23 Responses to “The Global Geek Podcast #74 :: I Need Help with My Frash”

1. James Williams Says:
   January 14th, 2008 at 9:17 pm

   Dear Dave, Cait and Keith, I loved this episode of GGP and went straight to Network Solutions to search for “networksolutionsareapackofw@nk#rs” and selected it to search on all available domains. Sadly, nothing registered to Network Solutions, so I guess they mustn’t have found my choice of domain name worthy of registration! Thanks too for the plug of Podcasters Emporium on your show, the next episode will be underway shortly. Again, Great Show!

2. Dave Gray Says:
   January 14th, 2008 at 11:41 pm

   @James Thanks for listening and dropping by to comment. Nice work Love it, I hope they start to get the picture… everyone should boycott these guys on principle, if nothing else but keeping their money in their pocket!

3. Herne Says:
   January 15th, 2008 at 10:42 am

   These tactics from Network Solutions are nothing new in the business world. I imagine they’d fluff it off as “good business tactics” even though it’s low-down and underhanded. I also suspect that many other domain registrars, including GoDaddy, keep lists of all the domain searches that are run through their websites on the off chance that someone types in something really interesting. I can also imagine that someone goes through these lists a couple times a week and registers anything that looks like it has appealing marketability and later on the site is auctioned off by the registrar.

   What I want to know is why there is no standardization of fees for domain registrars. Obviously if GoDaddy can register a domain for $6.99 US a year, then why can’t everyone? The same goes for Canadian domains, why do I have to pay $20 to register a domain at one place and $10 at another? We need some standardization here! And while we’re at it, we also need some strong legislation in place to stop domain registrars from holding people’s domains hostage when they want to change service providers.

   While we’re on the topic of domain registrars, I’m looking for a good and reliable hosting service, preferably a Canadian one. I would also be interested having the ins and outs of hosting explained to me, for example, why would a Windows host be better than a Linux host, or is it? And when looking for a good host, what sort of extras should I be looking for and why? For example, do I want a CGI bin? A shopping cart? POP mail? What is MySQL and why do I want it? Forums, Blogs, Photos, and more… I think you guys should do a segment on “What to look for in a good web hosting service.”

   And after that, I’ll need “What to look for in a new Laptop.” and “Why do I need to Blog?” segments. Oh, and I’m still waiting to hear more about Second Life and why I want to use it… No hurry!

4. Dave Gray Says:
   January 15th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

   @Herne Crap me mate! What a great comment, thanks for putting the effort into it. Ina fact you have inspired Cait and myself to work on the answers to your questions. Stay tuned!

   Second, I would like to say that this is one of the few times in the last 3 years of podcasting that I have been proud of our community. Hern put a lot of thought into his comment and even asked us some questions and where he would like the show to go. Cait, Keith and myself are going to work on these issues that Herne has raised. He has also lifted the bar in the comments.

   MORE!

   Nice work Herne!

   Your comment doesn’t have to be as long as Herne’s but sure would be good to know where to stear this little boat of ours, THAT is what I am thankful for.

5. Mac Lab Rat Says:
   January 15th, 2008 at 6:53 pm

   Thanks for the great reply Herne. You’ve sent the GGP crew into a furied frenzy of show ideas and a fast & furious email barrage.

   btw… I completely agree with you about the .ca domains… if I can find an inexpensive place to get them I’m going to register a few…

6. Global Geek Says:
   January 15th, 2008 at 7:34 pm

   Regarding country-specific domains, some countries have much tougher rules than others, which can lead to higher administration fees.

   As an example, here are some rules for getting yourself a .com.au -
   http://www.auda.org.au/policies/auda-2002-07/

   SCHEDULE C
   ELIGIBILITY AND ALLOCATION RULES FOR COM.AU

   The com.au 2LD is for commercial purposes.

   The following rules are to be read in conjunction with the Eligibility and Allocation Rules for All Open 2LDs, contained in Schedule A of this document.

