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Ask HN: Best place to register a .ly domain?

8 points by jlgosse ↗ HN
I'm trying to purchase a .ly domain name, but I can't seem to find out HOW to do it.

I found some web site based in Libya which you could search, but couldn't register for, .ly domains.

Can anyone offer any insight into this, particularly with regards to getting the cheapest registration possible.

Thanks!

15 comments

[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 42.4 ms ] thread
RiderOfGiraffes
Asked previously: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1594967

Also:http://searchyc.com/submissions/best+register?sort=by_date

revorad
Don't you think it would be a nice feature to show previous similar posts when a user is about to submit an Ask HN post? I think Stackoverflow does smething like that.
RiderOfGiraffes
I think that would be really cool. However, my understanding (completely from the outside) is that this site is deliberately minimal. I have no inside knowledge, but it seems that the number of features is as small as can be had without making the site effectively unusable.

You could set up another site to accept submissions, and have that site do the checks, return sensible previous submissions if found, and it not found, then push the submission through to here. Sub-optimal, but a cool hack.

I don't have the abilities for that. Maybe someone else has.

mtholking
We registered a domain at http://libyanspider.com without any issues
jlgosse
$75. I assume this is the going rate for a .ly domain?
benatkin
No, they have $25 options as well.
jlgosse
For *.com.ly though, which isn't necessarily what I'm looking for.
dotBen
Its my understanding LibyanSpider is the only place you can register them.

And its a firm $75 if you want the premium foo.ly domain (rather than foo.com.ly for $25

Still lots of good domains cos it is new and the price point is high enough to discourage speculation.

piers
I'm assuming there are a lot of people from the US on HN. Wasn't it illegal (until recently - a quick google brings back this: http://www.buyusa.gov/egypt/en/businesslibya.html) to trade with Libya? Would that not include services such as domain names?

Just asking

andfarm
Even if you do have the domain, it may be worth knowing that a lot of US-based CAs will refuse to sign SSL certificates for .ly domains.
AmberShah
Even if the .ly domain signifies Libya, does purchasing one count as "trading with Libya"? I'm not a lawyer so I don't really know, but I'd think not. Seems like the sort thing TC would jump all over if true.
mortenjorck
I would ask myself this: If I'm just starting out right now, do I really want to hop on the .ly bandwagon?

It's trendy right now, and while I don't think you'll necessarily regret it later, it will ultimately end up looking a bit unimaginative like all the .us domain-hack names do now.