GoDaddy.com Dumps Linux for Microsoft

RobertB-DC writes "Bargain-basement registrar GoDaddy.com has decided to move all its parked domains to Microsoft servers, saying that they'll provide 'a technology platform that is security-enhanced, highly scalable and easy to manage.' This is a shift away from Linux, a decision met with derision by other registrars such as Gandi.net, which greeted the news with the headline 'Go Daddy and never come back'. Late last year, GoDaddy.com had some 'issues', shall we say, with non-Microsoft browsers."

GoDaddy.com looking for people with Linux Skills

[Anonymous Coward]

It's interesting that GoDaddy.com is looking for people with Linux skills:
http://jobsearch.monster.com/jobsearch.asp?q=linux &cn=GoDaddy&sort=rv&vw=b&cy=US&re=14&brd=1%2C128%2 C1862%2C1863 [monster.com]

Examples:

Linux Systems Manager
http://jobsearch.monster.com/getjob.asp?JobID=3993 8005&AVSDM=2006-02-20+15%3A04%3A46&Logo=1&q=linux& cn=GoDaddy&lid=338&sort=rv&vw=b&cy=US&brd=1,128,18 62,1863 [monster.com]

Senior Linux Software Engineer
http://jobsearch.monster.com/getjob.asp?JobID=4015 5008&AVSDM=2006-02-24+17%3A38%3A10&Logo=1&q=linux& cn=GoDaddy&lid=338&sort=rv&vw=b&cy=US&brd=1,128,18 62,1863 [monster.com]

Hmm...

[TheNoxx]

Sounds like another move from Microsoft's corporate espionage department, building on the previous "problems" GoDaddy had with non-MS browsers. I think my favorite MS black-ops move was when they made "The Matrix" DVD playable on every DVD player except the Macintosh DVD player, and yes, this is the only DVD that does this. Go ahead, grab your copy and read the fine print at the bottom.

Re:GoDaddy.com looking for people with Linux Skill

[larry bagina]

Senior Linux Software Engineer

• Server-side development on Unix/Linux platform, Windows experience a plus
• SQL development utilizing MySQL DBMS and MS SQL

Not exactly a linux engineer.

Microsoft probably paid them for this...

[drasfr]

That is my assumption... I used to work for Register.com and we were having a HUGE number of parked domains and redirected domains served by Linux. Basically Microsoft approached us and offered us a pile of cash AND some of their engineers to help so we migrate the servers serving this (futurestep it was called if i remember right) to Windows and that they can use that as advertisement AND that netcraft would show a significant change in the number of sites hosted by Windows.... Let's say that it was very hard to refuse this...

So yeah... I would assume the same. How much money/services did they got from Microsoft?

How to counter this

[Omega Blue]

When you boss points out this time you can say, "Google uses Linux, not Windows."

I don't think 10,000 outfits such as GoDaddy are going to have a pull anywhere near Google collectively.

Makes some sense

[GeorgeMcBay]

This move isn't surprising because of the fact that ASP.NET has become fairly well adopted among a sizable group of web developers. Merits of Linux vs Windows on the server aside (each has pros and cons), it is clearly easier to standardize on a single platform than to support both, and if you're going to support ASP.NET, Windows is required. On the other hand, all the web technologies that are often deployed on Linux like Apache and PHP and mod_perl and whatever else are also available for Windows, giving Windows the superset of oft-used web development technologies and thus the win.

Note: I am, of course, aware of Mono, and it is great, but doesn't implement all the .NET APIs (particularly .NET 2.0), and therefore isn't really a solution for people who need ASP.NET support that Just Works.

Security through feature removal!

[WoodstockJeff]

they'll provide 'a technology platform that is security-enhanced, highly scalable and easy to manage.'

If you want to run anything on Godaddy's servers that accesses files in PHP (which includes things like include and require in directories other than the current one), you have to ask to be put on a Linux server. This is because the only way Godaddy has found to keep Windows "secure" is to disable features... It's one of the reasons they recently stopped supporting "one button install" for PHPBB; it wouldn't work if it was on a Windows box, due to safe mode restrictions.

Fortunately, that isn't a problem with parked domains!

Re:Who cares?

[ImaLamer]

Now that I read it, the legal agreement is the story:

http://documents.secureserver.net/show/document.as px?plvid=1&name=hosting_sa [secureserver.net]

in no event shall Your web site consist of the following: search results, registration, "thank you", error, email or chat pages, pages comprised primarily of other advertising or pages that contain any of the following types of content: pornographic, obscene or excessively profane content or content intended to advocate or advance computer hacking or cracking, gambling, illegal activity, drug paraphernalia, hate, violence or racial or ethnic intolerance.

I can't put ads on my own error pages? Even if I'm hosting 30 domains on a dedicated account? Since when is bad web design a reason to shut a website down; so what if I plaster the thing with ads? And saying that gambling and drug talk isn't allowed goes a little far as restrictions vary from state to state and even from city to city (in the USA).

Re:Closed-minded and brainwashed

[geminidomino]

That is the first sign of their evil infection

Actually, the first sign was when they started turning spammy (both in letting spammers keep their registration despite the terms of service, and in thier own behavior.)

