On-Rev: We've listened

[Kevin Miller]

Hi everyone, 
 
Just wanted to announce something big, and let you behind the scenes a
little bit.
 
Periodically we see posts on the Use and Improve lists about using
Revolution on a server. We all know what a great language Rev is, and
there's been a free server engine out for many years that many people have
enjoyed using. I've tried it myself, but found a lot of the same
frustrations that other have reported. Finding the right engine, putting it
the right place, setting permissions, frustrating and confusing errors.
Wading into Linux-land to figure things out. Dealing with ISPs who don't
want to spend the effort making things work.
 
A spat of messages on this topic came up recently. I think what you've been
asking for boils down to this: "Why can't we have a best-of-breed hosting
package combined with a pre-configured Rev server scripting environment,
that just works! No hassle!". Well the timing of this discussion was good,
as we're now ready to introduce something we've been planning for a while: a
proper server version of Revolution.

Its been a fun process developing the service. We've put our newest
scripting technology up there, so people can start using short, easy
snippets of Rev code in their HTML pages. The engineers have come up with
some neat stuff. A new Internet library that is super-fast and low-overhead.
A scheme for hooking into the server for live debugging. And they'll have
more to bring to the table soon: new syntax for working with databases that
is crystal-clear.

The plan caught on like wildfire in the office. Everyone had something to
contribute. The enthusiasm was palpable both in the offices and in our Skype
meetings across the oceans. The result in our brand-new On-Rev Server
product, which you can see at http://www.On-Rev.com.
 
With On-Rev, we've put it all together for you. This is an extremely simple,
friendly, and easy-to-use server scripting environment compared to anything
else out there or any previous Rev server scripting engine.
 
- We've nailed the hosting side of it... you'll find it really attractive
compared to whatever you're using now. Ample disk space and bandwidth,
world-class data center and screaming fast hardware. Ultra-reliable. The
ability to host unlimited domains, spam filtering, one-click installs, the
works. No question this is a hosting plan you'd love.
 
- And we've paired it with the alpha release of our amazing new server
scripting platform. Already, as of today, you can play with the new server
Script Editor and Debugger, using the all-new second-generation server
scripting engine. You can a write simple snippet of code, like <?rev put the
time ?>, into your HTML page and boom it just works! If there is a problem,
you can *step through* your server code and watch all your environment,
global and script variables live in real-time! Dear heavens, if you have any
love of Rev coding at all, this should rock your world! Not to mention that
you'll have the chance to give input and help shape the direction of the
service, at the same time you're first in line for all of our new goodies
coming down the pike.

Ok... there's "one more thing." We appreciate our customers, and we want to
make sure everyone has the opportunity to learn and use Rev server
scripting. We want to see what you can do! Rev-based content management
systems? Online games? A really easy-to-use storefront? Multi-user database
systems? We know you can do it! So... to make this irresistible... to make
it so you have absolutely no reason not to get into our new server scripting
platform at the ground level... we asked one more question:
 
"Can we introduce it at $499 for life?"
 
We ran the numbers and the answer was a resounding YES... as long as we kept
it to limited numbers and a very short introductory period, we could do it.
Of course we want to reward our loyal customers. But we also want to reward
the early adopters who will be vital in helping us shape the service. And we
need an active community of people using the platform so that we have lots
of experts sharing advice, code for games, blogs, CMS systems...you name
it...

Now, I already mentioned this is an amazing deal just considering the
hosting. Shop around and you'll find this caliber of hosting going for as
much as $250 a year or $25/month. (We didn't want to compete with those
cramped shared services of "unlimited-but-not-really" for 99 cents a month.)
Again, quality hosting. Pay just once now, and never have to worry about
your hosting payment again. So that alone is going to save you thousands of
dollars over the years for all your domains. But On-Rev is not just hosting,
it's a playground where you've got zero-hassle access to the very best
server technology we've got to offer. Finally you can make your vision for
highly interactive Web 2.0 software a reality!
 
$499 for lifetime hosting on our Rev-optimized server is our gift to the
community and we hope you're as excited about it as we are. Get all the
details and sign up for the $499 "Founders" special before May 1 at
http://www.On-Rev.com

Kind regards,

Kevin

Kevin Miller ~ kevin at runrev.com ~ http://www.runrev.com/
Runtime Revolution - User-Centric Development Tools