Domain, Registering Options

[EXPLO5ION]

I understand that you have to register a domain name, and you have to choose .net or .com, etc. Well, I would like to be hosted rather than own my own website, so when I register my name, does it matter whether i chose .net/.com/etc.? When you register a domain name, don't you get some kind of package to own your website for a year or whatever the site offers you?

Also, what exactly is PHP,CGI, and MYSQL?

But in the mean time, I am going to do some research on google. Thanks in advance.

[*Libertie*]

Some people prefer to buy their domain name seperate from their hosting package, but most hosting packages will offer a domain name along with the package. As far as the extension goes, it really doesn't matter. Most people prefer .net or .com because it's more common, and more people are likely to stumble across your site than if it was something obscure, such as .nu. I once owned the domain mangohaven.net - I picked .net just because it sounded good. So yeah, it doesn't matter, just remember that usually .org is for organizations, .edu for education, etc.

As far as PHP, CGI, and MYSQL goes, these are things that don't normally come with free hosting, which is why a lot of people make the decision to buy a hosting package. Like you said, try googling some tutorials and read up on this stuff, because there is tons of information out there. One benefit of PHP support is that you can use 'include' tags to make layout changes/site updating much easier, but that's just the beginning.

[YourSuperior]

Yeah you get a package, well atleast that's what I heard. This is in the wrong forum. When my friend bought her domain she got a certain package like 300 mb of server space for a certain amount of money.

[*mipadi*]

Also, what exactly is PHP,CGI, and MYSQL?

PHP is a scripting language that can generate dynamic content (meaning, content that changes depending on the context in which a page is viewed). It stands for PHP Hypertext Prepocessor, if you are interested (yes, it's a recursive acryonym).

CGI is an interface for handling data input from forms on the web. CGI scripts can be written in languages like PHP, VBScript, and Perl. It stands for Common Gateway Interface.

MySQL is a piece of open database software that allows you to store content, and then pull it dynamically, generally with PHP. SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is pronounced "sequel". MySQL is one implementation of the SQL language.