Welcome to the 26th issue of Pineapplesoft Link! This issue discusses recent developments with domain names.

XML by Example

"It's very rare to find a book which contains examples that can actually be used in a real world project. XML By Example allowed me to implement a key portion of my project's architecture. I'm now able to put a different "face" on the same service for each client. What was many projects has now become one project with many XSL stylesheets. This is easier to maintain, which makes my life easier."

Michael Waluk -- Lead Internet Developer @ Workscape

XML by Example / $24.99 / ISBN 0-7897-2242-9

Recent Developments with Domain Names

In October I urged you to register a personal domain name ("Get a Domain" http://www.psol.be/old/1/newsletter/19991001_domain.html). I thought that would be enough coverage of domain names for at least a year but, in light of recent developments, I will revisit the topic.

As you might have read already, there have been two major changes with domain names recently: firstly registering a domain name is now cheaper, secondly it is now possible to register longer names (up to 67 characters) which is enough even for a slogan.

What Happened

Until last year, Network Solutions was the only company in charge of registering .com, .net and .org domains. Practically, you might register a domain name through your ISP but it would ultimately go through Network Solutions.

Network Solutions had been awarded a contract to manage .com years ago. In effect, Network Solutions had a monopoly on the fast growing .com business. This was not a problem in the early days of the Internet but it became unacceptable as the web grew so last year the process was made more open. Specifically there are now five companies that can register .com domain names.

Obviously increased competition means that the newcomers have to differentiate themselves from the old monopolist. So far, they have chosen to compete on two fronts: price and name length.

On Price

As of this writing, Network Solutions charges $35 per year per domain (and bills the first two years at once). The new registrars have lowered the cost to $25 or less.

This is a good thing for customers, especially those who own multiple domains. Incidentally, I plan to migrate Pineapplesoft's domains to cheaper registrars.

On Name Length

The second differentiating factor is less significant however since it is the length of name. Network Solutions has always enforced a limit of 22 characters for domain names. That's more than most of us need but, still, some registrars choose to allow up to 67 characters.

The theory is that since short names (print.com) are already taken, longer names opens new opportunities to register meaningful names (printer-of-quality-business-cards-and-letterheads.com). Yeah, right.

Before you jump on the "golden opportunity," remember what experts have been saying for years: a good domain is short. For domain names, small is beautiful because it is easier to remember, easier to type correctly and easier to print on business cards and letterheads.

Proponents of longer domains (surprisingly, mostly vendors) argue that it does not matter if your name is difficult to type or remember because nobody types addresses anymore; people go through search engines or use bookmarks. In short, names are irrelevant since nobody sees them. I don't believe this is correct but even if I did, I'd still prefer a short name if only because it is easier to print. So if I believed in forgetable names, I'd rather pick xp6z.com than printer-of-quality-business-cards-and-letterheads.com.

Proponents and vendors of long domains further argue that you should register names with a combination of popular keywords (business-card-letterhead-brochure.com). This tactic should increase your ranking with those search engines that search for keywords in an URL. Of course, they "forget" to mention that you can achieve the same result with short names: http://www.psol.com/business/card/letterhead/brochure has as many keywords. However the short name has the additional benefits we have seen before.

Invest in a Good Name

So my advice is, more than ever, take advantage of the lower rates and invest in a domain name. but invest in a good one, i.e. a short one. You will get more mileage from a short name (it is easier to remember, easier to enter correctly and easier to print on business cards, letterheads and brochures -- don't discount them, they are an essential aspect of communication).

If you research, you will find that there are still many good choices. Just this month I found worth-it.com -- 8 letters but very memorable.

Also this month, I read about an interesting survey by Robert Woodhead. He found that there was less than 300 English words left in .com at the beginning of January (they are probably all taken by now). Complete results are at http://selfpromotion.com/domainfun.t.

Self-Promotion Department

The Web Developers Journal has published an extract from XML by Example. It is available at http://www.webdevelopersjournal.com/articles/xml_to_html.html.

If you missed last month's issue, XML by Example is my first book. It is an XML tutorial and you can order it from any good bookstore or online from http://www.marchal.com.

About Pineapplesoft Link

Pineapplesoft Link is a free email magazine. Each month, it discusses technologies, trends and facts of interest to web developers.

The information and design of this issue of Pineapplesoft Link are owned by Benoit Marchal and Pineapplesoft. Permission to copy or forward it is hereby granted provided it is prefaced with the words: "As appeared in Pineapplesoft Link - http://www.pineapplesoft.com."

Editor: Benoit Marchal
Publisher: Pineapplesoft www.psol.be

Acknowledgments: thanks to Sean McLoughlin MBA for helping me with this issue.

Back issues are available at http://www.psol.be/old/1/newsletter/.

Although the editor and the publisher have used reasonable endeavors to ensure accuracy of the contents, they assume no responsibility for any error or omission that may appear in the document.

Last update: February 2000.
© 2000, Benoît Marchal. All rights reserved.
Design, XSL coding & photo: PineappleSoft OnLine.