This is a review on the web host: Hostgator.

I was flipping through a couple of the threads on the web hosting portion of the boards and had seen a couple questions on the web host "Hostgator". Since this is my most recent provider, I thought I could help out and provide a review for them.

Price: AS OF 12/12/2008
Host gator is very competitive with there pricing structure. Since most people pay month to month, please be aware that on there homepage, the price they advertise is if you pay for 3 years of service. And for someone just starting out, this usually isn't feasible.
On their shared hosting package's, for now they only offer the Linux back end. They have a pricing area for shared hosting with a windows back end, but for the last 2 years it has always said coming soon and I honestly don't see that change coming anytime soon.
They offer 3 shared packages, hatchling, baby, and business. Each one has various offerings but the best thing to note about each is you get unlimited bandwidth and storage space. Honestly when I looked, the best option to get was the baby package, unless you absolutely needed the dedicated ip address. In which case you would get the business package. Business package also includes a free SSL certificate, and the ability to login to ftp anonymously.

HELP!
To be completely honest, with host gator it is hit and miss. (At least through there online 24x7 chat support) Tech wise, if you encounter a problem with something and you use there interactive tech support chat, it's a 50/50 chance of someone being able to help you in a timely and correct manner. The techs are helping 5-20 other customers at a time and it does take some time for them to respond back to you occasionally. Every now and then, you'll run across someone who isn't very helpful or just doesn't seem interested in responding to your question. I simply exit out, give a negative review, and try again. (This happened twice and never since then)
Their payment system, is a bear at best. It is very slow and sluggish and every time I use it I always seem to have problems. Maybe it's me.LOL. But unlike tech support, since like everyone else they are very eager to take your money, if you have payment problems, there online chat technicians are extremely helpful. (Go Figure)

Cpanel
If you have never used a CPANEL interface before, it can look quite intimidating. After you get acquainted with it, it's very efficient and easy to find/do what needs to be done.


Hopefully this helps SOMEONE while trying to make the decision of which hosting provider to use. All in all I would rate them a 5/5 on there claim of uptime reliability. Tech support 3-4/5 depending on who you get. OVERALL
4/5. If anyone has any questions just post it, and I will do my best to answer what I can.

Below is a list of all Fantastico Software Included that is all very easy to install through host gator.

Blogs
b2evolution
Nucleus
WordPress

Classifieds
Noahs Classifieds

Content Management
Drupal
Geeklog
Joomla 1.5
Joomla
Mambo
PHP-Nuke
phpWCMS
phpWebSite
Post-Nuke
Siteframe
TYPO3
Xoops

Customer Relationship
Crafty Syntax Live Help
Help Center Live
osTicket
PerlDesk
PHP Support Tickets
Support Logic Helpdesk
Support Services Manager

Discussion Boards
phpBB
SMF

E-Commerce
CubeCart
OS Commerce
Zen Cart

F.A.Q.
FAQMasterFlex

Hosting Billing
AccountLab Plus
phpCOIN

Image Galleries
4Images Gallery
Coppermine Photo Gallery
Gallery

Mailing Lists
PHPlist

Polls and Surveys
Advanced Poll
LimeSurvey
phpESP

Project Management
dotProject
PHProjekt

Site Builders
Pro Edition
Templates Express

Wiki
TikiWiki CMS/Groupware
PhpWiki

Other Scripts
Dew-NewPHPLinks
Moodle
Open-Realty
phpAdsNew
PHPauction
phpFormGenerator
WebCalendar

Regarding support Hostgator little week before, but now they are good in support and also affordable price with unlimited features. Also they released new coupe code snowman to get 20% discount. Really they are good and can found many good reviews about them.