> I'm on Verizon/DSL now. I was prompted to sniff around
> because my cable company is offering triple the speed
> and $10 less a month, plus other shit.
Just be aware that most cable operates differently than DSL, in that you share your connection with others in your neighborhood. So they may promise higher bandwidth but because there are so many users you experience less. The only way to know would be to talk to your neighbors. Some folks I know with cable prefer it to DSL, others hated it and switched back.
> But neither allows
> you to have a server (I checked). I thought I had a fixed
> unique IP, but maybe the IP Verizon told me to put in my
> network config is just a link to their own whatzis.
Do you have an external DSL modem connected via a network card? If so they may have configured your PC's network card with an IP to connect to the modem. If it is one of the following:
10.*.*.* (10/8) 172.16-31.*.* (172.16/12) 192.168.*.* (192.168/16)
[the parantheses show how network engineers refer to those addresses, in network-slash-'number of bits for network' format]
then it is not your real address. To find your real address run "winipcfg" and look for a PPP or PPPoE adapter.
It is possible that Verizon bought a smallish DSL provider in your area and that they aren't using PPPoE (PPP over Ethernet) and DHCP and that you do have a static address. But I wouldn't count on it lasting as the new Verizon monopoly moves forward with their assimilation.
> The whole point of my site is that it not be small, but
> obviously it will start that way.
>
> If you have a unique IP, can you attach more than one
> name to it? In other words, can "maxsawicky.org" and
> "maxbsawicky.org" both point to the same web page? Can
> I have two different home pages on the same IP#?
Yes, all of these configurations are possible. Pointing various domains at the same server is just a matter of configuring DNS correctly. If you want to show a different page from the server depending on the domain accessed it involves a bit of web server configuration, but even M$ Internet Information Server [Service] supports this. You will need to run linux (or another UNIX), Windoze NT, or Windoze 2K.
While hosting a site from your home DSL or cable line is possible, you really should consider a hosting provider. The effort in getting the technology configured correctly may be more than you want to spend. A lot of places will host a site at $10/domain/month. You have to decide if handling the domain registrations, arranging DNS service, and administering the server yourself is something you want to do.
Matt
-- Matt Cramer <cramer at voicenet.com> http://www.voicenet.com/~cramer/ Ignorance is the mother of devotion.
-Robert Burton