[josefresco]

For all those here suggestion small alternate hosts, accompanied by their anecdotal positive experience remember that your favorite host is probably one fat check away from selling out just like MT. In fact, most web hosting models are built from the ground up to eventually get swallowed (acquired) but a larger hosting fish.

I've been through several hosting buyouts with my clients over the last 13 years and none have ended well. Even after the dust settles, the "New Company" almost always loses it's original formula for success and with it, it's original customers.

Lessons learned: Host with bigger hosts less likely to be snapped up. Diversify your client hosting providers so one botched buyout will not sink you.

[rwhitman]

Yea exactly. You just can't win with a small host provider. They will always get acquired. Always. Though I did get the sense that MT was large enough to stay independent. Really uncomfortable feeling knowing its GoDaddy now

[ohashi]

Another problem with small hosts is small sample size. Hosting is an odd product that everything is good until it's not. Many/most people never really have any sort of 'experience' with their hosting company. Which ends up as a default neutral/positive opinion. But it's really when there's some sort of incident that the real quality of a company comes out. Until a host is big enough, there generally aren't enough incidents and data points to say much about them.