Re:Who cares?

[SillySnake]

This is clearly Go Daddy trying to do us all a favor. No one likes the dumb mispelling domains with tons of sponsored search links for pr0n, pills, and the such.. This is simply Go Daddy declaring open season on all the parked domains they host.. It's that simple :)

Re:Who cares?

[jmorris42]

> It does, as bragging rights for Microsoft to show that its server solution is
> hosting xx% of the internet.

You are close to the truth. Watch Netcraft. Anytime Microsoft gets near the 20% mark a fresh deal is announced about some parked domains moving to IIS. They really can't afford to drop into the teens and retain any credibility as a player in the server space so they spend whatever it takes to prevent it.

The more important number is Netcraft's active domains number and IIS is only at about 25% there. That gives a better picture of where they stand. Take out their own massive net operations and those of their slaves (Dell, HP, heck, most everybody who sells PCs, software or who develops heavy on Windows) who use IIS because they fear the consequences of using anything else and it would really be pitiful.

Re:Mod parent DOWN

[Benley]

BTW, what has Google ever given back to the OSS community it depends on to supply Linux, MySQL, Python, etc.?

Does employing a huge number of prominent open-source developers count for anything? OSS coders gotta eat, you know. A partial list, off the top of my head: Guido Van Rossum (Mr. Python), the Gaim lead developer, the Camino lead developer, Spamassassin lead developer (I think; not sure), a bunch of Firefox developers ... the list goes on. These people are paid to work on OSS projects and contribute code back to the community!

Godaddy isn't one of the good guys anymore

[TekPolitik]

I originally chose Godaddy because it had user-friendly and net-friendly policies. One of the biggest things for me was that they only used your email address for transactional mail - in fact they used to make a point of this, while Verislime would send you promotional crap about every unrelated product under the sun.

Well, they're good guys no more. Today they have broken this long standing promise and sent their "Newsletter" to every single customer. The contents: Promotional crap for a bunch of services I don't give a rat's arse about.

IMHO, MS is Buying IIS Marketshare.

[WoTG]

Some of the Netcraft numbers are based on the number of domains hosted by a platform or web server. By paying off GoDaddy.com for parked domains they will get a large boost in Netcraft numbers for IIS and Windows Server. Sure the domains don't reflect 'productive' websites; but they still count. Not a bad plan.

From GoDaddy's point of view, it's a no brainer. Who doesn't want money? Besides, there isn't even any evil involved in this one.

Threats to freedom

[CarpetShark]

Well, he certainly never bowed to those who endangered people's rights or freedoms. And that's exactly what Go Daddy are doing, by choosing and promoting an insecure platform for what seems like political or money-oriented purposes. This not only shows a lack of IT sense, but also a lack of integrity. Go Daddy just lost my custom; I'll be switching later today.

Bad Advertising

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

With MS essentially bribing GoDaddy to make the rather trivial move for their parked domains, you have to wonder just what MS's PR people were thinking.

Will their new slogan be, "Microsoft - where do you want to park today?"

Good move.

[A beautiful mind]

I just dumped GoDaddy for my local linux based small-shop registrar.

Re:Well, then.

[16K Ram Pack]

can you tell us how much Microsoft paid, if anything for this?

I don't get it.

[Southpaw018]

Okay...essentially, the core change is that GoDaddy is moving their parked sites from BIND to MS DNS. Curiously, most of the argument here focuses elsewhere (LAMP, IIS, LAMP's components vs alternatives).

I use MS DNS 2003. It's nice. It's easy to use. I enjoy having a GUI built in and supported by the developer in addition to having the power of command line editing. The only thing I wish I could change is that it uses a sequential zone serial number instead of a dated one (ie, instead of 2006032301, 2006032302, 2006032303, it uses a raw format - 1, 2, 3...)

I really don't see what the big deal is...

Re:My guess: Microsoft paid GoDaddy to change.

[gabor1023]

and which registrar do you recommend?

Godaddy horror story

[porkThreeWays]

I registered a domain with them a few years ago. It made me put in my business name so I made one up. For the next year I got sales calls asking if I'm the business owner of this fake business. I'm _very_ careful about those little privacy checkboxes too. I registered a domain a couple years later with my cell number as the contact. Sure enough, I got sales calls on my cell phone for the next six months (before that I never got one).

The only upside to the whole thing was office depot kept sending coupons to my fake business.

Re:My guess: Microsoft paid GoDaddy to change.

[Anonymous Coward]

I absolutely agree. They do not follow proper ICANN protocol for transferring domains away from their service. When I called their customer service number to ask what the problem was, I gave them a link to the ICANN page describing this protocol. I asked them to tell me which legitimate reason they were using to deny my registration transfer. They hung up on me. The placed a seemingly arbitrary 60 day hold on my domains to prevent me from transferring my 12 domains away from them and now, two months later I finally have all of my domains transferred to another registrar. While I am paying a bit more ($9.95 vs. $8.95), at least I am not giving money to these jerks.

See the numbered list under section 3:

http://www.icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm [icann.org]