New download buttonSunday 27th of February 2011
Author:
mdranta
Since Internet Explorer doesn't want to conform to standards the shiny new download button that Host-A got with the new design didn't show up properly. Since we don't use IE the issue wasn't noticed until someone really nice contacted support to let us know. Now everyone should be able to see the download button. Feedback and bug reports are always welcome, and you may email those to
support@host-a.net. [
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Direct downloads are now availableWednesday 2nd of February 2011
Author:
mdranta
Starting today we are releasing direct downloads as an upgrade to everyone. We had a few users, mainly
Playway (also known as
TheSnidr),testing it out, and it seems the system is able to handle it. As a promotion to get more users on it the first 30 people who email
Support@host-a.net who ask for the will get $3 off the upgrade (normally $5). This is a monthly cost.
For those of you who do not know direct downloads mean that when you link to your file you will get your file, without having to go to a download page where you click a button. [
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Update your links!Friday 14th of January 2011
Author:
mdranta
With the new design came a few changes in how the site works. Now to visit a user you need to add a /u/ before the username. For example to browse someone's files you would type in http://host-a.net/u/username. The old way still works, however with some usernames the system acts a little wonky. As always, if you need help please email
support@host-a.net. [
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Protection from the rainMonday 20th of December 2010
Author:
mdranta
As twitter found out in its early days. It is very easy to bruteforce a users account, by trying various passwords over and over again. However in our wanting to keep our users safe once you get your password incorrect 5 times you will be locked out for a certain amount of time. As always if you are having issues please email
support@host-a.net [
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Toplists are backTuesday 7th of December 2010
Author:
mdranta
Like the title says, toplists are back. Now if you want to know what file is the most popular, or who has referred the most users you can head over to the toplist page linked in the sidebar. Congrats to JTR and 39ster who have been at the top of those lists for quite a while. [
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Stats are working againSunday 28th of November 2010
Author:
mdranta
For those of you who love information, I just brought the statistics page backup. It is now more accurate and it should also load faster as I have recoded everything to do with it.
The link has also been re added to the sidebar. [
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Magic TricksTuesday 27th of July 2010
Author:
mdranta
Now you see it, now you don't. Ever since we restored from our backup we have had a case of missing files. Do not worry, they are not gone forever, it is just that our database forgot about them. If you are having difficulty finding any of your files please feel free to send an email to support@host-a.net, where we would be glad to help you out. [
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Downtime OfficinalisMonday 26th of July 2010
Author:
xsnidalx
We apologize here at Host-a.net for all the downtime that we've had in the past. Last two days we were down due to hard drive failure, we apologize for all the inconvenience.
Remember, updates are in progress, but we will remain online for the rest of forever. Remember, updates are in progress, stay with us, and you'll see what we have in store :D. [
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Possible DowntimeSunday 4th of July 2010
Author:
camzmac
On Thursday, there may be an hour of downtime during the day. This downtime will be caused by me, camzmac, moving the main server to either mdranta's or xsnidalx's house. I will no longer be running Host-A.net. Mdranta and xsnidalx will be the new owners of the site. [
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A Message from xsnidalx, A File ModeratorFriday 16th of April 2010
Author:
xsnidalx
If you have files that are 'NSFW' (Content Not Suitable for Children), please mark it private, or at least password protect it. For those of you who are breaking any local laws with any type of material: we will not tolerate it, whether or not the file is private or password protected. Please refer to Terms Of Use, as it does periodically change. For more information, please contact support@host-a.net. [
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RSS Feeds GaloreSaturday 25th of April 2009
Author:
camzmac
There are new RSS feeds on every user profile page. Now you can subscribe to all the users you want to keep track of! This feature was coded by the amazing mdranta. For users of Firefox and Safari, there is a orange button in your URL bar which is compatible with their built-in RSS reader. Additionally, you may choose to use another fantasically phunkay program to keep track of your RSS feeds. Whatever... if you know what I'm talking about, you can stop reading now. I don't know why I even bother. If you are still reading and wondering WTF IS RSS????, cure your ignorance here. [
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One MillionTuesday 24th of February 2009
Author:
camzmac
On Sunday, the sum of every download counter hit one million! Except some lame-o deleted a file with lots of downloads, and now the counter is below one million. Oh well, it will climb back up very soon. [
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Early Holiday GiftTuesday 23rd of December 2008
Author:
camzmac
As an early holiday gift, all accounts get an extra 10 MB of space. This unprecedented addition of space brings all free accounts to 40 MB of for-life file hosting and storage! [
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Back Up :)Friday 10th of October 2008
Author:
camzmac
The main router and firewall that serves the network of the main server failed last night. There has been a backup machine sitting around for some time, and it has been successfully installed and put into service as the main router and firewall.
