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View Full Version : Free Speech Hosting

NjEcTiOn
Tue 27th May '03, 4:50pm
Is there any hosting service that is fast, affordable, and believes in free speech? I am so sick of getting shutdown by hosting services like Host Rocket who shutdown anyone who has "unethical or abusive" posts on their website. I can't be on to nanny my website 24/7.
stanmxl
Tue 27th May '03, 5:07pm
Host yourself. There's no such thing as "free speech" anywhere in the world. People get sued for slander left and right.
SaintDog
Tue 27th May '03, 5:41pm
What exactly is being said on the board for them to shut you down or remove your account?
NjEcTiOn
Tue 27th May '03, 5:54pm
Well that is a good question, a question in fact that I asked them myself, and their reply was simply "Your forums contained material that cannot be hosted on our servers." That helps! Of course, I get my money back, minus the 30 something dollar set up fee which I utterly wasted on signing up HostRocket. My website was suspended because it contained "abusive and unethical" content, the content I suppose is simply anything they determine to be "abusive or unethical" which can be used to justify closing pretty much ANYTHING. We didn't have pornography or anything of that sort. It was simply a small political/current events discussion forum. Of course we had a flame forum, but it was mostly used for poke fun at friends and people who know each other. Anyway, is there any good hosting service compatible with vbulletin that does not have this sort of ambiguous terms of service which any moron who wants to take down a board can go whining to the service provider?
NjEcTiOn
Tue 27th May '03, 5:57pm
Host yourself. There's no such thing as "free speech" anywhere in the world. People get sued for slander left and right.

I don't know all that much about computers. How would I go about this?
Joe
Tue 27th May '03, 6:11pm
You can host with an "adult" host, but plan on paying a bit more for the same services...
stanmxl
Wed 28th May '03, 2:15am
I don't know all that much about computers. How would I go about this?

You just need three things:

1) Static IP address
2) Spare computer
3) An hour to install one of the more complete and easy to use Linux operating systems (RedHat, perhaps) with the Apache webserver, PHP and mySQL.

Shouldn't take you more than an hour. If you want to go deeper and make more customizations, be prepared to RTFM and take some time doing it.

Of course, even though you are hosting yourself, you could still technically be sued for libel/slander should it occur on your board. "Free speech" as in "say anything you want" simply doesn't exist.