TextDrive seems like a nice webhosting service. I just signed up for an account to use for my own client.

Update: TextDrive is awesome. I set up access to the MySQL server through an SSH tunnel, transferred the database without a hitch using MySQL Administrator’s backup/restore feature, copied all the files using WinSCP (a secure FTP client), changed the database connection string and a couple other variables, and the site works perfectly.

Comparison with 1&1, my current host: 1&1 does not support the SSH tunnel, though at least I can use MySQL-Front through its PHP tunnel script. 1&1 only supports an older version of PHP (4 rather than 5). 1&1 interfaces with PHP only through the CGI method (slow) whereas TextDrive uses the Apache module method (fast). TextDrive lets me create my own php.ini file, if I were to need it, which I don’t think 1&1 supports. 1&1 has an ancient version of the MySQL server, and to import a locally exported database I have to edit the SQL in Notepad and do a search-and-replace to get rid of any “character-set” declarations among other things.

But then again, I haven’t paid a penny for my 1&1 account (besides registering domain names through them) which I got through a promotion 1&1 ran a while back where they gave away free three-year accounts of their top package.

It’ll also be interesting to see how 1&1 deals with the backlash regarding one customer support person’s ignorant defense of an equally ignorant policy regarding Bit Torrent files. I wasn’t that surprised to see 1&1 mentioned on BoingBoing, and my impression of them (due to the technology issues) hadn’t been all that great, but at least that was somewhat excusable under an assumed principle of them sticking to more “tried-and-true” existing programs so as to not trigger compatibility issues across their user’s sites by upgrading to newer versions (of PHP, say) which do slightly change the behavior of certain functions.

Anyway, I’m predicting some sort of “public” (on the ‘net, at least) apology by 1&1 and a changing of that specific policy, because if they know what’s good for them they’ll do some damage control. BoingBoing is big media in this arena, so we see how big media has power. It doesn’t seem like the normal channels we call “big media” (like the New York Times or other newspapers, or (sensationalistic) TV news) really have that much power anymore, compared to their historical roles in triggering political change (well, newspapers, at least), so this is interesting to see happening in the online world. Not political change here, I mean, but rather the reaction of a large company to news published about it.