Free Hosting for Free Thinkers

It's a simple idea. If you have something you want to share with the world, talk to me. I'm looking for people who will provide original, creative content on a regular or semi-regular basis. This includes the obvious things such as comics/manga, written stories, and art galleries, but I'm open minded, so plenty of other ideas may accepted as well. The main thing is that all sites should provide something interesting, and should update semi-frequently. Static "archive" sites may be allowed, but only if they provide a decently large amount of content to begin with.

How it works.

Applications are currently handled via the community forums. See the relevant section there for instructions. If your application is accepted, you will be given an account. This account includes:
Webspace: Unlimited (within reason) at "http://username.xepher.net/" PHP, perl, and other scripting languages are supported.
SCP/SFTP access: This has replaced FTP, and enables direct access to your files. Linux and Macintosh have clients built in, a good windows client is WinSCP.
E-Mail:Incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) as well as Webmail at http://xepher.net/webmail/ This includes a real-time, trainable spam filter.
SSH: Linux secure shell. Provides a remote command line environment. Most people don't need this, but it's sometimes nice to have.
Database Access: MySQL 5.x database. All users will be given one database, with no limit on table number or size.
Virtual Domain: If you have purchased your own domain name (an address such as "yoursite.com") it can be linked to your account here, providing both a web address and working email. Full details on this can be found on the Help/FAQ page.
Other: If you have a genuine use for it, I'm running (or can run) servers for most major protocols. Talk to me, and I'll see what I can do.

Rules


Originally, I had but six rules. Times have changed however, and I can't afford to be held legally responsible for everything that happens here unless I get more specific.

1. Be nice! Simple, right? Basically, I believe everyone genuinely knows what's right and what's wrong. Just play nice and we won't have any problems. While I may be optimistic about the human species, I'm also a realist. Hence, because someone will screw up rule 1, we have the follwing rules as well.

2. My word is law. I'm actually a very nice guy, so 99% of you won't ever encounter this rule in action, but it's here so no one can say I didn't warn them.

3. No Porn. Stories that contain "adult" situations are sometimes acceptable, as is some artwork, but the rule is this: If I say no, that means no. If you're in doubt, ask me. (Or just think of something else instead!)

4. No Warez/Mp3z/Downloadz. You may not host any copyrighted material without permission from the copyright owner. I can't have the liability of hosting illegal content. Besides, if you pluralize with a "z" then you're probably at the wrong site anyway! :-) The exception to this is obviously for legal stuff. Mp3s, software, etc that you wrote, or have permission to post.

5. No Hacking. This means you may not host anything related to hacking, cracking, or any other illegitimate activity. No software/code, instructions, or other info/tools may be hosted if it relates to hacking. Also, you may not use any of the services provided here for illegitimate purposes of any kind. Likewise, you may not attempt to circumvent any security measures that may be in place here. Any account being used for such purposes is subject to immediate termination. I'm serious on this on people. Don't do it!

6. No Spam. This is your one warning. Do not spam! If you are caught using any of the services here to send, or in any way support the sending of, unsolicited email, you will be kicked out.

7. No UNAPPROVED Ads. One of the primary reasons I'm doing this is because I hate seeing great artists/writers/etc. have their work spoiled by the ads from "free" hosting services. I want people to have a place to freely exchange ideas and thoughts, not get gummed up with annoying ads. Right now, the only "approved" ad services are Google AdSense/AdWords and Project Wonderful. Since Xepher.net is user supported, I do ask that people making money off ads consider donating a portion to xepher.net. This is completely optional however. Also take note that this rule doesn't include your own ads. If you design something that is sold in an online store, t-shirts, for instance, then you can sell them on your site. Also, link exchanges with other sites are fine.

8. No IRC/Bots. I'm sorry, but I've had too much trouble with this in the past, and I don't want my machine caught in the middle of another IRC war. So, no one is to run any code that connects to IRC(x) services. This means no port relays, no bots, and no direct chat connections in shell or web scripts.

9. No Drug, Crime, Hate, or Violence Mongering. This means no KKK sites, no bomb-making instructions, and no "better living through chemistry" pages.

10. Don't Abuse Your Privileges. I give people here pretty much free reign on what they can and cannot do. You have access to multiple services, and there are very few limits in place on resources. That said, I don't want people to abuse this. If you run programs in shell, that's fine, but don't leave things running when you log out. If you write your own scripts, try to be careful, and don't run scripts that hog the entire CPU every 30 seconds. You're welcome to link images in your account from things like forums, or various other places online, but don't make that the only use. As rule 1 says, just be nice.

11. Have fun! If you made it this far, you must still be interested. The above rules are a necessity of this day and age. I'm really not that hard to get along with. If you have a question or a special request (software install request, virtual domain set up, etc) feel free to ask me and I'll see what I can do.

How to Apply

Applications are managed through the community forums. Details and application instructions can be found there.

Before you apply, please keep in mind that I will be looking for people who can provide original, creative content on a regular or semi-regular basis. Anyone is welcome to apply, but just don't be mad if you spend an hour on the application and then it's rejected.