RE: [[cobalt-users] Server Hacked?]

["Tony" <isplists@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Of course everyone is entitled to run their hosting business as they see
fit, but
I agree with Kris. Some basic competitive investigation will show you that
the overwhelming
number of $19.95 to $49.95 virtual web hosting account products offer shell
access.
If you are building an interactive site you need cgi and if you do extensive
cgi then you
need shell. Don't use the big guys as examples. For the most part they are
run by morons who
have no idea what customers want from a virtual web hosting account. I know
from first hand experience
at GTE. It took them 3 years to figure out why they had a declining hosting
base even though employees
told them daily. $75 for 10 megs and no shell, no cgi unless it was
approved. (3 week turnaround and
'reviewed' by a single temp agency contractor). They finally got wise and
outsourced the whole operation
to Hiway.
If you go to any of the dozen hosting guide sites out there and look at
what's available you'll see virtual
accounts that have twice as many features that the Raq's offer out of the
box.

-----Original Message-----
From: cobalt-users-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:cobalt-users-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Kris Dahl
Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2000 1:20 PM
To: cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [[cobalt-users] Server Hacked?]



>> You obviously open yourself up if you allow telnet, but to be competitive
>> and offer good well rounded service you have to offer telnet.
>
> That must be true <smile>, after all, the two largest ISPs in the world
> both offer telnet (AOL and Earthlink) ---NOT---.
>
> You don't have to offer telnet to be competitive or to offer a good
> well-rounded service.  You may need to offer it because of YOUR business
> model.  I don't.

AOL and Earthlink are two of the world's largest ISPs.  They aren't two of
the world's largest e-commerce hosting companies.  I think that not having
shell access is a huge part of that.

If you are trying to offer advanced web hosting or e-commerce services in a
shared/remote environment you do need to have shell access.  Ever tried to
set up an advanced web site from remote on an NT server?  Possible, but not
easy.  You couldn't offer 'professional grade' hosting services without
shell access.  Front page extensions and the like are really for small
(typically amateur), low-complexity web sites--and for companies who don't
have a web development staff.

>> That being
>> said...we have hundreds of domains and only offer telnet to 3 of them.
On
>> the colocated servers here that we build for folks (non raq servers) we
>> disable telnet and fire up ssh for them and point them in the general
>> direction of an ssh client.
>
> So I guess those hundreds of customers don't have a competitive,
> well-rounded service?  Somehow I don't think so; you seem pretty
successful
> to me.

Well I'll bet that he has got 3 customers that are really trying to do
something with their website, and the others are pretty much setting your
basic run-of-the-mill 'web presence'.  And that is okay--there are a lot
more companies that want that sort of service than a really full-out
e-commerce solution.  Well, all the companies WANT a full-out e-commerce
solution, its just that most of them aren't willing (or don't feel its
prudent) to invest in it and spend the money to make it happen.  So you're
right--it all comes down to the business model.

Quantity (low-maintainance) vs. quality (more money) argument.

-k


_______________________________________________
cobalt-users mailing list
cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users