Recommendation - Free Web Hosting

[DaddyHoggy]

My writer's group temporarily need a small bit of webspace to play around with the design of our current website, before we refurb our actual main site.

Our current site is quite small and doesn't have many sub-pages so we think we could fit it all in to a WordPress theme - but we'd like to play with it online first in a Sandbox just to make sure. Googling "Free Webspace" throws up a huge amount of sites offering this so I'd like a recommendation if possible from anybody with some personal experience of one.

We were hoping to use one of my fellow writer's own webspace that came with his plus.net account but, each time we tried to install one thing it turned out we needed to install something else first and it all went pear-shaped.

According to Wordpress site, the site/host needs to support MySQL and PHP (4) - I know I could create this direct with Wordpress themselves BUT, if we have a site and can show the chap who currently hosts our site (as a favour - he's the hubby of one of the members) that it's easy to do (install) and use/maintain then he'll be easier to persuade to make the changes.

Cheers,

DH

[JazHaz]

I don't currently use either Wordpress or PHP with my current homepages, although I'm pretty sure the provider supports it.

I'm with Freewebspace.com, which offers 100mb of space for free (but with adverts to the top, bottom and right hand side of the site). See my homepage for an example (link is to my Oolite page!): http://jazhaz.freewebspace.com/games.html

http://www.freewebspace.com

EDIT: Oh and the provider has a "site copier utility" to copy an existing site...! Might be useful for you.

[DaddyHoggy]

Thanks JH - it's not obvious actually that they do support MySQL or PHP4+, and they're FAQs are limited to billing questions if you don't already have a site - is there any chance you could check - as you already have a site with them - about Wordpress integration?

Cheers,

DH

PS - Yeh, site copier could be useful!

[Cmd. Cheyd]

DH- If you want to consider non-free options, I am currently using GoDaddy for my DHI website. $6.99/month (1 month minimum), 150GB space, Unlimited monthly bandwidth, 25 x 1Gb MySQL databases, PHP4 or 5, Custom PHP.ini/PHP5.ini, and Wordpress pre-installed.

For about the same money as a pair of combo meals at McDonald's, you're in business....

[DaddyHoggy]

DH- If you want to consider non-free options, I am currently using GoDaddy for my DHI website. $6.99/month (1 month minimum), 150GB space, Unlimited monthly bandwidth, 25 x 1Gb MySQL databases, PHP4 or 5, Custom PHP.ini/PHP5.ini, and Wordpress pre-installed.

For about the same money as a pair of combo meals at McDonald's, you're in business....

Thanks for the suggestion Cmd Cheyd - but we already own/pay for a site (http://www.wordwatchers.net) - but it's pig ugly and we hate it and now one of our members is a proper published author (soon to be two) the site is a bit embarrassing (but as I said earlier - done for free by the hubby of one of the members). Given that lots of literary agents and publishers now use Wordpress we want to do the same - we just want somewhere free that we can install Wordpress on - set up the way we want with the current site content on it in a more professional looking setting, show it to the hubby, get him to install Wordpress on our site and then port across from one Wordpress to the other - and hey presto - new shiny site!

I mean, it may turn out that the current site is so old that it doesn't support MySQL 4+ and PHP 4+ and then something like GoDaddy will be just perfect...

[JazHaz]

Thanks JH - it's not obvious actually that they do support MySQL or PHP4+, and they're FAQs are limited to billing questions if you don't already have a site - is there any chance you could check - as you already have a site with them - about Wordpress integration?

Yes Freewebspace supports Wordpress.

There are a lot of questions in the FAQ about Wordpress, for example:

# Question:
Can I make WordPress my homepage?

# Answer:

When you first install WordPress you have the option to make it your homepage.
If you want it to become your homepage after you have installed it you will then need to uninstall it and then reinstall it.
**WARNING: if you decide to uninstall WordPress you will lose all posts and all information within WordPress**

Here is the complete list of Wordpress FAQ questions. Let me know if you want the answer to any of them.

• Are My Stats Tracked Through WordPress?
  Can I login directly to my WordPress?
  Can I make WordPress my homepage?
  How can I add users or have someone else edit my WordPress?
  How Can I Change The Password On My Admin User?
  How Come There Are 2 Plugins Installed Already?
  How do I create a post on my WordPress?
  How do I insert a picture into my post?
  What is my username and password for my WordPress account?
  What is the direct link to my WordPress?
  What Is WordPress?
  What ports are used on WordPress?
  Where can I download WordPress Themes
  Where/How do I upload themes?
  Why don't I have WordPress as an option?
  Why is there a post already when I first sign in?

[DaddyHoggy]

Cheers JH - seems odd that potential users don't gain access to such useful info! (without you - it would have definitely put me off signing up!)

[Selezen]

You could host on my webspace if you like. Freeeeeeeeee! If you don't mind a hughesd.co.uk address.

[DaddyHoggy]

That's a great offer Selezen but one of my fellow writer's has gone for a Level 0 service pack with 5quidhost.

as I said we need it just long enough to prove proof of concept...

[Selezen]

Man, I can't even GIVE it away!

[DaddyHoggy]

Man, I can't even GIVE it away!

You could, if it was just me involved, but it's not - the offer was, however, greatly appreciated.