Internet

Everyone likes to get something for free. But as the existence of spam shows, free isn''t always good. Sometimes, it''s downright harmful. Deciding whether it''s worth the cost to pay for hosting involves a number of complex considerations.

Hosting companies that offer free services obviously can''t stay in business from the money they make from you, since there isn't any. So why do they offer free hosting and how do they make money? Why should you care, so long as you get yours? Because, in reality, there''s a price of some kind for everything, even something that''s free.

"What's in a name?" Shakespeare asks in Romeo and Juliet. In the case of your web site the answer is: quite a lot.

A domain name is the English (or other) language designator for your site. Because of the way the Internet functions, that name is associated with an IP address, a numeric identifier that computers and network components use to connect a browser to a web site.

Companies that offer Internet-connected servers that provide space and bandwidth for a domain, for one or more web sites, are called Web Hosts. Large companies have private networks that allow them to host domains on their own equipment and IP address range. But for the majority of those who want an Internet presence, a ''rented'' web host is a necessity.

In one sense, detailing the statement in the title would require at least a book. In another sense, it can''t be fully explained at all, since there''s no central authority that designs or implements the highly distributed entity called The Internet.

But the basics can certainly be outlined, simply and briefly. And it''s in the interest of any novice web site owner to have some idea of how their tree fits into that gigantic forest, full of complex paths, that is called the Internet.