Initially I asked support for VERSIONS and PATCH numbers and BUILDS of their Servers, OS, and WebServers (IIS, or whatever) -this is The latest (oh, yes, it's happening again)

BEGIN TRANSMISSION-------------
Hello,

Thank you for contacting Support.

Here are the versions of Windows platform software:

Microsoft Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition Service Pack 1 with all latest updates and patches installed
IIS (Internet Information Server) 6.0
FrontPage Extension 2002

Regarding support for XML in your site, the XML support for IIS's metabase is handled by the Operating System (Windows 2003) itself. But the Windows web servers are not configured on our platform to handle XML. Hence our Windows platform does not support XML (Extensible Markup Language).

Should you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for choosing PureHost, we appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Steven Philips
Technical Specialist
END TRANSMISSION-----------------

Excuse me? "he XML support for IIS's metabase is handled by the Operating System (Windows 2003) itself. But the Windows web servers are not configured on our platform to handle XML. Hence our Windows platform does not support XML (Extensible Markup Language)."

OK, any experts out there...does this make sense? Is it correct?

And Steve I already did know what "XML" meant.

The PureHell of PureHost

Upon first reading this, you will swear this has nothing to do with "CLC RADIO REALLY LOCAL NEWS", but it really does, because it affects our Really Local Stations web presence - for now.

As one of CLC Radio's web hosting companies, PureCrap.com is owned by Endurance International Group , Inc. (Redundant actually and not legally necessary - actually, legally, rather misleading as most Partnerships use the word Group in their titles, generally not corporations).

The following is something - I don't know what - from their website.

If any English or Business professor at the college here would like to take a crack at this, be my guest for a free lunch at the Country Squire - I am very serious. WARNING, the following makes no sense.


"Acquisition Expertise

Since its founding in 1997, Endurance International has focused on developing technologies and expertise to serve the shared-hosting needs of businesses around the world (with fewer than 100 employees).

The company distinguishes itself from the competition by offering one of the most comprehensive and best-integrated platforms for shared hosting on the Internet, which can be easily re-purposed and re-branded depending on the needs of a segment or niche.

Endurance International currently manages a number of Web-hosting properties, each of which is a provider of Web services to a targeted segment of the small business community. Tens of thousands of small businesses pay an Endurance International property a recurring fee in excess of $10.00 per month for a Web-hosting solution. Almost one million additional small businesses do not pay a recurring fee, but join Endurance International in order to purchase individual non-hosting products and services. Once a small business joins the Endurance International community, ongoing marketing efforts promote more complex Web sites and other value-added solutions.

Endurance International manages its large and fast-growing customer base through a proprietary Operational Support System. The Company's OSS is an interlocking series of Web-enabled systems that provides real-time information and controls all business operations. Designed to manage more than one million paying accounts, the Endurance International OSS provides a significant operating-cost advantage in the development, management and support of Web-hosting initiatives. By leveraging this technological and experiential base, Endurance International will become one of the world's largest and most successful shared-hosting companies.

Since 2001, Endurance International has acquired the Web-hosting assets of more than a dozen separate organizations and integrated them into its hosting platform. Acquired customer sets have ranged in size from several hundred to more than 10,000. The average migration process, from contract signing to "domain switchover" of the migrating property, ranges from three to six weeks.

Combined with the financial resources of our financial partner, a $1 billion investment fund, Endurance International is prepared to purchase Web-hosting customers that fit its technological and demographic profile. If you are associated with a Web-hosting company and are interested in exploring the possibility a business relationship with Endurance International, please contact us."

END OF PURECRAP.

Of interest, is the non-mention of their "financial partner", which is a rather boasting company called (actually, not their partner, but their owner) Audax Private Equity, an investment firm owned by

Audax Group
101 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02199
(617) 859-1500
fax (617) 859-1600

Since Audax is eager to mention investing in EIG, Inc., why is EIG so reluctant in mentioning their Billion dollar partner?

Who cares? We care and you should, should you ever be in the market for a good Web Hosting company. They are not an ISP, btw. Unfortunately they have to go through DNS servers at Cogent !!! And, also unfortunately for them - and somewhat ironically - their domain names are all registered with Tucows who is a domain name aggregator (that means that the Tucows owns the domain names of ALL of Endurance Intl Group's held companies. Talk about a huge blunder in web world...).

NOW for the best part:

Why would we want to bash our web hoster? Because for 6 months they have not been able to properly install Front Page Extensions on a Windows platform running IIS6 on Server2000 or Server2003 - take your pick. You see, I know the solution, they won’t implement it, and our private donor pays 24.95 per month to them, and yet....just type Purehost in Google for a laugh.

Other companies that both suck and are owned by the same group:
(Keep in mind, that Purehost just happens to be customer support for ALL of these companies - engineering, as they like to call it, is also outsourced, sick)

bizdot.com
ReadyHosting (the most recent)
bizland.com
yourdomainname.com
AppSite Hosting (dedicated hosting only)---direct blurb from their site:

"...A Web hosting business begins with a collection of Web servers, powerful computers stored in secure and climate-controlled environments and permanently linked to the Internet through high-speed data lines. These computers store the Web pages that make up Websites. You can send your Web pages to the host's server using a Web browser interface or a dial-in connection and FTP (File Transfer Protocol). As soon as your pages are installed on the server they become available to visitors and customers on the Internet, providing they have the correct address (www.Website.com)."

ARE THEY KIDDING? They are the Dedicated Hoster arm and they are talking to their potential customers as if they were taking Computer 101 at the local Junior High School!

Even a cursory glance through the "Team" members of each of these companies and parent companies will give you a REAL GOOD idea what is motivating them.
Marc B. Wolpow & Jeff Renhert, Audax (sometimes spelled Goeffrey when he's braggin about his J.D., but from the site :

"Mr. Rehnert received a J.D. from Stanford Law School and an A.B. from Duke University."- just what the Hell is an A.B., and can I get one?


Co-Chief Executive Officers are ALSO on the managing board of Highpoint Financial,
who is partnered with Audax. Checkout Highpoint's services.

And educational credentials? The vast majority of all these companies' educational force is that of Bachelor's or less. Who says you have to have an MBA to make it in this world? Oh, sorry, there is one employee with an MBA. And, really, Olin University doesn't suck too badly. The only upside to working with Highpoint's other partner, Kraft, is getting free season tickets to a Patriots' game. But the really cool part is Highpoint's huge friggin' portfolio - HOLY COW!

They have really hit their lowest point being in any way affiliated with PureHostage.

More of the bad and ugly:
http://kennethhunt.com/archives/000978.html
http://embezzler.livejournal.com/19317.html