Well, it looks like my free ride with my internet hosting provider is finally coming to an end!

It was a long 3 years since a friend in class at Richland College told me I had until midnight to go to a web site called 1and1.com because they were giving away a free web hosting package with (at the time) a whopping 500mb of space. It was a promotion they had as a startup and as soon as I got home I popped online and went to their site and registered, getting confirmed about 11:45pm that night.

This has been my hosting provider ever since and I still have some of that original 500mb open!

My freebie time is coming to an end with the free package, so today I have the fun task of downloading all my web content and files to my Powerbook g4. Fun.

I have to back it all up so I can sign up for a larger package (something like 500GB or a similar daunting number) that will support more than the single MYSQL database that this blog is being hosted on. I need the additional databases so I can develop more fun stuff as I learn about PHP and MYSQL. The wife wants me to start developing the e-scentiallyyours.com site so we can start selling her essential oils online that she gets from her supplier in the northwest.

This will be the beginning of a new venture for the both of us that will hopefully make us both independent for the future.

I have to back up all the files because the provider indicates that the site will be wiped clean when I change packages. Can’t take any chances there. I have a feeling this will be a long task today, but I have to do it so I might as well just shut up and do it.

So if the site goes down for a while you will now know why.