www prefix

[peekaboo]

why do some sites need the www prefix and some don't?

[ghost2003]

www has no real meaning. It is usualy used to specify the subdomain that a webserver is running on. its just like the "forum" in forum.pcmech.com. If the site was not setup to use the www subdomain then it wont work.

[juppy]

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question180.htm

http://ask-leo.com/why_do_some_websi...t_the_www.html

[faulkner132]

It's always best to use www in front of your domain because most surfers are always going to type it anyway.

[mairving]

Originally Posted by ghost2003 www has no real meaning. It is usualy used to specify the subdomain that a webserver is running on. its just like the "forum" in forum.pcmech.com. If the site was not setup to use the www subdomain then it wont work.

Actually the opposite is more true. I don't think that I have ever seen it where the www doesn't work. In the past sites would setup the www subdomain along with other subdomains like ftp.sitename.com, etc. Some wouldn't even bother setting up the root domain. Adobe was this way for quite awhile but no more. I remember a couple of years ago setting up a website with Bellsouth. They used an online form. You could only setup the subdomain and once you did the root domain was dormant. So I had to call them and explain to them that I wanted the root domain to point to this IP address and then to alias the www to the root domain. Easy to do but they had no clue about it.

[faulkner132]

Originally Posted by mairving I remember a couple of years ago setting up a website with Bellsouth. They used an online form. You could only setup the subdomain and once you did the root domain was dormant. So I had to call them and explain to them that I wanted the root domain to point to this IP address and then to alias the www to the root domain. Easy to do but they had no clue about it.

I had a Bellsouth "Technical Expert" tell me I couldn't have 2 network cards in the same computer.

But to the point, your DNS should look something like this:
HOST (A)
@ 1.2.3.4

CNAME
www [points to] @

[mairving]

Originally Posted by faulkner132 I had a Bellsouth "Technical Expert" tell me I couldn't have 2 network cards in the same computer. But to the point, your DNS should look something like this: HOST (A) @ 1.2.3.4 CNAME www [points to] @

I had one ask me to do:

cmd
wipcfg

on a NT server.
After explaining to him the reason that I received a command not found error, he promptly told me to do this instead.

command
wipcfg

After another command can't be found error, he told me they didn't support NT servers.

I had a level 2 tech tell me to telnet to a DSL router but he didn't know how to telnet or what to do when I got there.

I called once because my ADSL service was down at work. This was on a Monday. After verifying that it was down, they said that they would send a tech by to look at it on Thursday. On Tuesday it came back on so I cancelled the call. A month later a BellSouth tech shows up to do a new install on DSL. I tell him that there were some wires crossed that I already had service. I told him to make sure that they didn't charge me for a service call. Next months bill came and they didn't charge me for the service call. They just charged me $200 for new service.

On the top of the DSL modem they had the phone number written down. Every time that I would call I would give them that phone number and they couldn't find me in their system. Finally I figured out that they had written the phone number to another customer down the street on the modem.

I was helping a guy that was moving his business to a new place a few blocks away. He had set it up with Bellsouth to disconnect his old service over the weekend and connect his new service. No problem except when they disconnected his old service they deleted his account. They had to open a new account for him and they don't do that on weekends. They told him that it would be several days before they could do that.

Stay far away from BellSouth.

[faulkner132]

Originally Posted by mairving Stay far away from BellSouth.

I use BellSouth for my home service and am quite satisfied. I've had virtual 0 downtime (knock on wood) with my DSL service and it is, as expected, consistently fast.

Considering my only other "real" alternative is Comcast Digital Cable, I don't see myself leaving BellSouth DSL anytime soon.

[rspassey]

Bellsouth can't be as bad as FiberTel (argentine company). I think they are still charging us for 2 connections at the house we sold in BA. We returned the modems, they came to disconnect and cancel everything, and have contacted them various times telling them to start charging us. Finally we just had the credit card company block them from charging us.

Mairving, do you have access to EPlus Broadband? Here in Jackson, I have a 6 Meg connection for, what I think is, 37$ a month (or close to that). The same company, JEA, handles everything for us (expect phone - we chose to get BellSouth for that).

[mairving]

Originally Posted by rspassey Mairving, do you have access to EPlus Broadband? Here in Jackson, I have a 6 Meg connection for, what I think is, 37$ a month (or close to that). The same company, JEA, handles everything for us (expect phone - we chose to get BellSouth for that).

Not that I know of. I used to have Roadrunner at home through Time Warner. It's now Comcast. The speed is pretty good at around 6mb's.

Bellsouth for home is okay and a little cheaper particularly if you bundle it with DirectTV, LD and Cell. Business class T1's are okay too. Their lowend business class DSL is the pits.

[ghost2003]

Originally Posted by mairving Actually the opposite is more true. I don't think that I have ever seen it where the www doesn't work. In the past sites would setup the www subdomain along with other subdomains like ftp.sitename.com, etc. Some wouldn't even bother setting up the root domain. Adobe was this way for quite awhile but no more. I remember a couple of years ago setting up a website with Bellsouth. They used an online form. You could only setup the subdomain and once you did the root domain was dormant. So I had to call them and explain to them that I wanted the root domain to point to this IP address and then to alias the www to the root domain. Easy to do but they had no clue about it.

woops, I meant to say "If the site was not setup to use the root domain then it wont work.". Either way its still true. If the root was set to point to your webserver and the www subdomain was not then www.* would not work.
In the end it all comes down to the point that they are all different addresses and each need to be pointed to the correct IP.