...freenetname.co.uk) and duly registered my own, personal domain name (www.tommo2.co.uk).
What attracted me to Freenetname was the fact that it was free (you don't say!), and relatively easy to up, allowed you to have as many e-mail addresses as you want for that domain (xxx@tommo2.co.uk) ... Read review
Advantages: Cost, multiple e-mail addresses, amount of webspace Disadvantages: Only one domain name possible, lack of CGI
Thousands (or is it millions?) of people within the UK are now regularly logged on to the Internet and starting to capitalise on its immense potential. In order to get online, everybody will have had to open an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), which provides a dial up number and will usually also provide e-mail addresses and (increasingly) some space on their servers allowing the user to set up a website, if that is their heart’s ... ...a couple of years ago, and started off with British Telecom’s Talk21 service which was okay, but unexciting and I rapidly became quite bored with it. After a while I also started getting into web site design and the desire to have my own stuff up and running online. All the advice said that if you were going to set up a website, it would be very advantageous to register your won domain name, so it was easy for people to recognise it and it was uniquely ... more
Thousands (or is it millions?) of people within the UK are now regularly logged on to the Internet and starting to capitalise on its immense potential. In order to get online, everybody will have had to open an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), which provides a dial up number and will usually also provide e-mail addresses and (increasingly) some space on their servers allowing the user to set up a website, if that is their heart’s desire.
I first got on line a couple of years ago, and started off with British Telecom’s Talk21 service which was okay, but unexciting and I rapidly became quite bored with it. After a while I also started getting into web site design and the desire to have my own stuff up and running online. All the advice said that if you were going to set up a website, it would be very advantageous to register your won domain name, so it was easy for people to recognise it and it was uniquely yours, rather than those branded ones like you get with Freeserve with the tell tale signature at the end (fsnet.co.uk or freeserve.co.uk).
I therefore started casting around for options and as I didn’t want to have to fork out much if anything, I started focussing on those that offered free domain names and free website hosting and happily I found there were several which provided that option and I started checking a few of them out.
This was all back in March 2000 and the first one I tried in earnest, after deciding that the Freeserve offering was okay, but a bit limiting (naff URL, limits to server space, access problems), was Freenetname (www.freenetname.co.uk) and duly registered my own, personal domain name (www.tommo2.co.uk).
What attracted me to Freenetname was the fact that it was free (you don't say!), and relatively easy to up, allowed you to have as many e-mail addresses as you want for that domain (xxx@tommo2.co.uk) and offered you the fairly lavish amount of 20 Mb of server space to host your delightful creations. From what I’ve seen, 20 Mb is at the higher end of the space normally offered (Freeserve offers 15 Mb, or at least it did last time I looked) and the standard space is between 5 Mb and 15 Mb, so Freenetname’s deal is good in this respect. I was off and running in no time.
The drawbacks are few and far between, but it’s worth laying them out.
You have to be online via the Freenetname dial up account (local rate 0845 number) to either upload your web pages or receive e-mail at your domain name account. You can vie wthe pages via any connection, but you have to use Freenetname to upload it. Not terribly concerning and a small price to pay, I think you’ll agree.
You’re limited to a single account per household and once you’ve selected your domain name you’re stuck with it, you can’t amend it, so think carefully about this one – I know I would have changed mine if I had thought about it before I rushed in.
You’re limited to co.uk and org.uk extensions to your domain name.
The amount of CGI and scripting is limited – you can establish guestbooks and hit counters and feedback forms, but that’s about it.
Having said all that, this is still a brilliant service and, as Freenetname says, totally and absolutely free, so how can you complain? There’s a fair amount of online help and they give you some good pointers to getting started with a website. You get the domain registered for you for an initial period of two years (though it took several month for the certificate to come through from Nominet) and it gets renewed automatically after two years, so long as you’re still actively using your account, and that means at least once every ninety days.
The e-mail address flexibility is good and easy to set up and you can have as many aliases as you want on your domain name.
Unfortunately, however, all of this isn’t now going to be of a great deal of use to you unless you’re already a customer. Their website now has emblazoned across its home page the following: “As of 1st December 2000 we will not be accepting any new freenetname customer registrations. This is due to the fact that the service has reached full capacity and we are not willing to degrade the service we offer to our existing customers.
“Current freenetname customers will continue to be fully supported and the service will be maintained at current levels. Although there will be no expansion of the service there are no plans to close freenetname.”
Ah, it’s a shame, because this is a pretty good service offering and exceptionally good value. True to their word, however, I have had no problems since then with my account, either the web space or the e-mail. In terms of robustness, over the last twelve months or so, I have had very little down time (I can remember only one period, in fact, which lasted about a day, when I couldn’t get to my site) and have been exceptionally pleased.
