Introducing Hostfurl
Hostfurl services will open soon.
About
We are a small Australian business in Far North Queensland (FNQ) Australia.
Paid Services
Our paid subscription services can be used for
- Domain based email in Australia with email client auto configuration
- Domain based static site generated based websites with web statistics
- Both above with easy web form to email AND for easy cross-origin use.
- DNS management
Image of top of home page on 4 October 2023
Open Source
Hostfurl will provide non obligatory voluntary public support for open source web frontend template code suitable for use with Hostfurl, as per normal for support for such code. This is completely independent of paid services.
Why?
We are keen to present and share an approach for those living in regions with limited peer support and modest training, who want to work productively and produce well presented content web sites that work fast and well, combined with email that also works well.
With regard to access to the most inexpensive servers, the whole of Australia is remote.
One way we can make services inexpensive in Australia is by only allowing static content (with some exceptions) and by demonstrating how such content can be generated.
Other than a direct easy web form to email facility, there is nothing special in our approach.
By far the most productive approach is to work locally and then make very fast incremental updates with a shell command. Those who use server app based FSE (Full Site Editing) sites for content solely because they want a FSE editing pay a terrible cost in productivity that can become unbearable if hosted overseas. This is apart from many other issues of using app server sites.
There are probably few worse experiences in IT than converting a great locally developed static web site with plenty of content to one which uses FSE.
The benefit of time spent in learning local based development is more than offset by the continual loss of productivity and frustrations of FSE based development, particularly remote from server.
What is a static site generated web site?
One where web sites serve pre generated web pages and avoid having the user’s browser build content with javascript. Pre generated pages are far more common than many think, what the web was originally composed of and highly suitable for many use cases, as well as for SEO. In recent years web frameworks are becoming far more suitable for pre generated pages. Hostfurl will provides example of use of Astro.
Domain Names
Ideally you should always register domain names independently and just simply point them to our nameservers. However Hostfurl can provide limited domain registration for you by checking if a domain for selected top levels is available and purchasing it for you, naming you, your organisation, or who you represent, as the owner in public domain registration records.
When we will be open to paid services?
We hope soon. Sorry we are not more specific. All the technology mentioned on the home page has been proven and tested.
We expect we will be seen as providing excellent value.
Even with this, we expect we will offer even less expensive services for those in Australia who can tolerate the lag of their server overseas.
When will examples be provided?
At the same time as above.