   1. To be eligible for a domain name in the com.au 2LD, registrants must be:

   a) an Australian registered company; or

   b) trading under a registered business name in any Australian State or Territory; or

   c) an Australian partnership or sole trader;

   d) a foreign company licensed to trade in Australia; or

   e) an owner of an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or

   f) an applicant for an Australian Registered Trade Mark [Note 1]; or

   g) an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or

   h) an Australian commercial statutory body.

   2. Domain names in the com.au 2LD must:

   a) exactly match:

   (i) the registrant’s company, business, trading, association or statutory body name; or

   (ii) the words comprising the registrant’s Australian Registered Trade Mark or application for an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or

   b) be an acronym or abbreviation of 2a) (i) or (ii); or

   c) be otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant, because the domain name refers to:

   (i) a product that the registrant manufactures or sells; or

   (ii) a service that the registrant provides; or

   (iii) an event that the registrant organises or sponsors; or

   (iv) an activity that the registrant facilitates, teaches or trains; or

   (v) a venue that the registrant operates; or

   (vi) a profession that the registrant’s employees practise.

   @Herne Thanks for the great show ideas.

   Cait

7. Herne Says:
   January 15th, 2008 at 10:10 pm

   I can’t help but be verbose, sorry!

   I did a little more research on .ca (dot-ca) domains and came up with this from CIRA (the official Canadian domain authority);

   (From the FAQ on registering domains)
   9 - What is the fee for registering new dot-ca domain names?
   Registrars are free to set their own fees for services they provide to registrants, but CIRA will charge all registrars the same fees for registration services ($8.50 per year plus applicable taxes). CIRA’s Fee Schedule is included in the document entitled Procedures, Policies and Certification Requirements for Becoming a Registrar.

   So the absolute minimum to register a dot-ca domain would be $8.50 CDN.

   To register a dot-ca domain you must also be eligible under the CIRA requirements, which include; Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada, Legal representative of the previous two, a Corporation under Canadian law, etc…

   It’s also interesting to note that CIRA outlines everything you need to know in order to become a certified registrar of Canadian domains.

   http://www.cira.ca/

   I would also like to add that the CIRA is discussing new rules about a WHOIS privacy policy. Many people, myself included, feel that the current WHOIS situation does not protect people’s privacy, and having to pay extra to have your WHOIS information hidden from prying eyes is simply insane. With the amount of identity theft and other crime going on on the Internet, allowing someone to do a WHOIS on someone’s domain and getting personal details about the owner is very dangerous.

8. Herne Says:
   January 15th, 2008 at 11:37 pm

   Note to self: Dig out mic and do a MyChingo comment next time.

9. Dave Gray Says:
   January 15th, 2008 at 11:43 pm

   Don’t be sorry Herne - we want more comments like yours - you have really put the cat among us pigeons!

   We would love a Voicemail from you! and everyone else!

10. Mac Lab Rat Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 1:06 am

    @Herne: Good info on the .ca domains… I guess I won’t be trying to get certified as a domain registrar any time soon.

    As for the WHOIS policy, it can depend on your hosting company. The one that I use provides anonymous whois for free when you sign up for 1yr of hosting. This is a great service and provides a lot of peace of mind for the “end user”.

11. Herne Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 5:07 am

    (I just can’t stop talking!)

    Speaking of laptops, check out the new MacBook Air.

    http://www.apple.com/macbookair/

    A 13.3″ laptop weighing 3 lbs and only as thick as your index finger at it’s thinest point. It has a full-sized backlight keyboard, an oversized trackpad that has many of the same touch features as the iPhone(!), 2 GB of RAM built in, an 80 GB HD, and option to upgrade to a 64GB solid-state drive. Intel Core Duo is standard at 1.6 or 1.8 Ghz, and they expect a 5 hour battery life. Also built in are the iSight camera, wireless and bluetooth. Prices starting at $1799 (I’m assuming US dollars). No optical drive, but they’ve created a companion MacBook Air superdrive powered by the USB2.0 port. Ships with Leopard installed… relies heavily on wireless to backup and copy files from other computers.