They suggested using Cute FTP and Terrapin FTP as the upload programs, but I struggled with both of those and instead use Bluezone as my FTP program of choice. This has given me absolutely no problems when uploading data and all in all I’ve had wonderful service from these people. It’s a shame for newbies that they’ve stooped offering the service, but it’s good news for existing customers that they’re unwilling to degrade the level of service offered. People like Freeserve, who promise what they can’t deliver, are a blight on the Internet industry.
I can’t think of any serious problems with Freenetname, apart from the minor quibbles listed above, but I obviously can’t suggest you try it as it’s no longer taking orders. Shame!!!
I have to say, however, that there is another provider which offers an even more splendid service, and is still taking accounts, but I guess you’ll have to come back another day and read that in one of my other ops. Sorry for now.
Advantages: Free .co.uk or .org.uk addy, free tech support, unlimited e-mail aliases Disadvantages: No longer able to subscribe, no longer free tech support, need to pay over £100 to transfer domains
I signed up to Freenetname in October 1999 primarily as an ISP, but because they offered something different. If I signed up with Freeserve, I got pay-as-you go access, a standard website address and if I wanted any tech support I had to pay £1 per minute. Freenetname however were offering me a free .co.uk or .org.uk website address, 20mb of space, free tech support (an actual 0800 number!), and unlimited e-mail aliases. The catch? Well I would have ... ...e-mail or alter my website. At the time there wasn't much in the way of unmetered access, so what the heck I thought, I may as well.
So, all was well and good until the beginning of this year when the site said it wasn't taking on any more users. It also cut down the tech support hours to 8-10pm (it was originally 24hr) and made them an 0870 number. OK this wasn't too bad as at least it wasn't being charged at premium rate.
It all went along pretty ...
ayanayuk 03.09.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of freenetname.co.uk
Advantages: free .co.uk domain name Disadvantages: none found so far
One of my friends signed up for freenetname so that we could have our young enterprise company online, we did this with great ease and managed to set up a very good website at www.dimensionspuzzles.co.uk this allowed us to showcase to people our product for absolutely nothing using the good serivce of freenetname. We found their service to be very good and the ISP is quick. We still use it to host our website and we have never had any problems with ...
robjlawler 02.08.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of freenetname.co.uk
Advantages: Free domain name offer is probably useful to beginners. Disadvantages: See the text, almost everything.
Most people who have signed up to them would have had their eyes light up when they saw the words "Free Domain Name". I certainly did, I signed up immediately, and registered my domain www.scribbler.org.uk - it was probably the biggest mistake I've made.
First off, now that I've registered it through FreeNetName, it's theirs. Not mine. Although I own the registration certificate, I cannot change my host, unless I pay close to £100 to Freenetname.
... ...you ask. For a start, like most ISP's, you can only upload to your webspace through their 0845 number. I am currently using an 0800 number, so I'm not too impressed with that. But even worse, if I want to retrieve my email, I have to dial up to them too... you can't even use Hotmail or other webmail services to check it... very, very inconvenient.
The lack of webspace is another concern. 20Mb is quite a lot, but now that you have your own domain ...
Scribbler 17.09.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of freenetname.co.uk
Advantages: your own domain name - great! Disadvantages: you have to connect through their server
I registered my surname as a domain with FreeNetName - how cool is that? Completely free of charge - they gave me email, webspace and my own domain for nothing.
When someone asks you your email address you can't beat being able to give them a snappy (though aliased) response that doesn't include silly numbers or the name of an ISP.
If you get there quick enough you can be www.bigbruvver.co.uk or www.no_idea_wot_to_call_my_domain.co.uk and get an ... ...The downside (and it's a BIG downside) is that you have to connect through FreeNetName to access your email and webspace. So if, like me, you've now registered bith BTSurfTime and get free OffPeak Internet through FreeServe, you're a bit stuffed. Shame really. So now I have (yet) another email address. Does anyone out there hold the record for the number of personal email addresses held?
And is there a name for someone who collects email addresses? ...
djhendra 10.10.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of freenetname.co.uk
Advantages: Supposbly a free domain.co.uk Disadvantages: Shut down?
...what was going on. But my advice is to stay away from Freenetname.co.uk (although you cannot register anyhow) and look elsewhere, if you have a domain registeerd via Freenetname, then make sure that you have your Domain Certificate. This leggally states that you own it.
A site to avoid. ...
fairypancakes 14.01.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of freenetname.co.uk
