Webhosting help

[Qjedi]

Hey there!
I'm having a lousy time finding good useful info on how to set up webhosting for myself.
I'm specifically looking to do some free webhosting while I learn how to modify the code on my various game platforms I want to work with, then I'll move on to a paid webhost once I am ready to get my game really going.
What I need is help setting up my initial webhost. I don't want someone to do it for me, but having a handholder to get me through the English-to-English translation fails would be awesome.
I'm already frustrated as hell, and I know free host tech support is basically non-existent, so if someone (especially another noob like myself) could point me at a simple free webhost they already use and know HOW to use, that would be awesome.

Especially if there are tutorial videos that don't just say things like "This is where you put in your info, but we're not going to show you were to find it or how to put it in, because we assume you already know that sort of thing."

I know, I know, but there's a reason I'm posting in BEGINNER support.
If anyone feels like just posting the word "Noob!" in this thread, feel free, lol. It won't hurt my feelings.

[Jackolantern]

While it can be done if you are sly, the problem with free hosting is that they are very anti-game. They want mostly static websites with maybe a tiny bit of dynamic content because they want to host hundreds or even thousands of accounts per server. Typically once you upload your files on a free host, you will be flagged for them to check your content. Of course they aren't just looking for games. They are looking for illegal file sharing, gambling, porn, etc. (basically the banes of every free web host's existence). But to them, games equate to wasted CPU cycles and RAM due to all off the scripts you are constantly running, and they will shut your site down in a heart beat. See they lure people in with massive amounts of bandwidth and hard drive space but the thing that is the most important to them is CPU cycles and RAM, and games take a lot of that. Of course the little work-around that seems to work on most free hosts is that you put up a simple brochureware-style website (nearly 100% static, that is) for a week or two. After that you can assume that it has been checked by a human, then switch it out for your game files. You will be OK until you start getting more than a handful of players on at the same time, at which point they will be able to see who is using up the server resources and you could be locked-out at that point and all of your files deleted.

Sound like a hassle? It is. So what if your game gets deleted when you first put it up? But if it gets whacked after you have been running for a few months and you start getting popular, it is basically game homicide.

So my suggestion is to just develop locally. It really is not a huge bother to move it over to a host if it is built on your development machine, and it isn't a huge aspect of web development that you need to learn early. About a day or two of fiddling is all it will take to get it running after you are experienced enough to make your own web application or game. When you have a completed game that is worth launching, you can get a VPS (virtual private server), which is really the minimum hosting you need for a web game. Prices start as low as about $5, and if you shop around, you can find a VPS package that will keep you straight on CPU power and RAM for a long time and a lot of growth for around $15 a month (about the same price as an MMORPG subscription).

I would honestly do that instead of worrying about free hosts while developing. In my experience (and some may disagree with me), they are more trouble than they are worth for our purposes.

[Qjedi]

My big problem is I don't know how to set up a WAMP/LAMP server, either. I HAVE failed at it a few times now, and everyone tells me how easy it is, then either can't do it, or refuses to try.
I have checked with the Zymick TOS and it LOOKS like I can put up a game, but they have a problem with chat clients, porn, etc.

Either way, I still need to learn to set up webhosting before I can ever move forward, so and I am completely unconcerned with losing anything I might make, since if I never learn how to put it online, it would never be seen nor played anyhow.

If I was able to host it off my own computer, that would be great, but I don't know how to do THAT, either.

This has actually been one of the big stumbling blocks for me for a long time, and at this point, if I could even post up a static brochure to my webhost, I would be ahead in the game.

[Torniquet]

If your still needing help getting a freehost account up and running msg me for my msn. I am only around from about 6pm - 12 (GMT), at the weekends i am generally always logged on.

[kph]

When you have a completed game that is worth launching, you can get a VPS (virtual private server), which is really the minimum hosting you need for a web game. Prices start as low as about $5, and if you shop around, you can find a VPS package that will keep you straight on CPU power and RAM for a long time and a lot of growth for around $15 a month (about the same price as an MMORPG subscription).

Much thanks. I was about to ask this ^.