You're probably better off. Us computer geeks spend to much on those things. Between a pro-grade firewall router, backup battery system, server software, the server computer itself and a business grade DSL line, my geekyness cost some bucks. I could have my sites host much more cheaply through a paid host than doing it myself. However, if the server needs a kick to get rolling again, it takes 10 seconds to walk into the room and do it. I can set my own security for each site, create my own sub-level domains (for example,
ken.bowell.net is part of the
www.bowell.net domain - which is still being built), set up permissions and bandwidth settings for FTP and do my own upgrades when it's convienient to reboot the server.
However, it takes a seriously big pair to run your own server, since you have to secure it properly. You can't just use the personal server software included in Windows XP. If one little thing is wrong, you'll get hacked. I'm considering moving the
GadgetFAQs.com site to a paid server to a) allow it more bandwidth and b) get personalized e-mail boxes for it. I'm not keen on the idea of running SMTP service with the increased risks that a spammer will hijack it. I'm already running encryption on my FTP service that requires that specific software client to be used in order to gain access. Without that software, a password and a working key, the system won't let you in and will automatically ban your IP after 3 tries (without any interaction from me unless I need to manual un-ban someone who simply forgot their password).
