|
ChelseaData.ca offers web hosting suitable for different needs and audiences. There are 2 FAQ pages available:
This page is the dBASE Developer Hosting FAQ
There is also the Small Business Hosting FAQ
Hello! My name is David Ball and I'm the ChelseaData.ca webmaster.
Nine years ago, I was a dBASE developer trying to jump on the internet bandwagon, what with all the exciting new dBASE web functionality that was becoming available. I had a hard time finding any local web hosts that supported dBASE, so I built my own server. ChelseaData.ca was born!
This page is here to answer many of the questions I get on a regular basis.
Who is this hosting service for?
Where are you located?
Where are the servers located?
Hey! You're just a reseller! Why should I sign up with you when I can cut out the middleman and go direct to LFC Hosting?
What dBASE table formats and language do you support?
What other data formats and languages do you support?
What internet address do I get?
Can I get 'www.TedsDataBase.com'?
How much space do I get?
How do I put stuff on the server?
I want to run an online radio station using dBASE to serve up a bunch of mp3 files that I got on KaZaa. Can you set that up for me?
What about the applications I upload to the server?
Are there any restrictions on what I can do in code?
Do you offer any assistance?
What if I still need help?
I found an old copy of dBASE IV in my grandfather's attic. Can I use that?
How do I pay?
I have a website already but my dBASE apps won't work for some reason. What could be wrong?
I discussed it with them, but they won't budge. I've pre-paid them for 5 years of hosting - now what do I do?
How do I know how busy my site is?
Your site was down last week but there's nothing on your Network Status page - how do I know what your uptime is?
So what's the catch? What does $10 a month pay for and what costs extra?
Will I be nickel-and-dimed to death with additional charges?
Who is this hosting service for?
The $10/month dBASE Hosting Service is intended for:
- dBASE developers working on their own "personal" web development projects
- dBASE developers working solely on their own small business or organizational data projects
Note: dBASE developers with business sites AND client projects are very welcome, but Small Business hosting rates will apply.
If you look at the dBASE-powered sites that I am currently hosting, you will have an idea of what market I'm interested in serving.
Where are you located?
I am located near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Where are the servers located?
The server, applications and data are all located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada at a web hosting company called LFC Hosting. Regina is 2,211 km (1,374 miles) from Ottawa so I am not looking after the servers myself. I built and looked after all my own hardware for 5 years, but I now trust that to LFC Hosting.
Hey! You're just a reseller! Why should I sign up with you when I can cut out the middleman and go direct to LFC Hosting?
Good question. The answer depends on how much dBASE-specific assistance you think you'll need. I have had 9 years of dBASE hosting experience myself, and perhaps you would rather deal with me instead of a company that has only recently installed the dBASE Runtime and BDE. I have dealt with LFC Hosting's HelpDesk; they have always been professional and courteous, but I would not expect them to answer anything about dBASE or the BDE.
What dBASE table formats and language do you support?
I am using the Borland Database Engine 5.01 and currently support dBASE tables level 4 to 7. I support dBASE Plus and dB2K applications.
What other data formats and languages do you support?
I support php, Perl, Python, MS SQL Server 2008, mySQL 5.1 and ODBC for flexibility. I support ASP, .NET and Frontpage environments.
What internet address do I get?
For an address, you get:
http://www.ChelseaData.ca/yoursite
('yoursite' can be any name you choose, up to 10 characters)
Can I get the address 'www.TedsDataBase.com'?
Yes, subject to availability. Domain and DNS hosting (ie. http://www.yourName.com) is included with the Small Business hosting package ($15US/month). Domain name registration is available at competitive rates (approx $10-20 US/year - subject to availability and other restrictions).
How much space do I get?
You get 50 MB of configurable webspace to hold your pages, data and applications. Additional space is available at a nominal rate.
How do I put stuff on the server?
You are allowed up to 2 password-protected FTP accounts to upload your files. You are free to choose an FTP client program; there are many open-source, freely available FTP clients available.
I want to run an online radio station using dBASE to serve up a bunch of mp3 files that I got on KaZaa. Can you set that up for me?
The following restrictions apply to what content you can post to the server:
- No ADULT MATERIAL
- No STREAMING AUDIO or VIDEO (even if you have the copyright)
- No OBJECTIONABLE MATERIAL OF ANY KIND at the sole discretion of the webmaster.
So in this case, the answer is 'NO'.
What about the applications that I upload to the server?
As part of our contract, you agree to fully test any applications
on your development machine. This will help to minimize any problems
on the server. I strongly recommend setting up your development structure
similar to mine, to minimize path problems.
(Instructions for setup are provided in the manual). You should be
comfortable hand-coding programs in case you have to remove any hard-coded
paths or otherwise adjust your programs and/or dBASE-generated HTML pages.
Are there any restrictions on what I can do in code?
As well as content restrictions, there are the following
restrictions which apply to your dBASE code:
- No hard-coded paths
- No Windows registry access in code
- No BDE access in code
- No CPU-hogging programs
- No excessively large response pages.
Do you offer any assistance?
You get an e-manual to help you configure your system. I will assist you
in getting configured and running properly, but I am not a code-checking
service or a programming tutor.
What if I need additional programming assistance?
Your best source of help would be the dBASE newsgroups.
I found an old copy of dBASE IV in my grandfather's attic. Can I use that?
No. The dBASE IV programming language does not support web applications. You will need a properly licensed copy of dBASE Plus or dB2K. (The dBASE IV table format will work fine, though.)
How do I pay?
I currently accept payment by cheque, money order or these credit cards :
Secure credit card processing using PayPal
I have a website already but my dBASE apps won't work for some reason. What could be wrong?
Incredibly, some web hosts don't support dBASE web applications for various reasons. You would have to discuss it with them.
I discussed it with them, but they won't budge. I've pre-paid them for 5 years of hosting - now what do I do?
If you have hosting already, but are interested in using dBASE for interactive
data, you can keep your existing site and link to a ChelseaData.ca-hosted site
for interactive data applications. See the list of customers doing this here. (You can always find out what your existing host is using, buy a copy and learn how it works. But that's not dBASE, is it?)
How do I know how busy my site is?
Raw web log access is available for domain clients.
Your site was down last week but there's nothing on your Network Status page - how do I know what your reliability is?
There are many things that can affect connectivity between my site and you.
On my Network Status page, I list any problems specific to my sites. Otherwise, my network provider has occasional problems that can affect my connectivity.
So what's the catch? What does $10 a month pay for and what costs extra?
Will I be nickel-and-dimed to death with additional charges?
$10 a month will pay for everything described above for a developer website. Small business hosting is $15 per month, but has more generous limits.
Rules can and will change from time to time (as with most contractual agreements).
If these service terms cause you any unease whatsoever, please check out
the many other fine dBASE web hosts available - see my list here.
And be sure to ask the tough questions from them, too!
Thanks!
David Ball
| 
© ChelseaData.ca