I was wondering how I should go about registering a domain name. Obviously I’ll need to go to a domain name registration company, but there are so many, and the prices are so varied that I can’t help but wonder why there’s such a discrepancy. For example, a .info–which is all I really want for now–can run anywhere from about $2.00 (via GoDaddy.com) to $5.75 (via Dynadot.com).
Are there any particular kinds of criteria I should be looking for when choosing one of these companies, or should I just go with whatever is cheapest? Also, if for some reason I can’t get a static IP address from home, is there any way to have the address associated with my machine otherwise? I thought I remembered reading something about that, but I can’t remember where.
Go with namecheap.com, I’ve heard of horror stories with godaddy. You won’t be able to get a static IP unless you pay for it from citywest ( I think it’s only offered under the business plans ), you could use a dynamic dns provider such as dyndns but then things start to get complicated as you have to pay for most top level dynamic dns services and you also need to be running software to update the service. The alternative of dynamic dns would be to simply do what most do and rent a vps and ssh / rdp / whatever into it, if you need support go with a reputable company known at webhostingtalk.com.
Asides from my mailbox getting inundated with daily offers from go daddy, I haven’t had problem with them. I often use the sales times to renew some domains early.
I run my own dns boxes, and if you complete that machine it’s capable of being one too.
