The FuzzyBlog!
Marketing 101. Consulting 101. PHP Consulting. Random geeky stuff. I Blog Therefore I Am.

Thursday, August 29, 2002

Why Don't Bare Bones Hosting Companies Include JSP or ASP Support? NOTE: I've gotten a bunch of questions from friends recently on hosting so I thought I'd blog a bit about it. I've heard it said that whenever a question starts with "Why don't ..." then the answer is always Money.  And so it is for this one too.  It's either money or perceived money actually.  Here are the issues in a nutshell.  I define bare bones hosting companies as anyone under $20 - $25 per month. Hosting is a brutally competitive, darwinian business.  It is just plain rough.  There are essentially no barriers to entry.  There aren't a lot of differentiators except for technical support and that's brutally hard since a lot of people you try and support at the low end level are, charitably speaking, newbies.  Or just plain idiots.  Or well meaning but clue free.  Anyway ...  It's a hard business. Hosting is brutally price sensitive.  Even so, everyone tries to play at the low end "bare bones" space since this builds your customer base quickly and many of us still labor under the myth that customers will upside to more profitable packages. To achieve profitability, bare bones companies load site after site after site onto each 1U format box (and that's all they tend to use, just racks and racks of 1U, Intel powered boxes).  I've heard of upwards of 1,000 sites on a 1U Linux box with enough RAM. My guess is that profit margins basically stink.  I don't know this for certain but empirical evidence bears me out. When your profit margins stink then you have to exercise strict cost control.  This means 0 software costs.  That's right.  0.  This means all open source, period.  So here's what you do: Linux or FreeBSD for the operating system. Open source accounting software like: CBMS or Freeside Open source scripting tools like PHP Open source database like MySQL Notice what isn't here: Any proprietary software (ISPs often need to change simple but low level stuff for purposes of backup, reliability, etc) Any software with an associated fee like Win NT Server or Windows 2000 server Since there is no Windows then there generally isn't any ASP support (despite the existence of Chilisoft) It is unclear (even to me) what the licensing terms for JSP are and when there is ambiguity then people don't tend to bother with it.  So even if JSP is free for an ISP, confusion on the pricing terms would keep it from being installed Any unreliable software like operating systems from Microsoft.  ISPs are very particular about uptime for good reason (if you have 1,000 sites on the same box and you have to reboot it then you could get a lot of customer calls all at once which basically stinks). Any software with a high CPU load.  The higher the CPU load then the slower the software and the less sites per box.  Since JSP has to load a JVM for at least the 1st instance of the page then it is, by definition, slower than PHP which runs (generally) as an inline process with Apache itself. Any software that can't be automatically provisioned, configured and controlled via the command line.  Since ISPs roll out software automatically for new 1U boxes, they simply can't afford to have to run a GUI which takes time.  Good ones have a special CD-ROM which boots the server and installs all the software.  The machine is then connected to the main network and it is done. (note -- this is how Google does it and with 10,000+ boxes total, they are, in effect, an ISP for themselves). So that's why you only tend to get JSP or ASP support with higher end hosting services (typically north of $50 per month).  The hosting companies honestly can't afford to offer it.  And this is why PHP has so many developers and such popularity right now -- it's becoming the "Basic" for the web -- available with every site (computer).  Problem: This is also a very bad thing for Microsoft since they want ASP to be the "Basic" for the web.  Solution for Microsoft: Give IIS, 2000 Server, ASP away free to all ISPs that want it.  A lot won't take it because of the unreliability issues.  Still some would and that would be a good thing towards making ASP more of a standard.  Of course Microsoft won't do this. 8:46:08 AM  Google It!  comment []   IM Me About This

