It's gone because people don't feel like paying to keep a server up. Most servers don't last long. You should join a long term project in my opinion (mostly run by developers of EQEMu). Those are the Green and Yellow servers. Servers are only given a green name when they have been around for a while and have shown stability.
The servers that have been up for a long time:
The Great Escape (Under development for a few months now,
http://www.tgeserver.com/, no opening date)
Guild Wars (Opened Friday the 4th,
http://www.eqguildwars.com/)
Winter's Roar (Seperate Loginserver, check
http://www.wintersroar.com/)
Scorpious 2k (Seperate Loginserver, check
http://www.scorpious2k.com/)
Dark Horizons (Under development, no opening date)
... and of course PEQ: The Grand Creation
Here are some servers that look like they have a future ahead:
Darkness Falls (
http://www.gamersland.org/ <-- I think that is the site, this server has been up non stop for a bit now)
King Mortenton's Raid Addicts (KMRA)
Threaded Mode
