On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:44:51 -0500
 "Julian Thomas" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com> wrote:

In <list-1500362@2rosenthals.com>, on 11/25/07   at 01:19 PM, "Mark Henigan" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com> typed:

1. Is the idea of obtaining domain names through
large ISPs such as SBC-Yahoo! more fantasy than
reality?

Somewhere in between; usually a bad idea.

2. What must I do to gain ownership or a
legitimate lease on "my" domain name?

Best bet is to register it yourself. I like pairnic.com - godaddy.com has
mixed reviews and is probably cheaper.

If you sign up for an account at http://domains.2rosenthals.com, our pricing is pretty good. We resell for Wild West (who owns - or is owned by - GoDaddy these days).

3. Do I need to consider obtaining a fixed
Internet address and operating my own email
server?

Probably not a good idea unless you are an internet security wizard.

Depends upon what you need to do and for how many sites. Also, you can run servers behind dynamic addresses. The problem is that many mail servers reject mail coming from dynamic hosts, so you'll not only need a dynamic DNS provider (such as dyndns.com) but you'll also probably want a smarthost to relay your outgoing mail for you (dyndns.com offers this service, as do I). I can also host mail/web/ftp for you, including MySQL and PHP.

You can create an entry level web hosting account at pair.com for (I
think) $6.95/month; less if you pay quarterly or annually) and a modest
setup fee. This gives you a number of email addresses which can either be
redirected somewhere else, or accessed using POP3 or IMAP or a webmail
interface.

These prices are extremely low. Again, if all you need is basic hosting, then something like this might be the best way to go...

Full disclosure: I have created a number of websites for various clients
and almost all of them are hosted by pair.com.

Good reference, Julian; thanks for passing it along!

<snip>

Full disclosure: Rosenthal & Rosenthal, LLC does not offer hosting services to the general public. We do provide such services to our clients (and by extension, to any of the list subscribers, here). If anyone would like cost quotations and details, please contact me via private mail (lgrosenthal at the domain hosting this list).