57 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
57 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
<p>Let’s talk a bit about <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code>. No, not Microsoft’s .NET, but
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the other <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> - one of the original top-level
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internet domains. Given how popular <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.com</code>
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has become, I find it really strange that <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> failed to
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reach such prominence. Even <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.org</code> is more popular than <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code>!</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/265677/number-of-internet-top-level-domains-worldwide/" rel="nofollow"><img alt="Statistic: Most popular top-level domains worldwide as of April 2021 | Statista" src="https://www.statista.com/graphic/1/265677/number-of-internet-top-level-domains-worldwide.jpg" /></a></p>
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<p>That’s quite disappointing, as I think that historically <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> was the best
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domain for personal sites, for various reasons:</p>
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<ul>
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<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.com</code> used to stand for “commerce”, so it’s a bit weird to be using such a
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domain for a personal site</li>
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<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.org</code> used to stand for a (non-profit) organization, so it’s extra weird to use
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such a domain for a personal site</li>
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<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> stands for “network”, which for personal sites I always interpreted as “my place on the (Inter)net”</li>
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<li>a lot of good names are still available for <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> (compared to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.com</code> at least), as the domain is not super popular</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Of course, today we have a lot more top-level domain options to choose from:</p>
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<ul>
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<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.info</code>, the first additional domain, that never took off</li>
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<li>a ton of country domains that can result is some cool looking domain names (e.g. <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">sever.us</code>)</li>
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<li>all the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains#ICANN-era_generic_top-level_domains">recent additions</a> like <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.blog</code>, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.site</code>, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.name</code>, etc</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Still, I like the appeal of the original domains as they are all:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>cheap (usually around $10/year, while some “modern” domains go as high as $35/year)</li>
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<li>short (I prefer typing <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> or <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.com</code> compared to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.engineer</code>)</li>
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<li>widely known and recognized. I don’t know about you, but I’m still a bit surprised when I see sites using the newer “more exotic” domain names.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>And of the originals, <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> has the most appeal for me, at least when it comes to personal sites/blogs/etc.</p>
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<p>Obviously, this wasn’t always the case - after all this site uses the domain <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">batsov.com</code>, and I own domains like
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<code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">metaredux.com</code> and <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">emacsredux.com</code>. Let’s just say that back then I didn’t really think about the semantics of domain names that much.
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By the way, I do own <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">batsov.net</code> as well, and I actually use it for my personal email address.<sup id="fnref:1"><a class="footnote" href="https://batsov.com/articles/2021/11/15/net-forever/#fn:1" rel="footnote">1</a></sup> I would have changed the domain for this site
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as well, if it was easier to setup redirects on GitHub Pages. Anyways, that’s not a big deal for me.</p>
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<p>I guess the original domains have long lost their original semantics. I guess
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search engines tilted the scales in favor of <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.com</code> (and <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.org</code> to some extent).
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Still, there’s always some meaning behind a name and the best names tend to have
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a strong bond to that meaning. Naming is hard, but it’s also extremely rewarding
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once you get it right. I hope I’ve managed to spark your interest in <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> and
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that over time you’ll grow to love and cherish it as I do. <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.net</code> forever!</p>
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<div class="footnotes">
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<ol>
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<li id="fn:1">
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<p>Now the shorthand for my email address is BBN, rather than BBC. That’s a big win! <a class="reversefootnote" href="https://batsov.com/articles/2021/11/15/net-forever/#fnref:1">↩</a></p>
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</li>
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</ol>
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</div> |