Planned feature: Fault tolerance. [
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Download Counter FixedSaturday 4th of October 2008
Author:
camzmac
A bug in the download counters has been fixed. From now on, all new files uploaded will have their downloads tabulated before they are sent to the mirror servers. Info on what this bug caused after the jump.
The bug was in the download tabulation script, which runs every hour. (Yes, the download counters are not instant). Any file uploaded would not have any downloads counted, no matter what, until it had been sent to every full mirror server. Now, during the 'infancy' stage of a file, all downloads are counted. The only exception is during the mirror server synchronization period, downloads of a file may not be counted, depending on the mirror a user chooses.
To celebrate, everyone's accounts get 500 MB of extra bandwidth!
Have a great rest of the weekend :) [
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New Servers and DowntimeWednesday 16th of July 2008
Author:
camzmac
We have a new FTP mirror server that isn't sponsored, popular.host-a.net, for popular files. The idea is that those files should go to a faster server, since they have been proven worthy of such a spot. ;-) Not only that, but iwannaplay.org has become a sponsored mirror, which is awesome, since there are a lot of Game Maker users that host their games on Host-A, and people downloading those games 'wannaplay' them. :D
In other news, very unfortunately, on Sunday July 13th, which is my birthday, Host-A took a nosedive and went offline for 3 hours starting at around 13:00 CST (GMT -06:00). The cause was perhaps related to the gargantuan amount of requests we usually process on Sundays. However, the amount of requests on this weekend was significantly higher, so much so that I think it may have been a DDoS, and our old install of Debian Sarge, Apache2, and MySQL 4.1 couldn't handle it. The fix was to upgrade the software on the server, and then fiddle with the config files to make it work correctly before going online. I ended up restarting the server due to an upgrade to libc (Linux people would know what that's about), and before shutting down I noted that the uptime was 300 days. Awesome stuff. Well, now that we're upgraded, there should be no reason to go offline for a long time. After all, the server is located in an area with what perhaps has the most reliable electricity in North America. [
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BugscrewedSunday 25th of May 2008
Author:
camzmac
There was a bug in the new download system, causing file downloads to be increased to really large numbers, and bandwidth being sucked up quickly. It has been fixed, with everyone getting a fresh start on their bandwidth!
What happened is the log file that keeps track of downloads for the main server was not cleared every hour, causing a download that happened once to be deducted hour after hour by the new bandwidth/download counter processing script. [
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Time for an UpdateFriday 4th of April 2008
Author:
camzmac
New features are in the works! Resumable downloads, better large file support, fair bandwidth tracking, Metalink downloads, and more mirrors, to name some.
New features in this update
Everyone's bandwidth has been upped another 100 MB, peaking at 1200 MB.
On the settings page, you can set the number of latest files shown when you log in to your account.
You can set the maximum size of file that can invoke the 'Preview' box on the download page - even disable it by setting it to zero. (The max. you can set it to is 0.4 MB). This is useful if you want to conserve bandwidth, since any file displayed in the preview box eats up bandwidth from your account.
MP3/MID/WMA files can now be displayed in the preview box.
Bugs/issues fixed in this update:
The password protection bug has finally been fixed - the one where it still counts the download and subtracts the bandwidth from your account even if it is incorrect.
The upgrade page is no longer as confusing.
The download page is less cluttered and contains less ads.
Most of the support pages have been rewritten.
When [?] are clicked, it results in a popup, instead of going to a different page. The old way would cause data you were entering in the page to dissapear. [
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2008 Should be GreatMonday 31st of December 2007
Author:
camzmac
So, it's the last day of 2007 around here, and we have some kudos to give: Coderzilla, who has provided us with a fast download mirror for popular files. Their site should be launching tomorrow, so check it sometime. If you would like to run a sponsored mirror for Host-A, talk to us! It's really simple to do, and we can work with any amount of space thrown at us.
More thanks goes out to our mirror ops, who do an excellent job of moderating and keeping their servers chugging away. Keep in mind, these are home servers - so the job is much harder than simply going out and buying a shared hosting package.
