.ss TLD opening for direct registrations


National Communication Authority (NCA) ssNIC Registry Sunrise Registration Policy July 2024 1. Duration: The Registry will run the registration process according to the below timetable: Sunrise Period: 45 Days (1st August – 15th September 2024) Landrush Period: 30 Days (20th September – 10th October 2024) Early Access Period: 10 Days (15th October – 25th October 2024) General Availability: 1st November 2024

It looks like South Sudan's Top Level Domain is going to start allowing direct registrations! Long-time readers of this blog will know that it's possible to register .me.ss domain names - there are various other 3rd level domains you can buy. But, from the 1st of August 2024, you'll be able to apply for a […]

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False Friends - HTML Elements which are also Top Level Domains


Me: Which TLDs have the same name as valid HTML5 elements? ChatGPT: As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there are two top-level domains (TLDs) that have the same name as valid HTML5 elements: .dev: This TLD corresponds to the HTML5 element. .app: This TLD corresponds to the HTML5 element. Please note that this information is based on the state of TLDs as of September 2021. There might have been updates or changes after that date, so it's always a good idea to check official sources or domain registrars for the most current information.

In linguistics, a "False Friend" is a word which looks similar in multiple languages, but means something different in each of them. For example the word "gift" in English means "a present", in German means "poison", and in Norwegian it means "married". The Internet uses Top Level Domains (TLD) to organise information into hierarchies. This […]

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The new .zip TLD is going to cause some problems


Many years ago, Google applied for the .zip Top Level Domain. ICANN, in its infinite wisdom, granted it. And now, I think, bad things are going to happen. You see computers try to be helpful. They see you wrote "visit example.com" and autolink the thing which looks like a domain name. That's handy - especially […]

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What's the cheapest domain you can register for 10 years?


Screenshot showing £12.80 for 10 years.

I'm concerned about the longevity of the domains I register. I want my domains to be available for as long as possible. But it seems that every year prices rise - and the discount often provided for a new domain rarely continues into subsequent years. So I recently started renewing them for as long as […]

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Buying a single character domain - and 3 character FQDN - for £15


Glowing computer text showing dot com dot info etc.

Short domains are useful for security testing. If you only have a limited number of characters, you need to be able to reference code on a remote server in as few characters as possible. A few years ago, I tried to find a Minimum Viable XSS. The conclusion that I (and others) came to is […]

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How much would it cost to buy every domain name?


Glowing computer text showing dot com dot info etc.

The ridiculous proliferation of TLDs (Top Level Domains) continues unabated. I wondered how much you'd have to spend to secure your name on every TLD. tl;dr;tld Over $300,000! (Roughly €280.000 / £245,000.) But... This estimate is pretty rough. A few caveats: This only covers one version of your domain name - it doesn't cover misspellings. […]

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