[NTLUG:Discuss] FREE server for developers

[Carlos Wesbrooks]

If you haven’t already heard, today marks the launch of “The Planet Sand
Castle.” The new program invites software developers to apply for a free
dedicated server from The Planet for one full year – no strings attached.
The Dual Xeon servers we’re providing the approved applicants will enable
them to build and test their software in an enterprise environment, so they
can finally power down the ancient desktop computers they’ve been using for
their sandbox development environments.



Our initial deployment for the Sand Castle program is made up of 100 Dual
Xeon servers spread between H1, H2 and D4. The minimum server configuration:

   - Dual Xeon 2.4, 2.8 or 3.2
   - 1 GB RAM
   - 146 GB of HDD space
   - 10 Mbps Unmetered Bandwidth
   - Operating System: CentOS 5

A majority of the servers we’ve reserved are actually 3.2’s, so we’re
providing great development environments for these customers.



Below are a few questions you’re likely to hear from your teams and from
customers/prospects as launch the program.

* *

*How do developers sign up?*

Two new pages are live on our site. The first is a Sand Castle landing page
(http://www.theplanet.com/sand-castle/) and the second is a short
registration form (http://www.theplanet.com/sand-castle-registration/).
Applicants will enter their contact information, a brief explanation of
their background and an abstract with their goals for their Sand Castle
server.



Each application will be evaluated by a team of people internally, and they
will be approved or denied. If they are denied, they will receive a letter
thanking them for their interest. If they are approved, we’ll send a Sand
Castle welcome email along with an internal shopping cart quote link that
they will follow to order their server. We will require credit card
information from these users in the checkout process for ID verification
purposes, but their invoices for these products will be $0 for 12 months.



*How do we support Sand Castle customers?*

After a Sand Castle applicant is approved, she/he is treated like a regular,
paying customer - even though they will not be charged for their Sand Castle
server/bandwidth until next year. If they want to buy a new server, they’ll
go through sales and pay like a normal customer. If they need a reboot,
they’ll put in a ticket. If a Sand Castle customer violates our TOS/AUP or
abuses the program in any way, we will reserve the right to terminate their
server to allow another user the opportunity to join.



Because it would be too difficult to screen these kinds of customers to
treat them differently, our goal is to give these servers to only the most
qualified applicants.



*Who should apply?*

We’re looking to help the developer community turn dreams into reality, so
we want to know what ideas this server will help them build. Because we’re
taking on a new set of customers who will have access to support, we want
folks who are experienced and knowledgeable … not the people who think “hey,
this is a great opportunity to learn how to run a server.”



*Why are we doing this?*

The Planet has been successful because our customers have grown and built
their infrastructures with us. Because developers have little/no budget in
the early stages of putting together their new ideas, we want to incubate
their software so it can grow and improve. If the success of their new
software pushes the limits of this development environment, we hope they’ll
continue growing their business with us as paying customers.



We have the capacity and the equipment to be “the place to be” for
developers, so the program is designed to bump our stock in major developer
communities and show how “Alpha Greek Friendly” we are.



*What can I do to help?*

1.     Check out the Sand Castle pages on our site to learn more about the
program.

2.     Spread the word! If you are involved in a social network of coders
and techies, link the group to our site and encourage them to sign up.



Please note that employee Carlos Wesbrooks turned you on to this
opportunity.