I was wondering what are the costs to web hosting, now I know it depends on how much activity you expect on the site, because if you don't have a high processor (think that's the term) the site will crash, so to have high hits means you need a higher processor. Where could I find out information like this?

Also, how can I see if a domain name is taken, if it says Error 404, does that automatically mean that no one has the rights to the name? Or could it mean, there's just no site there?

okay so, from the top...

first of all, you have to either buyout or rent your domain name. that's your www. blahblahblah .com etc.

i've seen as cheap as $9.99 a year, some more, i think some may be less.

web hosting depends on several things. the two most important and promenant are -

1. the amount of space you want for your website on the server,
2. the bandwidth allocation.


1- this is basically how much hard drive space you are given. how big your site can be. so for a forum, where data is added alot, or a site with submissions like pictures, this has to be alot.

2- bandwidth is a tricky thing to work out. bandwith is basically the amount of data transmitted from their sever to do with your website, in a given period.

ie - you have a website of which the front page totals 1MB (lots of graphics) and someone accesses it from their home. that 1MB of data is transmitted from the server to their pc. that's 1MB of your bandwidth gone. if you have a total of... 1GB bandwidth per month, then that means that per month, your main page can be accessed 1024 times, before your bandwidth is exceeded.

a processor, well, usually when you buy webspace from a company, they say how fast their computers are, but you don't really end up paying for that. just space and bandwidth. theyre the things to concentrate on.

now, web hosting costs can vary alot. have a look around. there's so many thousands of companies doing deals and suchlike, I couldn't tell you an average for the market.

to check whether your domain name is in use, simply go to a site that sells domain names, and type it in the list. it should tell you if its free. try a couple of them before you give up if it says it's not available. they simply may not be able to sell you it. a 404 doesn't always mean that a site is down at that address. it might mean that it is free and a seller hasn't covered it. that'd cost bandwidth! hehe.

hope my lil bit has been some help.

So I took your advice, and looked into a couple of things, but it's still very confusing, like this one site...

So option #1
Web Hosting
From $3.99/month
Ideal for most individuals and small business.

* Up to 200 GB disk space
* Up to 2,000 GB bandwidth and FREE scripts
* New! All plans include Google Webmaster Tools

Option #2
Virtual Dedicated Servers
From $40.19/month
Convenience and
cost-effective server control.

* Up to 50 GB disk space
* Up to 2,000 GB bandwidth
* Up to 3 dedicated IP addresses
* Full admin access

Option #3
Dedicated Servers
From $109.00/month
The ultimate in performance and server control.

* Intel® Celeron®, Pentium® or Core™ 2 Duo processor
* Up to 2 X 300 GB disk drives
* Up to 2,000 GB bandwidth
* Up to 4 GB RAM
* Full admin access


But I cannot tell the difference... I mean, they all have the same bandwidth

well, option one would be the simpler. just for running a website from.

option 2 is for those who want a bit more control, a server.
somewhere for business files and suchlike to be stored,

option 3, the ultimate business internet server.


option 2 and 3 are less website and more webserver. ie - a computer that acts as a global server for a business network.

price is a good indication of the intensity of what you're getting.

HAHA now the question... If you wanted to do something similar to DF... What option would you choose?

Actually, the question becomes, if you wanted something better than DF, what option would you take, lol.

Well, if you want to run a message board type of site (ie, Darkforum.com, Darkness.com, etc.), you need a host that offers databases. And it all depends on the traffic. At first you wouldn't need all that much bandwidth, but as the site grew in size and members, you'd need something bigger. 2,000 GB is a pretty good bandwidth for anything.

Right now I'm using fr33webhost.com for my stuff. The domain is 'you.fr33webhost.com' for free accounts, and they allow like 10 databases with 10 users each,as well, on the free account, along with the ability to use various web programming languages (php, perl, etc.), 5000 MB disk space, 20,000 MB bandwidth, phpmyadmin, different applications (such as sBlog, Mambo, MyLittleForum, gallery, wordpress, MyBB, UseBB, Nucleus, Joomla, cutenews, phpBB2, 4images, ZenCart, bBlog, tikiwiki, coppermine, Xoops, SMF, wikiwig, and osCommerce), and site statistics. All free.

But they have an option to upgrade for $.01, and you get:
100,000 MB (100 GB ) disk space
1,000,000 MB (1,000 GB ) data transfer
NO FILE RESTRICTIONS
Absolutely NO ADVERTISEMENTS
Host unlimited sites, domains and subdomains
Unlimited MySQL Databases
Unlimited POP3 e-mail accounts
Unlimited FTP accounts
PHP 4 & 5, CGI & PERL supported
Latest cPanel for site management

Ok, you lost me really quickly... Lets just say, I wanted to pay someone to set up my page, and most likely create a program for me... how much would I be looking at for paying for that kind of service.

Said the fly to the spider...

You calling me a fly?

Is the page going to be blog-styled or forum-styled? If it's just a regular old informational site with no interactivity, how many pages? Do you want it to be dynamic (lots of info, pulled from databases, etc.)? Lots of little extras or basic pages?
All those factors determine the price.

If I was building a site just like DF, I would charge someone probably around $2,000 bucks. Now, I have no idea how much bandwith DF uses each month, so I couldn't begin to speculate as to how much Garg pays for hosting.

I'm building Crypt's company website right now, and it's fairly basic, but he's looking at going dynamic later on.

For 6 pages, very little scripting, images, etc., I'm charging them about $350-$400.

But he's also hosting his own pages, and I think he's wanting to do all the maintenance and upkeep himself. Which is why it's so cheap.

*Mr. Burns voice*
Hmmm... yes. Excellent...

How much would it cost to create something like facebook?

Something like facebook or myspace would run probably anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000, depending on structure, features, etc.

Well, this is way beyond my budget

Indeed. Way past most people's budget. Which is why you either have to have a great deal of money to start something like that, or you have to know how to do most of it yourself.

Another reason why I'm trying to get my design company up and running. My company's motto is 'Design for the rest of us.'

Well best of luck to you, you are highly knowledgeable, and if I could afford it, I'd serious consider you, after a couple of meetings of course.

I would be happy to work on a project for you. If you ever decide to get something going, keep me in mind.

I will do that... as it stands right now, we found a friend who will see what she can do to help us...

Cool. Good luck.