Marketing 101: 5 Accounting Tips for Startups NOTE: If you don't like this story (and the next few) then all I have to say is it's HIS fault where "HIS" is a reader who emailed me this question:   Scott, So, the other day, when I IMd you while you were on the phone, I was planning on asking you about running your own business, with a partner. I'm actually starting a BLANK business (will hit you up to BLANK for us later) with two other folks. We're going to set up an S-Corp, and I was wondering what experience you have with that idea, and how it works with partners... Also, if you have any insights into accounting, I'd appreciate them... perhaps you've written something before that I can read, or have some  links you wouldn't mind passing on. Much appreciated as always (and btw, we need FuzzyOffice NOW!)  heh HIS Scott's 5 Tips on Accounting for Startups NOTE: Accounting is not my best area.  I only got a B or B+ in it in business school.  Loathe it like the plague.  I'd prefer to eat glass.  Or drink Jim Jones brand Koolaid.  I strongly, strongly recommend that you check these with your accountant.  They work for me and my businesses; that's not to say they will work for yours.  Anyway ... Ok ... You've been warned.  But HE did seem to appreciate it so I think it's valid advice. ==> Read Story <== Oh and why is "accounting" a marketing issue?  Not really sure.  My "marketing 101" stuff seems to be becoming a "brand" so perhaps its better to use that than Business 101.  I'd love feedback on this point. 6:56:47 AM  Google It!  comment []   IM Me About This

Tip from Jeremy Zawodny's Blog to Improve Your Slashdot Experience I was reading Jeremy's blog recently and he had an off hand note "I read slashdot using +4 and it makes it better" (not exact but that's close).  I never had messed with the www.slashdot.com preferences settings and WOW!  What a change.  Here's how: Go to www.slashdot.com. Register to create an account if you don't have one. Login if it doesn't do it automatically for you. Go here: http://slashdot.org/users.pl?op=edithome and set any other preferences you care about. Go here: http://slashdot.org/users.pl?op=editcomm and set the thresholds like this: Save your preferences and read an article like this one: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/08/28/2052200&;mode=thread&tid=126 Much Better!!! Thank you Jeremy!  I'd never bothered to figure out the whole Slashdot preferences system and this is much, much better   5:39:04 AM  Google It!  comment []   IM Me About This

Blocking Ads By Modifying Your Hosts File I blogged this once before.  If you want to block a lot of ads (at least the ones that I see) from coming up, just edit your hosts file and add the lines below. NOTE: On a pc with Windows 2K or XP, hosts is usually in winntsystem32driversetc.  Edit it as plain text in Notepad. WARNING: Since a lot of ads are now embedded within an iFrame (think of an html page w/ the ad being contained in within the page you are reading, this approach can make backtracking difficult since your backtracking occurs within the ad and then the page; not seeing the ad is still worth it to me). WARNING: This approach won't work for sites that serve ads from their own server within their own domain since that would block the actual site from your machine; it's best suited to blocking ads from centralized ad serving companies i.e. doubleclick, etc.  Where you see actual site names, these are from companies that pop up during browsing and I find them annoying. 127.0.0.1       205.180.85.40 127.0.0.1       www2.yourfreevitamins.com 127.0.0.1       localhost 127.0.0.1       global.msads.net 127.0.0.1       cache.unicast.com 127.0.0.1       205.180.85.40 127.0.0.1       205.180.85.40 127.0.0.1       66.224.68.187   127.0.0.1       a.r.tv.com 127.0.0.1       netshelter.adtrix.com 127.0.0.1       cserver.mii.instacontent.net 127.0.0.1       64.156.188.97 127.0.0.1       205.180.85.40 # this could cause legitimate nytimes graphics to fail  but some ads are here 127.0.0.1       graphics1.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics2.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics3.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics4.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics5.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics6.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics7.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics8.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       graphics9.nytimes.com 127.0.0.1       ad.doubleclick.net 127.0.0.1       m.doubleclick.net 127.0.0.1       m2.doubleclick.net 127.0.0.1       img.x10.com 127.0.0.1       images.x10.com 127.0.0.1       ads.x10.com 127.0.0.1       www.x10.com 127.0.0.1       x10.com 127.0.0.1       ads.addynamix.com 127.0.0.1       leadgreed.com 127.0.0.1       www.leadgreed.com 127.0.0.1       c1.zedo.com 127.0.0.1       ad.trafficmp.com 127.0.0.1       media.adcentriconline.com 127.0.0.1       servedby.advertising.com 127.0.0.1       www2.newtopsites.com 127.0.0.1       coa.returnpath.net 127.0.0.1       banners.affiliatefuel.com I know there are lots more sites that could be blocked.  Feel free to email me sites and I'll get into it and posted. 5:28:37 AM  Google It!  comment []   IM Me About This