Neowin.Net Update

K

Keldyn

Guest
Hello all.

Here is an update on the goings on with neowin.

We had expected to be back online by now ,but a week has passed and sadly this has not come about. Once the new hardware was fitted we thought our problems would be over, however we soon learned this was not the case.

What i will go on to say next may very well be damning for our host but, given their seemingly cold shouldered attitude towards neowin and its staff it is only fair retribution. I dont believe anyone who runs a website should have to depend on such a poorly run hosting company as hosttyme.

Apache was recompiled along with mysql and that didnt quite go to plan. During the process of backing up neowin for transfer over to the "new" server(which we have since learned, is not even our own, but belongs to someone else) they not only wiped all staff email accounts ( they have done this to us 4x) but also managed to wipe all sub-domains, passwords, and permissions were messed up. We can no longer edit, delete, or otherwise replace anything in /public_html/ as they are now somehow protected. I am guessing permissions were screwed during the transfer to the new system. CHMOD does not work on any files. So, not only has hosttyme proven themselves to be an extremely incompetent hosting company, but also, that they have little or any knowledge in the running, the maintainence or even configuration of a server. Neowin could have been back on its feet long before now, had their staff even an inkling of what to do.

If this were not bad enough, hosttyme then had the nerve to turn around and blame our own admin for the demise of the neowin server. Like installing mysql/php ever proved destructive to a server....:rolleyes: They then went on (and the nerve of them!) to ask our own members, without our permission for $5000 to purchase us a new server. (not including rack or bandwidth costs) Hosttyme has further stated, and publically that they no longer want us emergency paging them. Now you tell me. When they have taken to ignoring emails, and filtering those out from neowin, then what else are we supposed to do? The problem is theirs and they refuse to acknowledge it. Bad enough that they refuse or simply dont know how to repair neowin, yet they lay the responsibility on our own shoulders.

Time and time again they have argued that the problem of neowins high server loads were its members, or vbulletin, or mysql or even our graphics fault. All arguments which we have easily dismissed as ludicrous mind you. There are many sites out there running on far less than us and yet exist quite happily. We constantly made cut backs to neowin. We cut features, we trimmed back front page articles from 25 to 15, optimised and tweaked code,removed graphics, cut new registrations, disabled guest access, disabled welcome messages and much more. All of this had little effect. We even made a switch over to ibf board at one stage to prove it was NOT neowins fault. Hosttyme refuse to acknowledge this.

So, as you can now undoubtedly see. With this kind of mentality behind its staff, it is not hard to see why we are having so many problems. As it stands, neowins future right now is and i am sorry to say it, uncertain.

Unless Hosttyme starts taking some responsibility for its actions and begins to show more concern and support for those under its care, then neowin may remain down indefinitely.

Thanks for supporting neowin.net

Keldyn M.
Neowin Staff
 
Thanks for the update Keldyn. I know that many members here also frequent neowin. We are glad you are here to keep us informed. Good luck getting it all straightened out. We look to see you guys back up and running soon.
 
Thought you were gonna say something like all mysql data has been irreversably lost... hopefully you have several copies nicely backed up.

Do you have a good deal with hosttyme? Discounted hosting or something... cos sounds like you need to switch!
 
Good Luck Neowin! I hope you get everything worked out.
 
Cheers for your support everyone. We all appreciate it!!!

Well, the plot thickens. 17.5 hours after our last email off to Hosttyme we got an interesting reply back. Seems, the gist of it is they flat out refuse to do anything further with the server unless we agree to setting up a paypal account. This i should point out is completely against what neowin stands for. We have never asked for anything from our members, nor will we. The figure they are requesting is, you guessed it, $5000. They say this money will be used to buy us the servers neowin really needs. If we do not do this, then, basically they own our site, and neowin stays offline for good. ( We were lucky to make a backup for ourselves before they cut off our access to the server)

I will add now that they completely ignored the matter of the file permissions which, we believe to be the major issue preventing us from getting back online at present. Until the permissions are sorted, we cannot get neowin on its feet.
We have issued one final reply, and a question to Hosttyme.
"Can we deliver Neowin or not?"

