It's All Geek To Me - March 3rd 2004

What's in a name? With domains the answer can occasionally be quite complex...

Long ago and far away there was only one way to buy a domain name – Network Solutions. Lots can be said about the nightmare of customer service problems that occurred, but to summarize: the industry was deregulated in the fall of 1999 and many companies were granted the same 'top level registar' status of Network Solutions.

This was supposed to make things simpler, easier, and better. So far it hasn't. Very few people are happy with the current situation and unfortunately it has created a substantial number of problems for consumers. At the same time, things have become more complex as new technologies have become available.

So let's review what you need to know and how to make sure everything you own is set up correctly.

There are many extensions for domain names now - .com, .org, .biz, .cc – and the companies that maintain those Top Level Domains (TLD's for short) are called Registries. They do not sell names directly to the public and so the average website owner will not deal with them.

Each Registry – in a move that can perhaps only be explained by an English professor – has a number of Registrars that are the companies that actually do sell domain names.

Each Registrar also often has a network of Resellers – and this is where most people actually get their name from.

Confused yet? Here is a practical example that will apply to some of you – say you bought a .biz name from KISS Computing. For Dot Biz the registry operator is a company called NeuLevel. One of their approved Registrars is a company called OpenSRS. KISS Computing is an OpenSRS reseller.

So this is where problems often get created, since everyone sells names (did you know you can even buy a domain from inside quickbooks?) and resellers are often affiliated with more than one registrar, and those Registrars are often affiliated with more than one Registry – you get the idea.

The other issue is that each reseller and each registry have their own unique policies regarding domain names, in addition to the global TLD policies they are all supposed to follow, and the ICANN policies each registry is supposed to be following. This is a big issue when it comes time to make any changes to your site or how you have things setup – many new clients of KISS Computing find things are not in order as they were sure they were.

Most people are a bit befuddled by now so we'll just jump right ahead to the practical.

If you are familiar with buying domain names under Network Solutions you might remember the importance of the whois email address – literally the email address that shows “who is” the person or organization with authority over that domain name. If you remember that, forget it, as it no longer works that way – if you didn't know about it you just saved yourself a step.

Today, every domain name has a username and password associated with it. With that info you can change the details of your domain name record (name, address, etc), as well as change hosting companies.

This is the critical piece of info you need to have to make sure you have control of your own domain name – your username and password. You should be able to login and make changes to your address and other details associated with your name.

It belongs in a file somewhere but make sure you have this info for all of your domain names.

Consumer Warning Repeat

Many companies send what look like Bills in the mail for your domain name – and often times they are not bills but an initiation to switch Registrars. We get a call on this issue once every week or so. We wrote about this issue in a past issue of our newsletter, click here to check it out if you missed it.

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Tasty Tip

by Michael McGrath Tired of mashed, baked or french fries? Those of you not doing the Atkins thing, and who feel like blowing the calorie count on a sumptuous change of pace might want to consider this variation of Gratin Dauphinois, a classic accompaniment to lamb. We served this dish with a roasted tenderloin of beef at the recent KISS 2003 Staff Awards banquet, and it was well received by all. Equipment needed: 9” square caserole dish; vegetable peeler; knife for dicing; sauce pan; strainer; oven set to 350 degrees. Ingredients: 5-6 good sized Yukon Gold potatoes; 1 qt heavy cream; 6 cloves of garlic, minced; 2 tsp nutmeg; ½ cup grated parmesan cheese; salt and pepper. Put cream, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper in sauce pan, and lightly simmer until reduced slightly. This will infuse the cream with the garlic and nutmeg. Peel the potatoes and dice into ½ inch pieces. Place a layer of the potatoes in the bottom of the caserole dish; sprinkle with some of the cheese; repeat until the dish is almost full. Strain the infused cream over the potatoes and fill the dish to the top. Line the bottom of the oven with foil, and place the dish in the middle of the preheated oven. Cook for about 1 hour, or until the potatoes are fully cooked. The cream will be mostly absorbed or cooked away, but the potatoes will retain their shape. The dish will be slightly creamy. Enjoy! A great accompaniment to any roasted meat, and with some quickly sauteed vegetables, you've got yourself some good eating.