[edited by: Webwork at 4:00 pm (utc) on Jan. 26, 2008]
[edit reason] Fixed typo [/edit]
IMO, the sands are slowly shifting toward dropping the www. If you opt for the more modern approach, you still need to forward the other way - www.example.com -> example.com
At this point, a consumer who has heard a URL is probably equally likely to try it with or without the www.
If you have no intention of using a sub-domain, no problem, forward to example.com.
Don't forget that www.example.com is actually a sub-domain of example.com therefore if you forward to example.com you will never be able to have e.g. widget.example.com
That's simply not true.
You can certainly have www.example.com forward to example.com, and still have widget.example.com. I have domains set up this way myself.
Further, www.example.com is NOT a sub-domain - simply a "host", but it's not much use trying to discourage the use of the term "subdomain", as it is pervasive.
Further, www.example.com is NOT a sub-domain - simply a "host", but it's not much use trying to discourage the use of the term "subdomain", as it is pervasive.
Is this right? In www.example.com
I thought www was a subdomain of example.com and and example was a subdomain of .com
whereas a hostname related a specific string returned from a machine negotiated/queried by a NIC
You can certainly have www.example.com forward to example.com, and still have widget.example.com. I have domains set up this way myself.
Yep, sorry, I was very tired when I posted that, the grey cells are frazzled after today.
Further, www.example.com is NOT a sub-domain - simply a "host", but it's not much use trying to discourage the use of the term "subdomain", as it is pervasive.
That's interesting I've never heard it called "host" before! I do know that Tim Berners-Lee now feels it was a mistake using the www.
I believe, strictly speaking, that example.com is actually a sub-domain of the .com TLD which is, in turn, a sub-domain of the root.
Tired, must go!
.com is a TLD, or top-level-domain.
example.com is a subdomain, owned by the .com TLD. .com's DNS servers delegate control of the example.com subdomain to example.com's DNS servers.
So, let's say you have:
example.com -> 1.2.3.4
www.example.com -> 1.2.3.4
forums.example.com -> 4.5.6.7
accounting.example.com -> 0.0.0.0
katie.accounting.example.com -> 2.3.4.5
dan.accounting.example.com -> 3.4.5.6
All of these are domain names.
www.example.com is a host.
forums.example.com is a host.
accounting.example.com is a subdomain. Note that it resolves to 0.0.0.0. This is valid - there is a special case allowing the root of a zone to point to an IP address (no need to create a host), but it doesn't HAVE to. If it doesn't it's set to 0.0.0.0.
Why is accounting.example.com a subdomain? It has hosts (and/or additions subdomains) below it. (katie and dan).
Nothing subordinate? It's not a subdomain. Just a host.
An A record is also known as a "host record". A host does not a subdomain make.
Very few of us here on WebmasterWorld have subdomains.
An easy way to distinguish - with a subdomain, it's "turtles all the way down". A host - well, it's the last turtle, the end of the line, sitting on a rock. It's turtles all the way up, unless you're .com, etc.
