What should I consider when choosing a webhost for my website?

[DaveC426913]

I'm looking to change webhosts and I'd like some recommendations. (I am in Canada, but I don't think that's really a factor is it?)

Needs:
- room for up to 3 domains (real domains, not "faked" subdomains).
- mysql/php support
- the usual email things, including a good web-based mail interface (current one is very slow and often chokes)
- other doodads would be nice (such as ASP/MSsql support) as I like to experiment

I connect using Sympatico high-speed, so I don't need an ISP, just a host.

I am currently paying $6.95CDN/month for my webhosting, which is pretty good for the features they offer, but not good enough. My current host (Jodohost) seems too slow (I don't know if it's because they're on the other side of the world or not), and they're not as professional as I'd like.

Also, I'd like to know what, in general, I should expect from a good webhost in terms of reliability, timeliness, etc. Are they all bad to some extent? Will I just be going from one bad to another? Or can I expect a trouble-free hosting? Just generally.

 

[robphy]

I'm also looking for a new webhost.

I have been using webhostingbuzz.com ... but I wasn't too happy during some of the downtime I experienced. But for the price, I might stick with it. I'm looking into ixwebhosting.com... but I've heard some so-so things about it. For a little more money and supposedly better reliability, I may also look at bluehost.com.

Opinions about these webhosts?
Where is a reliable source of searchable information and reviews of webhosts?

 

[DaveC426913]

I stumbled across this place:
http://www.thehostingchart.com/?esoj=1&ptkh=422
It lists IXWebHosting.

 

[-Job-]

I have an account with Brinkster, which in the past used to be all Microsoft Server Based, providing the ASP, ASP.NET i needed, but now they have evolved to support other server OSs and technologies (PHP).
I have problems from time to time with Brinkster, but they have good customer support.
For small sites these Web hosts are perfect because they're not very expensive, and they're reliable. On the other hand if you have a nice machine available, and a nice internet connection with a fair Upstream rate, you could also set up your own webserver fairly easily.
The disadvantages of having your own server are:
- Need a static IP, otherwise your IP will change from time to time, and because DNS is slow to update, your site could be unavailable for up to 24 hours. There are ways to prevent your IP from changing very often, but it's an extra worry, and th epossibility is not completely eliminated.
- Need a fairly fast machine with good RAM.
- Need a good upstream connection.
- It will probably never be as reliable as a Web Host unless you invest some money and know what you are doing.

The advantages are:
- As much bandwidth as you want (limited by your ISP i guess, but still a lot)
- You only pay for the electricity and your internet connection, which you are probably already doing anyway.
- You can run whatever you want on your server, be that a web server, mail server, ftp server, WebDav, flash communication server, MySQL/SQL database servers, and, best of all, any server that you write yourself.
- Install any technologies you want, ASP, ASP.NET, PHP, JSP, CGI... i have all of them.
- You learn a lot, very quickly.

It's not something you can learn how to setup from one day to the other, but you'll probably enjoy playing around with the IIS web server that comes with your windows installation, or setup an Apache Web Server on your windows or linux machine.
http://www.brinkster.com"