After a few years on my previous web host, it was time to move. I had several issues with them including support, uptime, and features. Let's say they were lacking in all three. I had several support tickets open with this host that they never resolved, and their security certificate expired which they never renewed. They seemed to be sinking fast and so it was time to abandon ship.

I've been looking for a new host now for a few months. I tried out a few different ones but I didn't really like any of them. Then I found Cirtex Hosting. Their features and pricing plans looked pretty good, plus from several reviews I read, they had a good reputation and uptime. So I tried them out for a bit, copied over all my site content and data, and did a trial run for a few weeks. Everything turned out alright, so I made the switch.

Switching web hosts is a pain in the ass and stressful sometimes. Having to copy all your site files and databases to the new host, updating the DNS for your domain names, and waiting for the changed to move across the Internet. But I'm glad I made that leap. My new host runs CPanel 11 which makes managing my sites, databases, users, files, etc. extremely easy. Plus, their support has great turn around time with some of the minor (billing) issues I had. Overall, Cirtex has been a good host, but I don't want to praise too much when I've only been with them for about a month. Let's see where we're at in a year.

Bye-bye pretty colors, hello content

Yes, along with a new host I now have a new site template. With my previous template I had a more design emphasis on it, but with this new template I'm going for a more content oriented design. I'm particularly fond of my new home page, which now contains more site content, including the new Article Spotlight area. This area just shows a random popular article (via lots of comments or lots of hits). I've also added a search form to the header of each page to make searching easier.

I've also removed the picture gallery from my site. It was running Gallery 2. I haven't updated or added any pictures to that gallery in a long time. Then when it came time to switch hosts, I realized just how big and bulky this program was. So I decided not to include it. I don't know what I'm going to do for pictures. I might just go with Flickr.

The design element of this new template is pretty much done. There's some polish I need to put here and there, but the main elements are complete. This new design may not be as pretty as the previous one, but its layout makes for a perfect content driven site, which is what a blog should be about. As always, let me know what you think of the new design. Comments and criticisms are always welcome. Also, this design does not support Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) or below. So, if you are using IE6 and see an issue with the site, too bad - upgrade damn it!