V7.08 August 2005

0. Introduction.
1. Double disk space SALE!
2. One-click Install of Mambo CMS!
3. It's mostly here... SARGE!
4. New Charities!
5. Win Free Web Hosting for LIFE!
6. DHSOTM


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0. Introduction.

Welcome to this special edition of the August DreamHost newsletter,
special not only because of its arrival in the month of August, but
also by virtue of being the first newsletter written via EVDO (see last
month's newsletter) from the back of the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus (also
see last month's newsletter).

I don't mind riding the bus, really. Right now I'm eavesdropping on a
fantastic conversation by a bunch of nurses about "the ugliest man in
woman's clothing they've ever seen." And "I told IT that if I smelled
any alcohol on ITs breath, that was it, no surgery!"

Countless questions swirl in my head as I bounce along Bundy Avenue...

Could I have unwittingly stumbled into the greatest treasure trove of
newsletter fodder ever? Will the insight I get into how the other side
of the digital divide lives propel the DreamHost newsletter into
timeless splendor? Will I feel too self-conscious to continue writing
this newsletter with this stranger reading over my shoulder? (Hello
stranger reading this over my shoulder!) Will I be able to see what I'm
writing with all this glare? Do other hosting newsletters get written on
the bus? Is THIS where writers for the Jerry Springer show get their
inspiration? Is there still a Jerry Springer show? Are there writers?


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1. Double disk space SALE!

Is it really just 8 minutes to downtown?

Maybe in a CAR! But the more pressing question right now is "Whatever
happened to the DreamHost triple disk and bandwidth sale?"

Well, we ended it on Monday (August 29th), along with our half-price
Code Monster sale. But, unlike the Code Monster sale, we decided to
"end" the tripling disk and bandwidth sale by making it permanent!
And... we even decided to immediately start ANOTHER sale on top of that,
one that doubles the disk space EVEN MORE on all shared hosting plans!

Current customers fret not, as usual we've also given double the disk
space to you... plus we've doubled the rate at which your disk limit
grows each week. Now it's:

Level 1: 40MB/week
Level 2: 80MB/week
Level 3: 120MB/week
Level 4: 160MB/week

See the pattern?


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2. One-click Install of Mambo CMS!

What if the big blue bus were short and yellow? Would I still be allowed
to ride? Would I be MORE allowed? What if I wore my bright yellow "I
(heart) to Perl" shirt?

Well, I do (heart) to Perl. Not just programming Perl either, Perler
beads too! And thanks to my (heart)ing of Perl (the programming side),
we've been able to add another one-click install to our repertoire!

It's Mambo CMS (Content Management System).. pretty much the most fully-
featured and popular open source software of its kind in the WHOLE
WORLD. See their official site at http://www.mamboserver.com/

Anyway, you can now visit our "Goodies > One-Click Installs" area:

https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=goodies.installer

and in just one click (Amazon patents be damned) you've got yourself a
brand new Mambo, king!


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3. It's mostly here... SARGE!

If our speed drops under 50 mph, will the bomb on this bus explode? Will
*I*?

If you've been paying attention, I've already asked you to go to last
month's newsletter twice. So what's one more?

As I'm sure you remember from last month's episode, we're in the process
of upgrading the operating system on our approximately 18 million
servers. Well, it's been a bit of a rougher ride than we expected, but
we're now about a third of the way in upgrading Debian to "Sarge" from
"Woody."

This probably means about as much to you as it does to me. But, I HEAR
this is a good thing that will result in the ability for us to install
lots more updated versions of various software packages, which in turn
will enable us to add a lot of cool features including perhaps some day
before I stop riding the bus, bringing to an end the m######## mailbox
logins!

And yes, I do realize that 1/3rd done does not "mostly" make.


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4. New Charities!

Does it annoy the bus driver when people request stops right as we get
on the highway?

Not as much as it annoys me that it's time to switch to our next
charities and we've only received 14 donations for $330.11 to CTCNet and
13 donations for $437.22 to Katalysis, which we've now matched out of
our own deep, deep pockets.

BUT, I have high hopes that these new charities will draw a lot more
charity from you folks. If you head over to:

https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=home.charity

You can now donate to WordPress (the open source web log software we
offer at the aforementioned One-Click Install area) or to the Red Cross,
directly to Hurricane Katrina relief.

Now that ought to get the dollars flooding in!


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5. Win Free Web Hosting for LIFE!

How much work will I be able to get done on the bus if I don't get a
seat? Will I have to learn to type like the villain in GoldenEye? Is
writing a silly newsletter considered work?

How can I give away free web hosting for LIFE to a lucky Happy DreamHost
Customer? Easy.. see:

http://blog.dreamhost.com/2005/08/11/

Make an awesome remix video, post it as a comment, and NEVER WORRY ABOUT
PAYING DREAMHOST EVER AGAIN.

This could just be the perfect place for another shameless plug for
our one-month-old-and-still-going-strong Official DreamHost Web Log:

http://blog.dreamhost.com/

Joel Spolsky, Joi Ito, Mark Cuban... be very trembled.


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6. DHSOTM

Should I remain behind the yellow line while the bus is in motion? For
my safety? What about the driver? Has he just got less to lose?

This month's reckless DreamHost Site of the Month winner is a completely
flash-less site dedicated to a company who will edit video for you.

http://www.lastcut.com/

What an odd coincidence, considering the contest you see above! Perhaps
you could just hire them to edit the video FOR you, and reap all the
benefits of FREE web hosting for life. Perhaps LastCut.com themselves
will "Lance Armstrong it" and decide winning one DreamHost contest just
wasn't enough!

Intriguing.

https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=home.dhsotm

Is where to go to subject your own site to the ruthless review of your
peers, and to hope beyond hope that it may one day rise above the rabble
and be forever enshrined in the hallowed bytes of the DreamHost
Newsletter!


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This is my stop,
Josh!

If you'd also like to stop (getting this newsletter), get off the bus
and visit:

https://panel.dreamhost.com/id/?tab=contact

to update your contact preferences!

URL source: http://wiki.dreamhost.com/V7.08_August_2005

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