Keldyn M.
Neowin Staff
 
Is "wanker" a qualification needed to become a webhost ? :p
 
hmm... yah... webhosts seems to sit back on there asses doing jack... and when a problem arises they seem tp blame everyone else... and ask for $$$... piss take :-/

xp-erience.org has done its time with host problems and is still going through the process of getting our selves back up right asap... as you can see we have had to strip down many features leaving our members struck out :( - but we are hoping to get things back up andd running smoothly with in the next 2-3 weeks...

I hope neowin does make a recovery asap... it does actually leave a hole in the web for many ppl... :-/

MdSalih
 
Why would they need $5000 for a new server ? What specs do they think it will need!

If I remember correctly, didn't hosttyme offer to give you free hosting when you were having problems before?

The advertising here goes straight to the hosts...
 
M3DZone & The CAD are shutting down soon too, if xp-erience, w2s and neowin keep going down there will be no-one left...

<CONSPIRACY>
 
Originally posted by Electronic Punk
Why would they need $5000 for a new server ? What specs do they think it will need!

If I remember correctly, didn't hosttyme offer to give you free hosting when you were having problems before?

The advertising here goes straight to the hosts...
I really dont know. But truthfully we are severely limited by our current hardware. It is no longer suffcient for a site as large as ours. We long ago outgrew it. We were supposed to have been clustered back in april Neobond tells me....
We do not pay Hosttyme for hosting. They sponsor us and in return we put up banners. All revenue from these go straight to Hosttyme. Believe me. They have racked up alot of business from those simple banners. One with half a brain would realise that it would be in their best interests to get neowin up and running. We are good business for them, but no.....They arent too bright over there. :rolleyes:


Keldyn M.
Neowin Staff
 
Unless I've completely missed something, then you can have neowin up and running on a different server, regardless of weather or not they claim to own the site. I'm sure you still have control over your domain name, you have a backup as you stated.

What kind of figures do you run monthly, bandwidth wise, and how much storage is taken up?
 
Originally posted by GT2000
Unless I've completely missed something, then you can have neowin up and running on a different server, regardless of weather or not they claim to own the site. I'm sure you still have control over your domain name, you have a backup as you stated.

What kind of figures do you run monthly, bandwidth wise, and how much storage is taken up?
I think you misunderstood me. When i said they will own us, i simply meant that it is either their way, or nothing. If we do not comply to their terms, then we cannot deliver neowin with their servers and their bandwidth. Yes it is our domain name. And yes we have a backup.
I am of the mind that we will be better off without them honestly.:rolleyes:

KM
 
Ah, gotcha.

So again, and it's if ya don't mind me askin', how much BW (monthly), and space are ya eatin' through? PM me if ya want that private.
 
Originally posted by GT2000
Ah, gotcha.

So again, and it's if ya don't mind me askin', how much BW (monthly), and space are ya eatin' through? PM me if ya want that private.
Space is not really an issue. It never was. Although we were using roughly 350GB tops worth of bandwidth.

At present we have received no further word from Hosttyme. All staff of neowin.net have been paged. We are done with Hosttyme. We are hosted it seems, by a site that is officially finished with neowin.net.

It was a fun ride while it lasted

Keldyn M.
Neowin Staff
 
As long as you can raise enough cash to get a good host, I am pretty confident you guys could at least cover server costs with some good advertsising?

Such a strong community can't die!
 
this really sucks.. I wish you and the rest of the Neowin community good luck!
 
Originally posted by o_87
this really sucks.. I wish you and the rest of the Neowin community good luck!

Your right it sucks :(

Good Luck Guys!
 

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Also Hi EP and people. I found this place again while looking through a oooollllllldddd backup. I have filled over 10TB and was looking at my collection of antiques. Any bids on the 500Mhz Win 95 fix?
Any of the SP crew still out there?
Xie wrote on Electronic Punk's profile.
Impressed you have kept this alive this long EP! So many sites have come and gone. :(

Just did some crude math and I apparently joined almost 18yrs ago, how is that possible???
hello peeps... is been some time since i last came here.
Electronic Punk wrote on Sazar's profile.
Rest in peace my friend, been trying to find you and finally did in the worst way imaginable.

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