To help you, as a developer, find the right hosting service for your passion(s), we searched for some of the most diverse and specialized providers among the bunch here at WHDb. What we came up with may surprise you, as some of the names are obscure, the companies may be small, and the prices are beyond belief as they’re so low. Of course, if you want to pull the dedicated server option, the prices listed below won’t hold water. (more…)

But, it seems that more Web hosting services are beginning to offer VoIP services and products as well. While some host providers might be able to explain their products and why they work, others may not. Still others may offer everything you need — all, of course, except the VoIP.

What do you need for a great VoIP service provider? Basically, the client who wants a dynamic VoIP support system will look for IP multimedia communications services with high-fidelity voice quality and near-zero latency. These objectives can be accomplished with a service that provides an all-optical network and multiple redundancies. And, you’ll need a VoIP system, if your Web host doesn’t provide the setup. You can hook up an inexpensive microphone to your computer or connect a phone directly to a VoIP telephone adapter (ATA). Or you can use a SIP Phone. Each SIP phone is a network endpoint, and voice is routed through its IP address. SIP phones also allow full use of advanced features like voice mail to e-mail and auto attendant. (more…)

But, anyone who harbors a modicum of Web savvy knows that shuttering a front door to a Web site is a futile effort, as there are other ways to keep a site ‘live.’ In the Wikileaks.org case, users could continue to gain access to the site through its Internet Protocol (IP) address and through mirror sites registered in other countries that the Wikileaks.org organizers created for such a circumstance. Those domain names were not affected by the injunction. Additionally, David Ardia, director of the Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard Law School, stated that Judge White’s order to disable the entire site was not constitutional, and that “there is no justification under the First Amendment for shutting down an entire Web site.” (more…)

While the Rails addict may be perfectly happy with his or her RoR application, some users might be less than thrilled with some Rails hosting environments. A good Rails host will provide Shell/SSH access, Fast CGI, SCGI and/or Mongrel support, the latest RoR releases, knowledgeable support staff with Rails documentation on board, and scalability options to meet future growth. (more…)

First, your host must carry PHP version 4.3 or higher and MySQL version 4.0 or higher for the WordPress databases run smoothly. WordPress recommends Apache or Litespeed as the “most robust and featureful” server for running WordPress, but any server that supports PHP and MySQL will do. With that said, what happens if you do make Digg’s home page? Will your server handle the traffic spike?

If you don’t need the flexibility provided by a full Web host, you might consider getting a free blog on WordPress.com. However, many Web managers like the flexibility and freedom provided by a full Web host. Hence, the following ten hosts that are built to handle all the possible problems a WordPress fanatic might face. Some of the sites are recommended by WordPress, others are featured WHDB hosts, and others are choices made through our trial and error. (more…)

Never mind the number of social media Web site memberships you have. Think about what it takes to support the viewers on a site like Twitter or YouTube. What if you needed that type of traffic support for your site? Even if you don’t plan for massive viewership, one day the New York Times may deride one of your comments, or Oprah might recommend your insights to her army of viewers. Can your current host withstand the traffic spike?

If you have doubts about whether your current Web host provider can handle massive traffic spikes or if you’ve already experienced down time because of a database overload from your blog, then you need more support. One answer to your dilemma includes grid or cluster hosting. One of the key benefits to both solutions is the ability to balance workloads while enabling recovery from inevitable hardware failures. When hardware or software is overtaxed, another server can pick up the burden. These systems are designed to pumping the juice. The difference between the two types of hosting is that grid hosting may not contain all servers in the same location, whereas all servers are in one location with cluster hosting.

If you’re looking for a reliable hosting system and you don’t mind paying a bit more for that reliability, the following ten host providers are worth your inspection. This Web host list, which focuses entirely on grid and cluster services, is compiled by price, from most to least expensive. This methodology does not mean that we value one host over another, either by price or by service. (more…)

The following coupons are numbered, but this does not mean that we value one coupon or business over another. They are listed in alphabetical order under each category for ease of use. We do need to warn you that many coupons expire, often without notice. So, jump on these deals today before you lose their money-saving values. (more…)

The problem with FriendFeed is that it was, until March 2008, just one more way to find out what posters were up to in their business and personal lives across the board; and, anyone who has used FriendFeed can tell you that this aggregated feed sometimes can become overwhelming. But, when FriendFeed released their API in March 2008, a frenzy of FriendFeed apps, widgets and plugins appeared to make FriendFeed friendlier. This API is designed to make it possible for anyone to improve FriendFeed or integrate FriendFeed into other applications. Developers can develop a FriendFeed interface for a mobile phone, build a FriendFeed widget for your blog, or develop an application that makes it easy to post photos to your feed from your iPhone. And, they’ve done just that, only not fast enough for non-developers! But, it seems that new developments are being published daily, so be patient and try out the apps listed below while you wait.

The following list was created to update users on over forty developments to date that can be used to refine FriendFeed to your taste. We say, “40+” as you’ll find links to pages in the list below that contain even more lists of apps, so you’re dealing with at least 60+ applications through this article. Some apps demand Firefox, and others are cross-platform downloads. Some widgets and plugins are for Web developers and others are designed for mobile users. Each app, widget and plugin is listed alphabetically under each category, but we don’t favor one application over another. In fact, this list is meant only to be a list and not an endorsement of any of these applications. (more…)

The sum total of the Web women listed here represents just the tip of the iceberg on women involved with Web matters - although we agree with Zeldman that men seem to outnumber the women in this realm. With that said, the women we discovered are strong, talented, innovative and resourceful. And, many of them have joined forces to help each other and many other women. Since we restricted the list only to those women who maintain active blogs, we had to ignore such greats as Lynda Weinman,Rachel Andrew and Sas Jacobs. But, along the way, we discovered new resources and talents. (more…)

But, who are the folks behind these dramatic changes? Who started hi5 Networks, one of the world’s largest social networks today? Who’s helping Dell become more environmentally friendly, and who’s the person behind Google’s financial success? We’ll tell you about these people and more, through the 25 most influential people in the Web hosting industry listed below.

There are, literally, hundreds of influential people in and around the Web hosting industry today, but we scoured the Web to find the most visible and remarkable people who are active in speaking engagements and/or in creative and substantial contributions to society as well as to their work. We looked to the most well-known and publicized companies like Cisco, Twitter and Facebook to discover who represented a driving force behind those companies. Below you will find owners, founders and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and Engineers, and the Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) who are behind the Internet’s most innovative, productive, and astounding growth in Web hosting to users today. (more…)