A Closer Look at FrontPage and Web Hosting

FrontPage is a software technology developed by Microsoft.  The program works as a website creation and management tool, enabling the end-user to author their web pages and design feature-rich sites.  One of the biggest advantages of FrontPage is the fact that it doesn’t require any complex applications or HTML coding.  It does however, have the ability to format and edit HTML.  This is performed from a clean, user-friendly interface the offers the look and feel of the Microsoft Office suite.

Although the FrontPage program is incredibly easy to use, it is packing tons of power and sophistication.  It provides superior authoring capabilities, allowing you to create a range of interactive functions such as hit counters, forms, search boxes and much more.  The best thing is that it doesn’t require any experience with server-side programming.  By simply using the provided drop-down menus and icons, you can easily insert the application of your choice into the web page and allow FrontPage to do the rest.

What is FrontPage Hosting?

FrontPage hosting describes a niche market that offers support for the FrontPage software.  It is run a Windows Server operating system.  In the hosting arena, the program is powered by FrontPage extensions, programming scripts that enable these functions from the server end.

This type of hosting is suited for the webmaster who desires a significant amount of dynamic functions on their site.  FrontPage is ideal for small personal sites and professional sites for large companies alike.

Features

FrontPage 2003 was created to enhance the technology’s functionality in web hosting.  This edition comes with several additional features including an upgraded photo gallery, comprehensive usage analysis reports and instant team sites.  Other features such as the radio buttons, check boxes and drop-down menus make for easy web development regardless of your experience.  An abundance of pre-installed web templates enable quick modification and the web import dialog function allows you to connect to remote sites.  One of FrontPage’s greatest features is the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, which allows to create data-driven sites in HTML or XML.

The WYSIWYG makes hosting with FrontPage a viable option as it allows you to visualize how you want the site to look.  For example, your fronts, colors, photos and layouts can be viewed right as you implement them into the web page.  Unlike freehand coding where too many errors could be critical, FrontPage is very forgiving, making it almost impossible to mess up.  With everything in front of you, edits can be spotted quickly and fixed with ease.  After working with the program for a while, you will be able to create a number of dynamic web pages in minutes.

Hosting Your Site With FrontPage

To be clear, FrontPage hosting is very much like any other hosting service, with the exception that it is able to support various types of extensions.  The program is only effective if the web host provier has the FrontPage extensions installed on their server.  While the technology is very advanced, FrontPage hosting is not very expensive.  You can generally get this feature for around the same price as Windows or Unix plan.

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Oct 01, 2008 : FrontPage Hosting No responses yet

How Affordable is Cheap Hosting?

Many web hosting providers throw around the word “cheap”, but you will find that even those prices tend to vary widely.  The purpose of this article is to provide general information on the prices you should expect for today’s affordable web hosting packages.  These are tips you will certainly want to keep in mind when shopping for a provider to host your website.  If anything, they will help to determine whether you are being quoted a fair price.

Web hosting packages come in many different forms.  However, there are essentially three major categories that will enable you to calculate approximately how much a plan should cost in their respective arenas.  These categories include budget, Linux and Windows web hosting.

Budget Hosting

When it comes to web hosting, the terms “budget” and “cheap” are virtually interchangeable.  This is without a doubt the most popular type of hosting as so many individuals are looking to get online with a personal site or start up business.

In most cases, someone looking to start a business doesn’t have a lot of money to invest, a factor that makes budget hosting very attractive.  This type of hosting is cheap and often cost-efficient when considering all the perks you are provided.  Budget hosting plans average from around $5 to $8 per month, with a few under the $4 mark.  Although it may not sound all that expensive, anything over $10 per month cannot be considered cheap.  A company advertising their service as so is very misleading and one you might want to avoid.

Linux Hosting

For most, the issue of cheap hosting often boils down to the choice of Linux or Windows.  While both could fall under the budget category, they require a spotlight of their own due to performance and features.  As it goes with the ongoing comparison between the two operating systems, Linux hosting is generally cheaper than Windows.  However, there is no set price for Linux hosting.  Depending on the features, you could pay anywhere from $5 to $15 per month.

An affordable plan at around $6 to $8 should be sufficient for most personal users and small businesses offering adequate bandwidth and disk space, multiple email accounts, web building tools and database access.  Linux is regarded as one of the most reliable hosting platforms available.  At the same time, you should always base your decision on the stability of the host itself to assure that you’re getting what you paid for.

