Spring cleaning

Spring cleaning Spent Easter Monday at last installing the 54g wireless router I bought some months ago; about an 8-hour job before the three different Windows machines and (triumph) the new-chum Linux machine were all through to a DNS server and the wild, wild web. Desktop tower Max has been sharing the Net connection for so long: it's uncanny how quiet the office is without its fan running.

More spring cleaning. I and my clients have for the last few years been hosted by Easyspace, a UK hosting company. Last year we had two alarming incidents. In one of them, a small consulting firm lost its email service for a week. I eventually got the incident resolved, but only after downloading the board of directors from Companies House and telephoning one of them at home. Most disturbingly, when I phoned him on his unlisted number with a referral from his managing director, Easyspace's manager displayed no curiosity about why I was requesting support this way. I now firmly recommend against using Easyspace as a host.

I resolved to take my sites and clients where I could host everybody inside my own account, and provide formally the first-line support my clients ask me for anyway. Tried a small hosting company part-owned by a colleague (hey, I already have his home number) and was delighted by their helpfulness. How do they afford it? Turns out they can't, and are closing up shop after four years.

James Bell, webmaster for the Kirkcudbright Community Website I founded in 1998, recommended Fasthosts, where I now have a reseller account. Telephone support over the Easter weekend was knowledgeable and helpful. The websites are moving across; if all goes well, clients will follow.

Easter Sunday saw us at lunch with Nick Sowicz and his son Janos. I measure the success of my events by the time the last guest leaves: it was 8pm before Nick could get us out the door. Many thanks, mate.