Why is Dreamhost so bad? 
minsight: I love Dreamhost, and find that they are fantastic value for the money.  There are many people who believe that their sites should be up AT ALL TIMES.  Unfortunately, they don't realize that the uptime percentage for Dreamhost at that price point is better than its competitors. And they don't realize that the uptime percentage that they want costs many times what they're paying.  If you really want a great host, and are willing to pay more, I'd recommend pair.com.I'm just lucky enough to have been burned by some truly awful hosts before landing at Dreamhost.