In 2013 we submitted a proposal in response to an RFP to host joomla.com, a free, limited option for Joomla hosting. In this proposal we indicated that we were not in favor of offering a limited version of Joomla. When the contract was awarded to another vendor, we started working hard to turn our unique proposal into a reality. The result is a system where anyone can launch a free and fully functional Joomla or WordPress site and keep it online indefinitely.
Many believe that the future of Joomla’s growth is to build a model similar to wordpress.com. In the joomla.com model, users will be able to launch a free version of Joomla without the ability to install 3rd party extensions or templates. We believe, in the spirit of open source, that people should be able to install their choice of extensions and templates. We also believe that limiting Joomla’s functionality is not in the best interest of the Joomla community. We appreciate the Joomla and WordPress communities and we realize that it’s the communities that add the most value when choosing an open source CMS. We truly hope that the joomla.com system encourages growth and awareness of Joomla, but we are fundamentally opposed to the concept.
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First and foremost, we believe it's the right thing to do. We also believe that people will fall in love with our Cloud Control Panel™(CCP) and our amazing Support Technicians, System Administrators and (of course) our mascot Cloudy. Our free Joomla and WordPress sites offer plenty of resources to build, but clients that require more resources, a higher level of support from our team, a custom domain name and more CCP features can upgrade to a Mini, Standard or Business Plan depending on their requirements and budget. Clients can upgrade for as little as $60/year.
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The Free Hosting option will positively impact other programs and platform features that we offer. CloudAccess.net Affiliates using our API get the added benefit of being able to offer free hosting for custom or core applications that are being launched from their own sites. Similarly, sites that are provisioned through the CMS in the Classroom program will be hosted for free indefinitely, giving teachers and students more time to build.
If you have any questions about how the Free Hosting option impacts your current plan, or if you’d like to learn more about our Hosting & Support plans, feel free to respond to this blog or submit a support ticket. As always, we’re here to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for choosing CloudAccess.net!