Assuming We Want FreeBSD to Grow: Who Is It For?

[Joshua Tinnin]

On Tuesday 15 February 2005 12:41 pm, Shawn Harrison <harrison at tbc.net> 
wrote:
> So, we want lots of people to adopt FreeBSD. Who are they?
>
> If the primary use of FreeBSD is for servers, then anyone who runs a
> server is our target.
>
> I know most of the talk recently has been about big businesses and
> people who spend tens of thousands of dollars on hardware. Yes, it
> includes them.
>
> It also includes Joe Family Man or Jane Small Business who wants to
> set up a website. Sure it does. Why should Joe and Jane pay $35 a
> month (or even $10) for dippy Windows web hosting when they can use
> the DSL or cable account they already have, and the "obsolete"
> computer from two years ago, to run a top-notch web server using
> FreeBSD?

I agree that FreeBSD can help such people, and in fact that's how I 
discovered it, while looking for a decent server OS for a home project. 
However, what you don't mention here is that Joe or Jane really needs a 
static IP. Most of the time this means upgrading their account. If a 
number of other people use the account at the same time, or if 
bandwidth usage is heavy on that line for other reasons, then it means 
getting a separate account so that the bandwidth needed for the server 
won't be used up. The $35/mo. doesn't make much of a difference when 
you're looking at the problems involved, and it may in fact cost less 
than trying to host it yourself. A client of mine pays $100/yr. for 
*nix hosting for a site I created. If I were to host it for him it 
would cost me more than that, and I'd have to charge him a lot more, as 
I'd need a second line here. And a top-notch server with a maximum of 
786Kbit (not byte) up is going to hit the bandwidth wall before it even 
needs to be top-notch.

Just some thoughts, not flaming you ... I've done a lot of research into 
this, and the situation has changed somewhat in the last five or ten 
years. You almost always have to pay more for a static IP now - 
generally a lot more - and *nix hosting can be had for cheap these 
days, sometimes with a shell.

- jt