to the user as well as the client.

Based upon the need of the client and the content of the site, this can be created in a way that it is easy to navigate. The web page of course will be the collection of a particular topic only most of the time, so there will be no need to worry about complexity.

Besides this, the client will want to upload some videos or photos and this will make the site more interesting and add to the web page design look and feel. These too need to be placed in the right way, and also made sure that they are not too complex for viewing.

While designing a website it is also a key factor to remember that the content of the website has to be very appealing. It has to be to the point and also written in a manner that it will be easy for the viewers to follow. Besides the content the visibility of the web page is also equally important. There is no point if this site is not friendly with search engines. The whole purpose of a site is to be viewed by people from anywhere in the world, and thus this has to be kept in mind.

The style of the design of the site must also be very consistent. If there is no consistency in the style, the viewer may become uncomfortable with the viewing, and he probably will not even promote the site through word of mouth. Thus making the site user friendly will go a long way in the success of the site.

Designing a web page will require professionals, and most companies will have such people. They are of course working diligently to do the needful for the customer, as his requirement.

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Web Application Development – An Important Task

Web application development can be related to several things like discussion boards, webblogs, or online auctions. As we can see, this will relate to all the complex sites that are available on the Internet. Maintaining such sites need constant attention, and also require a lot of time.

The development of web application can be considered to be an important task and will also be part of major web pages. Web applications can be related to web documents, and they will use standard formats and will also be supported by common browsers. It is also very important that the web application be compatible with all operating systems.

While it is being developed itself, the company will have to make sure that if fits the client’s requirements and do so accordingly. He will definitely not have the time to keep developing applications according to the needs. Web application development is highly needed with companies that require secure networks.

They will also need to keep their information valuable, and thus a need is created where most of the network needs to be closely guarded. Web applications will use users, business and data services, and it will be used in the Internet. It will vary of course for the users and the service providers.

The company offering web application development is very professional, and will always look at their resources as well as their technical team before applying their expertise to the client’s project. The client may have huge requirements depending on what site he needs to develop applications for. Thus the client as well as the company needs to be clear about how they can do it right from the beginning.

The company must also be capable of delivering what the client needs. A proper layout of how the task has to be executed has to be first decided.

Planning is a must when it comes to web application development, and it will go a long way in making the task easier. Both the sides must make sure that the needs are outlined, as they must write down whether this can be achieved or not with certain procedures.

Time and money will have to be taken into account here. The language to be used is also another major decision that has to be taken. The client must be comfortable with using the site, and so must the other viewers. This has to be strategically planned before beginning the development.

While dealing with applications, as mentioned it is related to complex sites. Thus, there needs to be a good support team for the site, if it involves a lot of technical details. Viewers will definitely have problems, and thus it is advisable to do the needful. The layout of what is needed step by step is to be done in the beginning so as to avoid all complications.

Once this is done, there will be no need to cause confusion during the process. By doing this, one will create the best applications and satisfy the customer.