WWW

[Hopkirk]

Why do some websites have WWW in their address, and others don't?

[ChuckFickens]

Purely depends on how they have set up their DNS.

first thing to remember is www doesn't mean anything special, it is purely used to indicate a web address due to convention and it can be anything you like or doesn't even have to be there at all, so there is nothing to stop anyone setting a web page up at fred.mydomain.com

When you own a domain an if you want to use it you firstly need to setup DNS entries for that domain, typically you would set a DNS entry for www.mydomain.com which then points to the IP address of the server the web page is hosted on, but there is nothing to stop anyone also setting a DNS entry for just mydomain.com pointing to the same address so the pages would be viewable without the www part (in fact it is now considered good practice to setup both versions), or as mentioned above, the www part can be replaced by anything the domain admin chooses.

[ChuckFickens]

This is the DNS entry for www.theanswerbank.co.uk

http://www.dnswatch.i...type=A&submit=Resolve

You can see that they have setup their DNS to point www.theanswerbank.co.uk at theanswerbank.co.uk ...... So if you then check the records for just theanswerbank.co.uk you get

http://www.dnswatch.i...type=A&submit=Resolve

So you can see that "theanswerbank.co.uk" is pointing to an address of 64.237.61.68 (which will be their hosting server)

So the theanswerbank have their DNS set is so typing in theanswerbank.co.uk into an address bar either with or without the www part will take you to the same page. (with the www directs you to the address without the www which then takes you to the site)

[Hopkirk]

Thanks.

I don't think I have a career in compters, as most of that went over my head.

I used to think all web addresses had to be WWW, but I see now they aren't.

Why did they ever?

[ChuckFickens]

There was never any technical requirement for web addresses to start www, it was (and still is) used simply as a naming convention so people could quickly and easily recognise a web address.

In more recent times, as people have got more familiar with the internet more and more sites are dropping the www from the front in an attempt to make the address look cleaner and shorter (although good practice is still to setup the address with and without the www at the front so either will work)

As I also said, it also can be anything you want in place off www, but obviously if a site was setup at hopkirk.theanswerbank.co.uk nobody would find it as they would never have a reason to put that address into a browsers address bar (Though it's a good way to "hide" a webpage so only people that know the correct address can find it)

[Hopkirk]

I am imressed by your knowledge.

Are you going to enter the security codebreaker competition?

[joko]

all addresses do have it, but its not always necessary to type it into the search box

[Hopkirk]

But that's my point Joko, not all addresses have it.

[joko]

the bar at the top just dispays the name that the web designer has labelled the site/page i suppose...
i think www was 'invented' when the net was new...to make it clear it referred to the internet....nowadays i think its just become unnecessary to actually display it....same at there is no need now to say it outloud or write it whenever you are telling someone an address...its a given...because everyone knows...

though there may be some more technical explanation

[ChuckFickens]

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[Hopkirk]

Head in your hands in despair Chuck, or just thinking?

[wolf63]

I am more interested in how to do the pictures using the keyboard. I tried to do it on a typewriter some years ago and couldn't quite master the technique.

My late father once asked me who switched the internet off at night.

[Vagrant]

w6 - google Ascii art for guidance on how to create the pictures.

[wolf63]

Thanks Vagrant - didn't know what the name of the 'art' was. I will look at it tomorrow because I am too tired to think just now.