7 ms·

It's not $20. It's $20 per year. I know that might be semantic for some people, but for much of these services, I wouldn't want it going away after 1 year if I'

It's not $20. It's $20 per year. I know that might be semantic for some people, but for much of these services, I wouldn't want it going away after 1 year if I'm unable to pay that cost again. And for that reason, I think it's worth noting.

bmitc 4y ago
Domain registration has to be renewed, either per year or per <x> years if you buy a bunch of licenses up front. So what's the alternative to this then? A lot of domains can cost around $20 per year.
- thepangolino 4y ago
  The thing with a domain registration is that you know if you pay for ten years in advance, you WILL have it for ten years. With most SaaS, you have absolutely no guarantee this is going to be the case.
  - dexterdog 4y ago
    You will have it for 10 years unless they decide to take it from you. That doesn't happen often, but it certainly can.
- nigamanth 4y ago
  Creating a subdomain once you have the domain is free, probably for the domain omg.lol they're paying $20 / year.
  - mat_epice 4y ago
    omg.lol was probably a premium domain of some kind. Random three-letter .lols seem to go for about $150/yr (according to gandi).
    - nigamanth 4y ago
      Yeah but they probably have more than 6 users? This is cool and shit, but they're profiting and I guess I'm fine with that.
- slg 4y ago
  It is totally reasonable to charge a recurring fee for providing an ongoing service, but to be clear you are not buying a domain that needs registration. You are buying a subdomain of the domains that this company already owns. Some other sites give those away for free because there is no marginal cost per subdomain.
  - bmitc 4y ago
    > but to be clear you are not buying a domain that needs registration Ah, good point.
  - stavros 4y ago
    > You are buying a subdomain of the domains that this company already owns. All domains are like that, though, even TLDs.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
  - zupa-hu 4y ago
    Which in the end is true for domains as well. Someone decides to sell subdomains of X, weather X is com or omg.lol. Com could be free as well. The only real difference is choice. Or to put it differently, you say it doesnt need registration. Well, it does. They require it. So what.
    - andrecarini 4y ago
      I think the main difference is a proper domain from a major registrar grants you ownership rights that you don't get from leased subdomains like OP's (mainly the ability to keep the domain even if the registrar goes out of business; and moving the domain between registrars).
      - dcow 4y ago
        What do you mean “ownership rights”?
- mushufasa 4y ago
  What if they offered a 'lifetime' rate which is the NPV of $20 over 20 years, so like $1000 or something? You pay once and get it forever. Of course, only as long as they can operate the service forever...
  - layer8 4y ago
    That’s the main issue I see, they can stop the service at any time and then you’ll have no chance to get the subdomain back. You’re in a much better position with an actual second-level domain, because you can move the domain between service providers and registrars, and depending on locality you may also have actual legal rights to keep owning the domain.
    - sshine 4y ago
      Even for newer second-level domains like .lol and cool-looking ccTLDs like .io, the possibility that the registrar is going to end it, become unstable, or change policy is real. They’re marketing gimmicks.
temporary22 4y ago
My domain is 26 per year. This is cheap af and I'm reconsidering ditching my domain in favour of this.
- chaozznl 4y ago
  What if this service stops to exist after 2 years? Then any place you advertised/published this subdomain will need to be updated. With your own domain you won't have that issue, ever. Why would you give that up?
ehnto 4y ago
These are ongoing services so a once off payment doesn't make sense for the business. The alternatives are self-hosting and free services, self hosting is great. If you are using free services though, they could disappear too, and you have to question the business model of anyone givingyou something for nothing. At least if you are paying for it you are entering into a contract of service from the provider which gives you a lot of legal recourse and leverage and also supports the business so that they do keep providing you the service.

bmitc 4y ago

Domain registration has to be renewed, either per year or per <x> years if you buy a bunch of licenses up front. So what's the alternative to this then? A lot of domains can cost around $20 per year.

thepangolino 4y ago
The thing with a domain registration is that you know if you pay for ten years in advance, you WILL have it for ten years. With most SaaS, you have absolutely no guarantee this is going to be the case.
- dexterdog 4y ago
  You will have it for 10 years unless they decide to take it from you. That doesn't happen often, but it certainly can.
nigamanth 4y ago
Creating a subdomain once you have the domain is free, probably for the domain omg.lol they're paying $20 / year.
- mat_epice 4y ago
  omg.lol was probably a premium domain of some kind. Random three-letter .lols seem to go for about $150/yr (according to gandi).
  - nigamanth 4y ago
    Yeah but they probably have more than 6 users? This is cool and shit, but they're profiting and I guess I'm fine with that.
slg 4y ago
It is totally reasonable to charge a recurring fee for providing an ongoing service, but to be clear you are not buying a domain that needs registration. You are buying a subdomain of the domains that this company already owns. Some other sites give those away for free because there is no marginal cost per subdomain.
- bmitc 4y ago
  > but to be clear you are not buying a domain that needs registration Ah, good point.
- stavros 4y ago
  > You are buying a subdomain of the domains that this company already owns. All domains are like that, though, even TLDs.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- zupa-hu 4y ago
  Which in the end is true for domains as well. Someone decides to sell subdomains of X, weather X is com or omg.lol. Com could be free as well. The only real difference is choice. Or to put it differently, you say it doesnt need registration. Well, it does. They require it. So what.
  - andrecarini 4y ago
    I think the main difference is a proper domain from a major registrar grants you ownership rights that you don't get from leased subdomains like OP's (mainly the ability to keep the domain even if the registrar goes out of business; and moving the domain between registrars).
    - dcow 4y ago
      What do you mean “ownership rights”?
mushufasa 4y ago
What if they offered a 'lifetime' rate which is the NPV of $20 over 20 years, so like $1000 or something? You pay once and get it forever. Of course, only as long as they can operate the service forever...
- layer8 4y ago
  That’s the main issue I see, they can stop the service at any time and then you’ll have no chance to get the subdomain back. You’re in a much better position with an actual second-level domain, because you can move the domain between service providers and registrars, and depending on locality you may also have actual legal rights to keep owning the domain.
  - sshine 4y ago
    Even for newer second-level domains like .lol and cool-looking ccTLDs like .io, the possibility that the registrar is going to end it, become unstable, or change policy is real. They’re marketing gimmicks.

temporary22 4y ago

My domain is 26 per year. This is cheap af and I'm reconsidering ditching my domain in favour of this.

chaozznl 4y ago
What if this service stops to exist after 2 years? Then any place you advertised/published this subdomain will need to be updated. With your own domain you won't have that issue, ever. Why would you give that up?

ehnto 4y ago

These are ongoing services so a once off payment doesn't make sense for the business. The alternatives are self-hosting and free services, self hosting is great. If you are using free services though, they could disappear too, and you have to question the business model of anyone givingyou something for nothing. At least if you are paying for it you are entering into a contract of service from the provider which gives you a lot of legal recourse and leverage and also supports the business so that they do keep providing you the service.