Windows Hosting

Cheap and Windows didn’t always go hand in hand.  In fact, there was a time when this platform was more geared towards bigger businesses as they were generally the only ones who could afford it.  In an industry that has become extremely competitive, the price of Windows hosting has dropped significantly.  Plans can range from $10 to $15 per month, but with some extensive research, you can easily find a Windows-based plan for under $10.  This will get you a variety of Microsoft technologies such as ASP, Frontpage extensions and MSSQL databases; features that may not be offered in a Linux plan.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the price you pay for hosting all depends on the requirements of your site.  The good thing as that making your way online doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg as cheap web hosting plans are abundant.

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Sep 11, 2008 : Cheap Web Hosting No responses yet

A closer look at Windows Server 2008

Microsoft has taken web hosting to a new level with the introduction of Windows Server 2008, highly regarded as the most sophisticated Windows server system yet.  This astonishing platform allows you to create, deliver and effectively manage a number of applications designed for user interaction.  It also provides a more secure network infrastructure along with advanced technology capable of increasing the value of your business.

The Many Elements of Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 offers a solid foundation for your server workload while ensuring that the deployment of your applications are simple and highly manageable.  The new Server Manager feature includes a unified management console designed to streamline the processes of server setup, configuration and continuous management.  This platform also comes with Windows PowerShell, a newly introduced command-line shell that gives administrators the ability to automate routine management tasks over multiple servers.  Windows Deployment Services provides a simple way to deploy the operating system securely through network-based installations.  Windows Server 2008 also comes with a variety of self-help wizards, full support of IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) and centralized management for network load balancing.

Your web-based applications can be effectively managed and deployed with the new Windows centralized application access features.  Terminal Services Gateway and Terminal Services RemoteApp. permit remote access to standard Windows-based applications from any location, running them on the terminal server rather than directly on a client computer.  This eliminates the need for a VPN (virtual private network).

IIS Security

Hosting with Windows Server 2008 includes IIS (Internet Information Services) 7.0.   IIS is a  state of the art web server built with enhanced security features.  It provides an intuitive web hosting platform and enables better functionality with the ability to support a number of applications and services.  IIS 7.0 offers considerable upgrades to the Windows hosting environment with a rock-solid infrastructure for greater control and flexibility.  Windows Server 2008 simplifies website management and includes diagnostic and troubleshooting features that will save you a lot of time.

IIS 7.0 may be used in conjunction with the Microsoft NET Framework 3.0 to provide an intuitive hosting platform well suited for creating data-driven applications that enable user interaction.  This allows your visitors to view, share and perform activity on given pieces of data.  Furthermore, IIS 7.0 plays a critical role in merging Microsoft hosting technologies such as ASP, FrontPage, Windows SharePoint Services and the Windows Communication Foundation.

The tremendous benefits and cost efficiency of Windows Server 2008 extends to the Windows HPC Server 2008 as well.  Windows HPC Server is specifically designed for the high performance computing environment.  It is built with the advanced implementations of Windows Server 2008 and faster 64-bit technology.  Out of the box, it has the ability to scale a large amount of processing cores to increase productivity and reduce the complexity typically found in an HPC environment.  This advanced platform offers a much greater level of flexibility with  seamlessly integrated end-user capabilities that extend from desktop applications to clusters.  HPC Server 2008 provides a number of easy to use tools for the development, deployment, administration and security of your website.  All in all, Windows Server 2008 offers the ultimate web hosting solution that’s easy to establish or integrate with your current infrastructure.

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Aug 18, 2008 : Windows Web Hosting No responses yet

FrontPage Enhances Your Experience via WYSIWYG

FrontPage is an amazing technology developed by Microsoft.  It was specifically designed as a tool for website creation and management, enabling users to author web pages and build feature-rich websites with professional appeal.  The best part about FrontPage is that it doesn’t require the coding of HTML or complex applications.  One of it’s main attractions is the FrontPage editor which is a GUI featuring WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get).  When you create and edit your web pages, the changes appear in a display window in the exact manner is it would on the actual page.  Code used to create these dynamic pages are automatically generated and concealed from the user by default.  However, more experienced users can edit HTML code via a separate display window with the simple click of a button.