    Pretty sweet looking machine, but I would be worried about how flimsy it looks… I don’t think it would stand up to the sort of travel and transportation needs that most people want in a laptop.

12. Raf Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

    Just a quick word. The godaddy discount code should be GGP and not TPN2. Easier to remember.

13. Doug Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

    I found Crossloop a few months back on an ad somewhere on the internet. Tired it out with a mate, smashes the windows built in one. So much easier and straight forward. Highly recommend it.

14. Dave Gray Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

    I agree Raf - unfortunately the codes were allocated by TPN - we did not have a choice. Which in turn was a GoDaddy thing - they said these are the codes you are getting. Meh

15. Dave Gray Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    @Doug It aint hard to beat MS apps Thanks for the positive 1st hand review

16. Terry O Says:
    January 16th, 2008 at 11:52 pm

    I like the way that TV is going. For you fellow sci fi geeks out there, you may want to check out Sanctuary, a web only (for now) show that stars Stargate actors Amanda Tapping and David Hewlett - It’s pretty much all made by green screen but tech has got to a point it doesn’t matter. Probably the best bit is the downloads are from the website, and they have no DRM at all. Worth checking out…

17. Global Geek Says:
    January 17th, 2008 at 12:11 am

    Great tip Terry thanks for passing it on.

    I was looking for a subscribe link for RSS or iTunes. Does not appear to be one yet. A quick search in iTunes and I think I found it. Although I noticed that on the web they are up to Episode 8. Only up to Episode 4 in iTunes… but at least it is there (if I got the right one :P)

    http://tinyurl.com/2accgv

    I shortened it so it doesn’t break the blog

18. Terry O Says:
    January 17th, 2008 at 6:07 pm

    I think they released the first four episodes on youtube/itunes as a way of a teaser, the main website has all 8 of the episodes available to purchase there.

    For the WoW geeks, there’s also The Guild, which stars 7th season Buffy regular Felicia Day (Vi). That’s all free, they credit the donors in the episode credits.

19. Mac Lab Rat Says:
    January 17th, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    @Herne: I found this video about the Macbook Air, and had to post it on my blog. It pretty much sums up how I feel about it.
    http://kdmurray.net/2008/01/16/macbook-air-an-obsession-with-thin/

20. Herne Says:
    January 17th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

    @Keith: I actually sat down and watched Steve Jobs’ keynote video last night and other than the MacBook Air, I was kind’ve interested in the new Apple TV and the new Apple Terrabyte wireless “time machine.” Price points are still a bit high, IMO. But I know that consumers will pay them. Possibly not me though.

21. Herne Says:
    January 17th, 2008 at 10:10 pm

    @Keith (again, sorry): I just had a look at the vid on your blog. Very amusing. I think that does sum up the whole “thinness in laptops” arguement. How about we stop worrying about how thin my laptop is and work on storage capacity, battery life, and pricing.

    I also saw that you bought an iPod Touch… again, very pretty, but not worth the money for a mere 16 GB of storage!

22. Mac Lab Rat Says:
    January 18th, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    @Herne: For me the touch has been all about functionality. My macbook is fabulous but a bit too large in some cases. I’ve had great success this week with the WiFi on publicly accessible networks to look up things like directions, restaurants, check email etc. etc.

    The iPhone & the Touch are also the only implementation of a hand-held web browser (with the exception of maybe the Nokia n800/810) which offer almost a complete browsing experience. I can easily do posts to my blog or browse a website without losing anything in the experience.

    Add to that that a “Jailbroken” iPod Touch is made even more functional with all of the third-party hacks & apps and it’s not a bad little device. It’s definitely at the high-end as far as price point, but Costco has the 16GB model for about $50 less than list which helped a little.

23. TPN :: The Global Geek Podcast » Blog Archive » Shopping for a Domain Registrar Says:
    May 3rd, 2008 at 9:44 pm

    [...] Show number 74 provided Herne with the inspiration to post a detailed comment about hosting and associated topics. One thing that I thought he might need some info on is the difference between hosting and a domain registrar. Plus some tips on choosing a good registrar. [...]

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