While our customers received a notification with the plan refresh pages, if anyone has not yet had the time to check out the Plan refresh in regards to the .NET plans, please do so at:

http://hostmysite.com/hosting/builder/

You can view the now 'old' plans at http://hostmysite.com/hosting/compare/builder/ and do a compare. I'm especially excited about this plan as many of our .NET users utilize SQL driven databases, which have all been upgraded with the plan refresh. Please let us know what you think about our new offering.

The new plans are...ok.

I don't really see any new "features" persay...

The extra bandwidth is generous and that is very nice - and the shared SSL as a freebie for the value developer is very nice too.

Other than that, the only thing that happened was an increase in available storage. And with hard drive prices the way they are (just bought an 80gig HD for $39) - it stands to reason that customers can get more storage space.

Value developers are still left without a realistic database option, and now, ASP.NET Builder Plus plan members actaully get LESS features than before because now they don't have a CF option. What is the motivation for taking the .NET Builder Plus option when I can take the CF Builder Plus option, pay the SAME price, get all the SAME features AND be able to try CF if I want to boot? Even if I am a .NET developer, I'd take the CF BUilder Plus option just because it's everything the .NET Builder Plus plan is - PLUS ColdFusion.

I am REALLY glad to see you guys working with us on things like this though - I am in love with the level of customer service I get at HMS. Worth every penny.

The point of breaking a .NET server away from ColdFusion is the reliability and stability issues associated with the ColdFusion services on a Windows Server. ColdFusion is ALWAYS causing server wide reliability issues. By taking it off you're guaranteeing one less thing to go wrong - and believe me CF goes wrong all the time.

I buy that and then I don't buy that in the same breath...regardless of stability issues - the fact remains that the CF plan has more "stuff" for the same money - just seems strange

Josh was more-or-less on target there - CF is potentially a source of instability for the entire server, so we basically portioned it off onto it's own plan. This way, if you're a .NET developer and you are getting problems from the COLD FUSION sites on your shared server, we can move you over to the .NET server as a PERMANENT solution, rather than us simply fixing the current CF issue until the next time.

Because .NET is installed as part of the new servers. BTW, the framework poses FAR LESS problems than CF, therefore I can see taking CF off a .NET server, but not worry about taking .NET off a CF Server.

If you want both options, then get the CFServer... but don't cry when you're using .NET and CF is breaking the server

Understood and that's all well and good - it's just not enough to get me to move more business to HMS yet. That's all I am getting at really.

Again, I appreciate the effort, but as a customer I want more - I'm greedy that way...

bobum - We'd love to hear what type of things you're looking for. Anything that would make you "pull the trigger", so to speak, is something we'd like to know

I would like to see the value plans come bundled with a SQLServer database - a single DB perhaps with a low size limit if need be - but I don't want to have to pay $15 extra a month for it. That is my biggest hurdle currently. Host headers would be nice as well. Perhaps letting us point multiple (limit of 3?) domains to one hosting account. I personally coudl live without the latter, but the former is a sticking point (with me). Thanks for listening to us on this!!!

I agree with bobum on this. I realize that there are licensing issues with SQL Server, however; I at times have to look at other hosting options, which I HATE doing. I won't even consider using Access unless it is a last alternative, and the whole SSH telnet to a MySQL database on your SmarterLinux plans is a little to barbaric for myself and by co-workers (maybe we don't know what we're doing! ) . If we end up utilizing PHP and MySQL, I hate to say this, but we utilize another hosting company that provides us with a web-based MySQL interface on our Control Panel where we can create/edit/delete, etc tables in the MySQL databases. We don't use MySQL and PHP that often, but when we do, having the web based MySQL manager is a life saver.

I've seen the MySQL GUI interface download, but the Web-based interface we get from the other hosting company, for each account, is just much more convenient


I love HMS and wish I could have all of our resold accounts with you, but it's just not plausible right now.

MB

Here's the bottom line for me.

I have one site here at HMS on the value developer plan - no SQLServer and pay $11.95 a month.

I have 5 sites at one of your competitors.
I am paying $12.95 a month and 3 of those domains are all running on one DotNetNuke installation which uses 1 SQLServer as a backend. Those 3 domains point to that one hosting plan and the DNN app sorts out the host headers for a seamless experience for each individual user. The 4th site is all by itself and I am paying $6.95 a month for that one and it has it's own SQLServer backend. The last one I am paying $30.95 a month for as it's a big gaming site. It has FIVE available SQLServer databases if I need it and I can have up to 15 domains point to that one hosting plan. So I am paying around $51 a month for service to those 5 sites. The ones I care most about and want to move are the 3 that are running off the DNN installation.

I don't know how they are doing what they are doing and right now don't care - but it DOES concern me which is why I would gladly pay more to move those 3 important sites to HMS - but I can't justify more than doubling my outlay for those sites which I would be doing if I paid the extra $15 a month for the SQLServer DB. And I don't even know if I could get the multiple domains working with the DNN installation given the current host header situation.

I'd be perfectly happy paying say $16.95-$19.95 a month and getting one SQLServer DB with say a 50meg limit on it and the ability to route those 3 domains to that DNN installation. I EXPECT to pay more at HMS and have no problem with it because of your unparralleled support. That would come out to about $7 per site per month at $19.95 if I could run all 3 sites that way. I'm paying about $4 a month per site at your competator right now - but I'm not "comfortable" with that because it feels cheap, and I am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for".

I love you guys and will be a customer for a LONG time if things stay the way they are right now. But man, I'd REALLY like to move all my stuff to your service. I realize I'm small peanuts right now what with only 6 little sites. But ya never know...

To further my point - check out Network Solutions "Advanced Hosting Plan"
It's only $13.30 a month and has a 40meg SQLServer DB bundled with it.

Network Solutions

This is certainly an idea that I will put forward. But the restrictions are sole based on Licensing constraints of SQL Server. Including a MySQL Database might more plausible to provide to the Foundation style customers. We will certainly look at your suggestion and keep you POSTED (poor forum joke) on what we can do.

Thanks for the suggestion

hahah - POSTED - good one

Hey - consider it - that's all we ask - others seem to be finding some way to do it - maybe HMS can in the future

Thanks again!