Note: I have some strange mental block that has precluded me from writing anything in this space. Everything becomes an insane writing project for which I haven't the time. This short post is me throwing caution and better judgment to the wind in order to, hopefully, jump start the process. Cross your fingers.

What the hell is SliceHost?

Oh, right. SliceHost is a web hosting company that provides Virtual Private Servers -- in other words, a VPS Host. They have built a hosting system based on virtualization using Xen. The rest of their back-end is custom built.

Why do they rock?

First off, they're pretty cheap. Go look! Their prices are right there on their front page. In addition to that, they refuse to oversell. Sticking to their convictions has caused them to accumulate a lengthy waiting list, but also a lot of praise, appreciation, and even adoration. HostingFu seems to really be enjoying it, and so am I. The waiting list may seem like a negative, but it's really not. It means that I know they won't screw me over by selling more accounts than they have resources. It means reliability. I haven't had any down time (that I have noticed) as of yet, except for the times that I have screwed something up.

How are they different?

The community that has formed around the company is what really sets them apart. Their is a strong wiki, a strong forum, not to mention a blog, and a channel on irc.freenode.net. It has allowed a lot of people, who would have been lost administering their own server, to set up their own server and deploy their web application (or website, or multiple websites, or whatever). A guy landed a job with SliceHost due to his contributions to the community (well -- we could argue that he landed the job because his contributions to the community exposed his vast skill set and passion for the work, but I think you get the picture). Call me a hippie, call me what you will, but community is important to me. Community is why I started using open source software. Community is what drew me to Ruby. Hell, community is what drew me to the Interwebs!

Why are you telling me this now?

I got excited to make a quick post about SliceHost today when they announced the completion of an update to their account managing software. I think it's pretty freakin' great, not only that they are making updates and trying to keep their fingers on the rapidly-changing pulse of the industry, but they also care about improving the user interface, and in turn, all facets of their customer's experience. Way too many hosting companies care way too little about a customer's experience while attempting to manage their account. It typically appears that the company is more worried about how they can fit in another ad. Not SliceHost.

Why are you so over-the-top?

Visit the site. Look around. Read. It won't take long, most of the information is written concisely, and the text is fairly easy to read, also. Chances are you will like it -- unless you're like that guy on the damned Geico radio spots that hates good service and such. (Seriously, I should probably spring for some sort of modern recorded music playback device for my old vehicle. One made after the turn of the century. I've heard CDs caught on.)

You can use my email address as a reference when signing up for a slice at SliceHost -- if you feel like it. I don't care. It's miles -dot- sterrett -at- gmail -dot- com.