Hi there

I know that there are already a lot of posts about this, but I'm feeling a little lost, so I decided to create my own thread.
I have a few questions regarding ASP hosting.

I'm currently looking for ASP hosting. I read a few posts around the forums and found some good hosting providers.
However, I would like to have some opinions about those hosting services.

I have a low budget, and I don't want to spend more than 10$/mon. However, I also don't want a crappy hosting provider. I would like something good and cheap, with a good price/quality relation.
From what I've read around the forum, I found a few hosting providers that don't look bad.

Below are the hosting providers I found (by order of preference):

1- http://www.easycgi.com/services/web+hosting+overview.html (EasyCGI)
2- http://www.crystaltech.com/dotnet.aspx (CrystalTech)
3- https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/hosting/shared.asp?isc=cjchst001b&app_hdr=&ci=5652 (GoDaddy)
4- http://www.softsyshosting.com/HELMHosting.aspx (SoftSysHosting)

What do you guys think? Which one offer the best service?

Also...a few questions regarding ASP.NET.

1- I am a C# programmer. I have not yet started to program in ASP, but from what I've seen, with ASP.NET, I am able to create web sites/services, using .NET languages like C# right?
2- Will ASP.NET hostings support common php/html/... sites? I already have a blog in a Unix hosting service. Will it work fine in Windows?

I know these are noob questions, but that's what I am :P
I apologise if this thread is not in the right section, or if it's a repeated thread, but I was feeling a little lost.

Thanks in advance :)
Take care

In my opinion best host on that list (and my favorite one from all shared hosts) is CrystalTech BUT if your budget is $10/m you wil get only mySQL database (no MS SQL). If you can pay 16.95/m they have best plan ever with ms sql, lots of space and GREAT support . It is very, very good & professional hosting company  - i use them for many customers and they are great.

1) web services - yes

2) CrystalTech - thay offer php, perl and mysql with every .net plan - so you shouldn't have any problems

 

You may want to take a look at WebHost4life too - some ppl like it, some don't. I have to agree that some time ago they had some problems (they let ppl run unlimited sites) but now the servers i have with them works really good and they have better price than CT. Good and fast live chat (i don't like their phone support)

 Thanks for your opinion TOMCIO

I have not personally used crystaltech but have heard very good things about them. Hence, you can consider them if they are within your budget.

I am using softsyshosting.com since long now and can say for sure that they have been very good in terms of quality support responses, server speeds and uptime (has been 100% for me). Hence I can say that you will not go wrong with them

HTH,

hi buttpt,

I believe that you are always free to open a new thread, in case you need free opinion about other web hoster. Since you have an average $10.00 to spend ($10.00 is not a low budget though :) ), I suggest you to have a look at ASPHostCentral.com as it specializes in hosting ASP, ASP.NET websites and other Microsoft technologies such as .NET3.5, Visual Studio, ADO.NET.

Regarding your questions about the hosters that you select, I honestly just know about GoDaddy and what I know is that GoDaddy specializes in domain name registration, but not hosting service. I am clueless about the other hosting company that you mentioneed here. Best service? I am niot sure as I just used GoDaddy to administer my domain name, but for hosting, I did not go with them.

Regarding your questions about ASP.NET:

1- I am a C# programmer. I have not yet started to program in ASP, but from what I've seen, with ASP.NET, I am able to create web sites/services, using .NET languages like C# right?
A> Certainly yes. Actually, with ASP.NET2.0 or above technology, you can separate the design and the coding through the use of MasterPages concept. If you are good in C#, you can continue to build your site in C# language, while combining with the HTML or other website builder script to create a good design website.
 

2- Will ASP.NET hostings support common php/html/... sites? I already have a blog in a Unix hosting service. Will it work fine in Windows?
A> Certainly, it will work fine as well. Windows environment does support PHP and ASP.NET all together.

Hope this helps. Thank you.

you_rock:

hi buttpt,

I believe that you are always free to open a new thread, in case you need free opinion about other web hoster. Since you have an average $10.00 to spend ($10.00 is not a low budget though :) ), I suggest you to have a look at ASPHostCentral.com as it specializes in hosting ASP, ASP.NET websites and other Microsoft technologies such as .NET3.5, Visual Studio, ADO.NET.

If you're talking about cost you can do it for half here

Thank you all for taking the time to answer.
I see that many hosting companies, don't have MS SQL Databases and the ones that have, are more expensive. So I ask...is this an important feature? Can't we use MySql Databases with ASP.NET?

 

Thanks
Take care

Hello,

Most ASP.NET shared hosting providers offer MS SQL like add on, so you will get MS SQL just if you need it. Yes, it is important feature if you use it, if not it's not. Yes, you could use MySQL, but most of the ASP.NET developers prefer MS SQL, it depends on your project and on your needs.

 Regards

Buttpt:

Thank you all for taking the time to answer.
I see that many hosting companies, don't have MS SQL Databases and the ones that have, are more expensive. So I ask...is this an important feature? Can't we use MySql Databases with ASP.NET?

 

Thanks
Take care

hi buttpt,

I don't think that MSSQL database service is expensive nowadays. Take an example of the Standard ASP.NET Plan here, with $4.99/month, you get a featured-rich hosting package that comes with free 1 domain name, 1 mssql 2005 database, 1 mysql databases, unlimited emails, and other free extra features. What can you buy with $5 nowadays? It is just equivalent to nearly 50 cents a day and it is very cheap.

What I truly look for in a hosting service is not actually the price, but the performance and reliability of the service. I personally would rather spend a little bit more just to get a quality service, rather than cheap service with a lot of downtime. As you can see in the telecommunication industry nowadays which offers free call service if you are on the same network with your friends, it appears that the offer is so interesting. But, how's the signal? Can you call your friends directly in case you need their outmost help? I experienced once in which I was on the emergency situation and I could not contact my friend because there was no signal (low signal) in my area. So, why should I get cheap service but I cannot make any call?

You can certainly use MySQL in conjuction with your ASP.NET application. But, I would still prefer ASP.NET with MSSQL as they are all from Microsoft. If you have a Holden car, would you want to buy Toyota spare part (cheaper) to be installed inside? It would certainly works though...:)

 Thank you all for your opinions :)

Dear ButtPt,

 Close your eyes and go for IXWebhosting.com. They are simply the best, affordable and feature rich company i recommend.