A few small features since the last update include 1000 MB of bandwidth, which now comes standard with all accounts, mostly because of the extra serving capacity provided by Coderzilla. Also, we have a hash search page, a rewritten article on what hashes/checksums are, and a freshly renovated download page.
And finally, thanks goes out to our users for supporting us in our effort to bring reliable file hosting to the internet.
I think this occasion warrants some overly large and noobish text, all in the name of festivities:
Good luck in 2008! [
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Happy HolidaysSunday 23rd of December 2007
Author:
camzmac
As a holiday gift, everyone gets 50 MB of bandwidth added to their account. Other new features since the last update include: a new mirror server, all accounts now come with 30 MB of space, and best of all, an advanced search page. Extra features and upgrades are in progress - keep coming for more!
The long anticipated search page is here, with the most obscure searches now easily performable. Read the support page to get yourself acquainted with it. To go with this, everyone's profile pages now have a search box in them, so people can go rummaging through your files with digital accuracy. [
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More Mirrors, ModerationSaturday 15th of September 2007
Author:
camzmac
The moderation system is now complete! Read the help topic to get yourself acquainted with the workings of it, and to learn the new way of reporting TOS incompliant files.
Even more importantly is that two full-archive, dedicated servers are now online! This is to act as additional download points, if the current ones fail.
To celebrate these two big events, everyone's bandwidth gets upped another 100 MB this weekend! Hopefully these new services will render Host-A a little more helpful to all :)
There is a work-in-progress webpage that shows the current status of the external mirror servers used by Host-A. The servers update every 24 hours, so freshly uploaded files will not have download links to additional mirrors.
The two mirror operators are mdranta and xsnidalx, whom in addition double as file moderators. This does mean that there will be more enforcement of the Terms of Service than there was before, but that is a good thing for the integrity and thus the life of Host-A. We're keepin' it reliable for all. [
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Bandwidth, More and More!Saturday 18th of August 2007
Author:
camzmac
For the next few weeks - maybe longer - the bandwidth belonging to everybody will increase by 50 MB each week. This is because we are increasing our serving capacity with more mirror servers over time.
In related news, the bandwidth you receive when you refer users has been increased to 150 MB per referral. Go on and refer some users, right now! [
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New FeaturesThursday 9th of August 2007
Author:
camzmac
You can now password protect individual files, bandwidth has been increased for all users to 600 MB/month, and there is a comment mechanism for news stories. Click 'Read Comments' to try it out.
Individual files can be password protected either on file upload or through the File Info Popup. See the help article for more information.
In keeping up with the expanding needs of users, the bandwidth for all users has been permanently upgraded to 600 MB/month. Expect more updates in the near future as we expand our serving capacity.
The comments section for news articles is experimental, employing only minimal spam prevention techniques. Comments will appear instantly, but will be heavily moderated, and inappropriate ones will be removed. You need to be logged in to your Host-A account in order to post a comment. Your posts are tied to your account. [
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Miscellaneous UpdatesFriday 3rd of August 2007
Author:
camzmac
The terms of use have been updated and Coral Cache is now fully functioning.
Also an additional new feature is a notice appears on the download page if a file is less than 24 hours old. This is one of the new features of the in progress moderation system, which is tied into the new mirror system that is in development.
We hope to have the new mirror and moderation system done by the end of the month. More details soon... [
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Connection UpgradeThursday 22nd of March 2007
Author:
camzmac
This Tuesday (March 27th) from 14:00 - 16:00 (Central time, GMT -06:00), the internet connection to Host-A will be upgraded. You will not be able to access the site during this time.
However, the new connection will have double the upstream bandwidth. Host-A has remained on the old connection since it was first online.
UPDATE 28/03/2007: Upgrade Complete.
UPDATE 27/03/2007: Apparently the technician from our ISP is coming a day early, so the downtime has been rescheduled again.
UPDATE 23/03/2007: Upgrade postponed to Wednesday. [
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New (but tiny) FeatureFriday 1st of December 2006
Author:
camzmac
We've received numerous emails asking for some kind of organization on the user profile pages, and after a bit of tweaking, the files on everybody's user profile pages are in alphabetical order. In the near future there will be a more advanced sorting feature. Also, the current search system (which uses google) might be upgraded to allow for advanced searches.
Another bit of decliciously dopey news from Host-A, one of chessdude95's files exceeded one thousand downloads. Good job, dude who plays chess (in '95, of course). Just don't tell me you clicked "Download" a thousand times. ;-) [
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