The biggest advantage of the WYSIWYG editor is that it gives you the ability to visualize how you want the website to appear.  Your background layout, fonts, colors, photos and edits can be viewed on the screen right as you add them, something that simply can’t be achieved by freehand coding.  WYSIWYG offers an easy to use environment where complex web pages can be created within a matter of minutes.  Not only is FrontPage time-effective, but far more forgiving in regard to programming errors.  With traditional coding, the simplest typing error can have an adverse effect on your web page results.  In the WYSIWYG environment, screwing up a design in almost impossible.  All you’re required to do is point, click and save to create your content.  Editing is also made easy.  Instead of searching for any errors that may be present in HTML, FrontPage allows you to view exactly what went wrong and make adjustments accordingly.

While FrontPage is extremely easy to use, by no way is it lacking in sophistication.  It provides the user with exceptional authoring capabilities that can be used to create interactive web pages that appeal to your visitors.  You can easily create forms, hit counters, search boxes, link buttons and much more - all without performing complex server-side programming.  Simply utilize the provided icons and drop-down menus to insert the desired application to your web page and FrontPage handles the rest.  Your main concern with FrontPage is assuring that your web hosting provider has FrontPage extensions integrated into their server.  If not, the applications you created with FrontPage will not function properly.

Hosting with FrontPage

If your site was built offline, you will need to find a provider that supports FrontPage to host it.  This will enable your site to run all the features and applications unique to the FrontPage environment.  Although it’s a Microsoft product, FrontPage is support by both Windows and Linux platforms.  The key is actually the web server as it must be enabled to handle the technology, simply meaning that FrontPage must be installed.

With everything set in place, you will find that FrontPage is one of the quickest and most convenient ways to publish a website.  It provides everything needed to create your site and a web presence that is sure to make you stand out from the competition.

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Aug 14, 2008 : FrontPage Hosting No responses yet

A Closer Look at Windows Hosting

Most of us recognize Windows as the Microsoft-branded operating system that has become the standard for use in both home and business environments.  For many, it is the only system we know.  Aside from being an end-user platform, Windows is also prevalent in web hosting and has quickly become a preferred option for many.  Windows introduced a number of web developing tools that have gained momentum and become standards in the industry, making it an attractive setting for creating websites.

IIS

IIS (Internet Information Server) is the base technology behind modern Windows hosting.  IIS is a group of internet servers which includes both an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) server and an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server.  It has additional capabilities to support Windows NT and 2000 server operating systems.  IIS consists of numerous programs designed for creating and administering websites with solid support for database management.  Of course, IIS is tightly integrated with Windows NT and 2000 servers which results in the more efficient serving of web pages.

Hosting with Windows

Even if you run the Linux operating system on your computer, you can still choose to host your site on a Windows server.  However, if you plan to implement Microsoft technologies such ASP and FrontPage, a Windows operating system is recommended.  The same holds true for Windows databases such as Microsoft Access and MSSQL.  While adjustments can be made to suit both environments, this is something that can prove to be time consuming and expensive.

Aside from it’s own technologies such as ASP and ASP.NET, Windows hosting supports a number of other scripts as well.  CGI scripts and PHP can also be used to enhance the presence and functionality of your site.  There are also a number of programs and object-oriented code that can be implemented into Windows hosting.  The price for these components range from free to rather expensive.  The good thing as that several developers cater to the Windows environment and offer affordable products and services.

Finding a Provider

Web-based hosting should come with solid support by a trained staff capable of handling all the issues that may arise on the server.  You can actually look for these credentials as a company may have acceptable certifications from the MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) or the MCSE. (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers).  The MSCA provides certification from an administrative aspect, cover areas such as the management of complex computing environments.  MCSE certification covers the planning, development and implementation of Windows server solutions and infrastructures.

When searching for a Windows provider, your main concern should be the foundation of the company itself, not the Microsoft product.  You need to conduct research and find a reliable business who is likely to provide quality service over a great length of time.  The web hosting business is a prominent industry and many companies fail and crumble every year.  As with any hosting platform, you should find out about their customer support and security, their method of connecting to the internet, uptime and features.  All of these elements are crucial to the establishment of your website.

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Aug 06, 2008 : General Windows Web Hosting No responses yet