Web Hosting
A web hosting account is required for all IMD students. I am recommending two providers, ehostpros.com or godaddy.com, but not requiring you to use this host if you would rather shop on your own or find a free or less expensive hosting solution. However, one of the requirements of the host, is that you will have access to “shared webhosting” (which simply means other people use that same server – but no one has access to the others), with php and mysql services available and you must have access to at least 1 database. The amount of server space should not be a major issue for the projects you will build, and if so you can always add more.
The basic service at ehostpros.com is called the Starter Plan, which is $2.99/mo when you pay annually – which is $35.88 per year. You will also have to have a domain name (this will be the sites address – such as “wayne.com” etc. The additional cost for the domain is $11.99 per year. You can keep your domain for as long as you like and can transfer it to another hosting site, by renewing it each year.
GoDaddy at godaddy.com offers the “economy plan” at $3.59/mo if paid up front as an annual fee and the domain fee is $1.99 plus a $0.22 ICAN fee. This plan totals $45.29 per year.
GoDaddy also offers a free web hosting plan when you buy a $1.99 domain, but the account will have a limited advertising banner on any site you host. I cannot find whether this type of account offers php, mysql, or database accounts, so I cannot recommend it, but it may have these capabilities.
We intentionally chose not to have a textbook for this class, so you could use that expense for your web hosting. The reason we need you to have your own account, is because part of what you must learn is how to manage your own host. We can not give you that opportunity with our servers, although you will be given access to using them, it is not the same experience.
Try and have your domain and web hosting up and running by Week 3. If you have any delays let me know, and I can work with anyone that runs into a problem during or after class next week.
