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.