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This was an article I wrote for my blog.
My years in the web hosting industry have taught me something about many hosts which greatly saddens me. There are those individuals and companies out there that would tell an outright lie in order to make a buck. Unfortunately, if one isnât familiar with the industry, it is very easy to become entrapped within this malicious snare. It all sounds just like the all-you-can-eat buffets that are so appetizing. However, as you will see, web hosting is not to be compared with a buffet. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
Unlimited hosting is exactly what it says. Itâs the promise that a company will host your account and provide you with unlimited bandwidth (sometimes labeled transfer) and unlimited space. This sounds very good in a world where limits always seem to hold us back. The limiting factor of a budget comes to mind for both the business and the personal scene. Unlimited hosting seems like a no-brainer.
The myth of unlimited hosting preys upon a misconception about computers and the internet. In a world where we hear about the unlimited potential of the internet and the unlimited resources of the internet, unlimited hosting seems to make a lot of sense. Remove that misconception from your mind right now. The internet is full of a vast amount of information and resources but it all has a cost. If the internet did offer unlimited hosting, do you think that the big boys such as Google would waste millions building a datacenter? Theyâd just go sign up with Joe Blowâs unlimited hosting, and boy, that would trim the budget down to size! The fact is, resources cost money.
An internet server is a computer just like your desktop is a computer. Ever taken a look at the hard drives at the local computer store? Ever seen an unlimited hard drive for sale for a low cost? Thereâs a reason for that. A computer can only handle so many hard drives and only so much in terms of other limiting resources such as memory and CPU usage.
So what, you ask?
A measly $9.95, $19.95, $29.95 nor $99.95 a month is going to cover the costs for an unlimited host. However, you may be one of those individuals who say âthat aspect doesnât matter because Iâll never use that much, but I still donât want to be limited.â I bet you havenât thought of this now have you? Youâre not the only customer on that server, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the odds are very strong that youâre 1/100, 1/300, or even as many as 1/500 on that same server all told that you can use as much as you can create the need for. Have you ever tried running every program you have on your desktop at once?
Intensive resource usage is the downfall of most unlimited hosting. This results in long periods of downtime, slow loading websites, and poor performance of scripts. This, in turn, will cost you visitors and money.
This brings me to my next point. Read the fine print of an unlimited host the next time you see one and youâll probably find the clause. The clause usually stipulates that your account is subject to suspension/termination if you are found to be in excessive resource usage. Sometimes this is a number, but more often than not, this is pretty close to what the clause will say. In a nutshell, they can shut down your site for any reason they deem to be excessive resource usage. This is the escape clause of unlimited hosting and this is the gamble that the unlimited host provider takes. Either way, it wonât be him that suffers when your website is shut down. You violated his TOS/AUP, so he keeps your money. On the other hand, your site is down and you may miss that big client or big clients. Heck, you may not even get your website back in many cases. Is this where you want to be down the road?
Unlimited hosting is clearly a lie. Both hard drive space and bandwidth are limited and can quickly become costly when large amounts are needed. Keep on the alert because the recent trend has been to use other terms such as unmetered hosting in an effort to get away from the growing negative connotations and awareness of the scam of unlimited hosting. I have seen new terms begin to be used as of late so we may see yet another term or two added to the list before it is all over.
Do not become a victim. If a host has no problem lying to you to get your business, they certainly wonât have a problem lying to you again. Theyâll not see any issues with cutting corners and cheating you out of your money. I do not think anyone will put their money in the hand of a known crook.
My years in the web hosting industry have taught me something about many hosts which greatly saddens me. There are those individuals and companies out there that would tell an outright lie in order to make a buck. Unfortunately, if one isnât familiar with the industry, it is very easy to become entrapped within this malicious snare. It all sounds just like the all-you-can-eat buffets that are so appetizing. However, as you will see, web hosting is not to be compared with a buffet. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
Unlimited hosting is exactly what it says. Itâs the promise that a company will host your account and provide you with unlimited bandwidth (sometimes labeled transfer) and unlimited space. This sounds very good in a world where limits always seem to hold us back. The limiting factor of a budget comes to mind for both the business and the personal scene. Unlimited hosting seems like a no-brainer.
The myth of unlimited hosting preys upon a misconception about computers and the internet. In a world where we hear about the unlimited potential of the internet and the unlimited resources of the internet, unlimited hosting seems to make a lot of sense. Remove that misconception from your mind right now. The internet is full of a vast amount of information and resources but it all has a cost. If the internet did offer unlimited hosting, do you think that the big boys such as Google would waste millions building a datacenter? Theyâd just go sign up with Joe Blowâs unlimited hosting, and boy, that would trim the budget down to size! The fact is, resources cost money.
An internet server is a computer just like your desktop is a computer. Ever taken a look at the hard drives at the local computer store? Ever seen an unlimited hard drive for sale for a low cost? Thereâs a reason for that. A computer can only handle so many hard drives and only so much in terms of other limiting resources such as memory and CPU usage.
So what, you ask?
A measly $9.95, $19.95, $29.95 nor $99.95 a month is going to cover the costs for an unlimited host. However, you may be one of those individuals who say âthat aspect doesnât matter because Iâll never use that much, but I still donât want to be limited.â I bet you havenât thought of this now have you? Youâre not the only customer on that server, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the odds are very strong that youâre 1/100, 1/300, or even as many as 1/500 on that same server all told that you can use as much as you can create the need for. Have you ever tried running every program you have on your desktop at once?
Intensive resource usage is the downfall of most unlimited hosting. This results in long periods of downtime, slow loading websites, and poor performance of scripts. This, in turn, will cost you visitors and money.
This brings me to my next point. Read the fine print of an unlimited host the next time you see one and youâll probably find the clause. The clause usually stipulates that your account is subject to suspension/termination if you are found to be in excessive resource usage. Sometimes this is a number, but more often than not, this is pretty close to what the clause will say. In a nutshell, they can shut down your site for any reason they deem to be excessive resource usage. This is the escape clause of unlimited hosting and this is the gamble that the unlimited host provider takes. Either way, it wonât be him that suffers when your website is shut down. You violated his TOS/AUP, so he keeps your money. On the other hand, your site is down and you may miss that big client or big clients. Heck, you may not even get your website back in many cases. Is this where you want to be down the road?
Unlimited hosting is clearly a lie. Both hard drive space and bandwidth are limited and can quickly become costly when large amounts are needed. Keep on the alert because the recent trend has been to use other terms such as unmetered hosting in an effort to get away from the growing negative connotations and awareness of the scam of unlimited hosting. I have seen new terms begin to be used as of late so we may see yet another term or two added to the list before it is all over.
Do not become a victim. If a host has no problem lying to you to get your business, they certainly wonât have a problem lying to you again. Theyâll not see any issues with cutting corners and cheating you out of your money. I do not think anyone will put their money in the hand of a known crook.
