By Emmett Plant
Editor, Linux Today
Linux and Open Source software are changing the software
industry, but solid tools are only one part of the business
equation. The story of MassLinux may act as a testament to the fact
that the best hardware and software in the world isn’t completely
fail-safe in the universe of corporate billing and clerical
error.
With over eight hundred sites hosted, MassLinux had made a name
for itself in the web hosting business. Using Linux and Apache,
MassLinux offered the opportunity to host your website on a
dependable server with top-notch administration. While the systems
chugged along as promised, they never counted on one thing: a
billing problem that would pull the plug on the operation
forever.
Today, I had the opportunity to speak with Todd Lauder, who was
MassLinux’s primary systems administrator and billing guy. Todd is
extremely disappointed about the entire situation and would love to
continue MassLinux. Unfortunately, despite community letdown and
hysteria, MassLinux will most likely be gone forever. Todd seems to
be a really nice guy that just happens to be in the middle of a bad
situation. With any luck, the interview I conducted today will help
ameliorate the effects of the network outage for MassLinux and give
their former customers some insight into the situation.
A lot of people are extremely upset with MassLinux, especially
people who had their websites hosted there. What happened?
“We had sent in three payments to our Internet service
provider, and they claimed they never got them. The checks were
cashed. After going through numerous days of trying to figure out
what happened, they couldn’t figure it out, so we got our lawyer
involved. Basically, what has happened is that they were deposited
into an account that didn’t belong to our Internet service
provider, and our lawyer is currently working that out. In the
meantine, the problem is that we’ve gotten such negative feedback,
most of our customers have left, and we won’t be coming
back.”
I know a lot of the MassLinux customers have tapped their news
sources for information on MassLinux, and Linux Today was no
exception. If I were a MassLinux customer, I would want to know how
I can get my pages back. What will happen to the pages created by
your customers, and is there anything they can do to recover their
data?
“We are going to be putting the server up on a cable modem
so our customers can download their files. We will be sending out
an E-mail letting our customers know how they can go about doing
this.”
I’m sure I’m not the only one with the $64,000 question: What
was the name of the Internet service provider?
“I’d rather not mention who it is, because we’re in the
middle of that legal situation.”
Have you had any lawsuit threats from former customers?
“None that I’ve heard about.”
Were you hosting Domain Name Service for these domains, as
well?
“We did Domain Name Service for all of the domains we
hosted.”
What’s going to happen with that?
“There’s nothing we can do. When they process the domain
move, they’re going to need to put in new Domain Name
Service.”
Do you plan to take legal action against the Internet service
provider?
“That’s undisclosed at the moment. That’s going on between
the investors and the lawyers.”
Who should customers contact?
“That’s hard to say. I guess me, but I really don’t really
feel comfortable giving out my E-mail address and getting flame
mail. I wish I had a hotmail account or something to deal with
it.”
Maybe you should set one up; it would only take a few seconds,
and I know that a lot of your former customers would appreciate a
point of contact.
“That’s true. Let me do that.” [Typing]
How long have you been with MassLinux?
“A year and a half to two years.”
Being a visible Linux-based business puts you smack-dab in the
middle of a vocal community. Is there anything you’d like to share
with fellow Linux users and enthusiasts?
“We really are sorry about the inconvenience. It was not
planned. The Internet service provider didn’t give us any warning
before they shut us off. If anyone needs a system administrator,
please give me a call. In reference to the mailbox, if anyone needs
to contact MassLinux, they can E-mail me at t_lauder@hotmail.com.”
How many domains were you hosting?
“Roughly eight hundred.”
It seems as though a lot of your customers are rather angry, and
I’m surprised to find you at the head of the line.
“I wish we could continue, but with all the negative
feedback, it’s just not possible.”
How many E-mails have you gotten in regard to this
situation?
“A minimal amount, due to the fact that the servers were
inaccessible.”
Will people get their money back?
“Yearly accounts will be refunded pro-rated to the
outage.”
What about everybody else?
“Most of them were monthly accounts that were paid up to the
time of the outage. If they were paid up further along, we will
refund that amount.”
The MassLinux team may be able to recoup some of its financial
losses in court, but their reputation as a reliable webhosting
company is beyond repair. It’s a big world and mistakes do happen,
but it’s not often that the repercussions echo so deeply within the
Linux and Open Source communities.