Posts Tagged ‘internet’
Question Asked: How Do I Register A Domain Name?
Nowadays, registering a domain name is super easy, and pretty inexpensive. Whereas, years ago, it was a complicated process, and could cost as much as $100 direct from a registrar.
There’s a number of companies that sell domain names (they also sell web hosting, too, but that’s not what your question was about. If you need to know about web-hosting, check here.)
I’ve been a fan of DomainSite.com for a number of years, namely because their prices are good, and they don’t try to oversell you with services that you don’t need (like some other companies.)
The domain name will cost you $7.88 for one year. There’s a cheaper option, but it doesn’t come with a lot of features that you need, to utilize your domain name correctly.
Keep in mind, there’s literally tens of thousands of companies out there that sell domains. And there’s no difference between a company that sells the domain for $5, versus $50. Domain names are the same, don’t be duped into paying $34.95 to Network Solutions, just because they come up highly in search engine rankings. Their domains are no different than anyone else’s.
Question Asked: What Is An RSS Feed?
RSS Feed Icon
An RSS feed, generally indicated by the image to the right there, is known as a Really Simple Syndication.
What that means is, you can “subscribe” to this RSS feed via an RSS feed reader (built into Outlook 2007, Google, etc.), and automatically get updates from that website, without having to go there.
In many cases, you can avoid the tons of ads that sites put up to make revenue.
Often times, publishers (site owners) opt to not put the entire content of their posts into their RSS feeds, as an enticement to get you to come to visit their site, and potentially click on ads, or at least see them.
I’ve just started subscribing to RSS feeds myself, for sites that I gather facts, news and information from, without having to go searching for sites, or remembering what sites I often visit. Having the RSS feeds right there in my Outlook is beneficial.
For more information on what RSS is, and how to use it, check out whatisrss.com
Question Asked: What Was The First Domain Name Ever?
Great question. I’ve often wondered that myself, and just never went and tried to figure it out. The general consensus is that it was think.com, which according to some stats I’ve found, was the third domain name.
The first dot com (.com is what people think of, when they say domain name) was registered on March 15th, 1985; symbolics.com.
The website is still up, but doesn’t appear to be much these days. I guess after being around for 23+ years on the internet, your presence speaks for itself.
Some other really early on (and interesting) domains:
- bbn.com - 04.24.85
- think.com - 05.24.85
- xerox.com - 01.09.86
- hp.com - 03.03.86
- ibm.com - 03.19.86
- intel.com - 03.25.86
- boeing.com - 09.02.86
- adobe.com - 11.17.86
- apple.com - 02.19.87
- philips.com - 04.04.87
- lockheed.com - 07.27.87
- marble.com - 11.09.87
- cayman.com - 11.16.87
Question Asked: What’s The Difference Between Wireless B, G, and N?
As with anything technological, over time, it gets better, stronger and faster. That’s the case here, with wireless routers, as well.
Wireless B was the first commonly used type of wireless network connectivity, with speeds topping out at 11 megabytes per second. Wired ports on a wireless b router typically are 10/100, which means their top speed is 100 megabytes per second.
Wireless G came along next, and is still the most commonly used network connection for wireless devices, mainly because it’s been around long enough that the price has dropped to a point where people don’t consider it too expensive. Connection speeds for wireless G typically top out at 54 megabytes per second. Most G routers’ wired ports are “gigabit”, which means they top out at 1,000 megabytes per second (or, a gigabit.) Wireless G routers are fairly priced now, such as the D-Link DIR-615
Wireless G also has a “big brother,” so to speak. There are 108 megabyte per second versions of some wireless G routers. In most cases these aren’t that much more expensive, but require specific wireless connection cards that are able to accept the faster speeds.
Wireless N is a relatively new, and not commonly used, technology. The speeds on a wireless N network can get up to 320 megabytes per second (in my personal experience, anyway), on a 5 gigahert network. Some wireless N routers, such as the Linksys WRT600
The downside to this, is that the hardware is costly. If you factor in the cost of the router, and wireless cards for your PCs/Laptops, you’re looking at roughly $500. If having speeds nearly 6 times faster than your average wireless G connection is worth it, I’d go for it. I did, not long ago, and am glad.
It should be noted that most gaming systems, and other wireless devices (iPhones, iPods, Tivos, etc) can only utilize wireless G at 54 megabytes per second. So, in that aspect, the wireless N is overkill. For me, it works out best as we’ve got all our wireless devices and gaming systems (two Tivos, PlayStation 3, XBox 360, and Wii) connected to the 2.4 Ghz network, and our PCs connected to the 5.0 Ghz network. This way, if I’m downloading something on one of the computers, it doesn’t interfere with online game play by hogging all the bandwidth.
Ultimately, technology will continue to mature, and speeds will get faster and faster. While there’s no plans for a wireless T or wireless X to come out any time soon, it still may be worth starting out small. Pick up a wireless G router to start with, make sure that you like how it works before going and dropping a week’s pay on something more expensive.
Also, if this is your first wireless network, I strongly urge you to follow the instructions that come with your router, and secure the network. If you don’t, someone can get into your computers, monitor everything you’re doing, and ultimately steal your identity, if they want to.