As may or may not be apparent, this blog is now WordPress (which is PHP based).
For a while I was using Blogger as the last time I used WordPress one of the plugins I had installed started covertly inserting stuff into my page’s mark-up. However, in my efforts to de-Google (see a future post) I have switched back to WordPress.
Incidentally this is one good reason why, even with Blogger, you should always use a custom domain. If I hadn’t then anyone used to accessing my Blogger version would need to be redirected from an active Blogger blog to here. With a custom domain I just switch hosts and visitors are sent to the right place automatically (the specific page/post URLs are different, but that doesn’t bother me and could be fixed if I chose).
So, where to host it?
I have an annually-paid account with DreamHost who are pretty good in what they offer. There are instances, however, when the performance drops notably for an hour or two at a time. I use them for hosting test sites or demo stuff, but I wanted something more reliable for my blog; something more on a par with Blogger.
I could have gone to a virtual server (VPS) or even a dedicated server but (a) that really is overkill and (b) they require a fair bit of maintenance. I know what I’m doing (I am in IT) but I don’t want to have to do it, so they were out of the window.
So I looked at AWS (Amazon Web Services).
It was too geeky and involved for me, plus I am weaning myself off them (as a consumer). Before anyone asks, I have no problem with their tax affairs – provided they follow the law then it is the lawmaker’s fault if that doesn’t work out too great for tax collection. My issue is their behaviour in the eBook market, but again that’s for another post.
So I then looked at Microsoft Azure.
I didn’t hold out much hope as this is PHP we are talking about, and Microsoft are obviously heavily into .Net, but I checked them out nonetheless.
Their performance you can judge for yourself, as they are my hosts at the time of this writing. For me in the UK it is virtually instant. Ease of use is pretty good too as they have a very nice control panel and you can choose the level of complexity you require.
They have the usual Cloud Service which has the same levels of complexity as AWS, but they also have Websites which works pretty much the same as shared hosting, only on their Azure platform. You do need to move up a step within the Websites option (from Free to Shared) to get a custom domain and FTP, but I still estimate around £10 a month gets me everything including 60gb of outbound traffic (a ridiculous amount I know) and unlimited inbound.
To make it even easier they also offer instant installations of many packages – including WordPress – at a single click just like DreamHost and others. Oh, and multiple sites per account.
The end result is great uptime, simple setup, very good value, and the superb performance of a VPS or better without any of the maintenance or cost implications. All backed my Microsoft’s decades of expertise (their cloud business turns over more than a billion dollars a year).
Currently, I cannot recommend them enough. Click here for details on the Azure platform (not an affiliate link).
Latest Nook News Should be a Warning to Amazon Kindle Users
It was announced yesterday that Barnes and Noble are ending their Windows and Mac desktop versions of the Nook ereaders – a niche player in ereaders that gets notice as it’s quite popular in the US.
In one fell swoop, anyone who ‘owns’ ebooks ‘bought’ from Barnes and Noble is now required to use either a mobile app or a Nook. Not nice business practice.
Imagine if Amazon did the same, though, either for desktops or the non-Kindle device you may use (mobile, tablet).
By buying (renting, really) from Amazon you are reliant on their continued support for your platform of choice.
Years from now people are going to wake up and realise that the hundreds of ebooks they thought they owned are not actually theirs; hopefully before the DRM servers at Amazon are switched off and their library becomes useless.
Think it won’t happen? Microsoft have done it before with DRM servers. Adobe are doing it now with older software. Sky have just started doing it with a VOD service they bought. And Barnes and Noble are now doing it for anyone who doesn’t own a Nook (i have one; the Kobo Glo is far better and more reliable) and doesn’t like reading on a small, bright screen.
Solutions?
I buy ebooks from Kobo (I say buy not rent as I only buy DRM-free, but accept that limits my choices). They use the same DRM as pretty much every ebook reading software or device other than Amazon. I can copy a book for one and read it on all of them.
Sure, the more technical minded can remove the Kindle DRM and convert books to EPUB, but for the average end-user that isn’t always an option. I’m also aware that Adobe is a point of failure for EPUB but the presence of multiple EPUB providers increases the chance of the DRM servers remaining on, and before switching them off Adobe would have to make deals whereas Amazon can do what it chooses.
So think carefully. How safe is your Ebook library?
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Tagged as Amazon, Commentary, Ebooks, eReaders, Kobo, Nook