Here’s the latest in the Domain Registration / Search Engine Registration scams I’ve seen.  It comes from the Domain Listing Center in a Toronto, CA, suburb, with a terrifying subject line:

“Domain Notification: Your Name - YOURDOMAIN.COM This is your Final Notice of Domain Listing” 

Oh no!  My final notice?  No other chance?  C’mon.  Give me a break.

What you’re apparently buying is:

“ANNUAL WEBSlTE SEARCH ENGlNE SUBMISSlON
FROM  DECEMBER 1,2006 THRU DECEMBER 1,2007″

THIS IS A COMPLETELY POINTLESS SERVICE. DO NOT SIGN UP.
And, if you read the email, you’re agreeing to two things:

• an annual subscription
• “By accepting this offer, you agree not to hold DLC liable in any part.”

I try to avoid taking a religious position in the Microsoft-something other than Microsoft debate.  I lean Linux, but that’s another story.  Today I’m writing to complain that Microsoft keeps adding employees to my company.

For example, just today, based on their direct mail pieces, they appear to think we have:

• Hugo Drayton (I’ve never met him)
• Robert Formentin (doesn’t ring a bell)
• Jeremy Helfland (would probably work in our UK office, if we had one)
• Nada Stirratt (”nada” says it all)

Do I have to buy them computers?  Do I have to pay their benefits?  Enquiring minds want to know

FastWebUpdates.com is pleased to announce Geoternity.com.

Here’s another for the scam department: a fax titled “URGENT NOTICE OF DOMAIN EXTENSION” that does it’s best to look official and legit. This one is trying to get me to register “FastWebUpdates.us” to go with my “FastWebUpdates.com”. I’m not really interested in doing that, thanks.

Short version: it’s safe for you to ignore this.

Longer version: some variant of this has been circulating around since at least 2004. The basic goal is just to scare you into registering the domain name. They are sometimes known as “Domain Registry Group” and “Domain Registry Support”. This particular fax I received this am invokes the name of Network Solutions as well.

Update: November 14, 2006

Recv’d another fax from them this AM title “FINAL NOTICE OF DOMAIN EXTENSION” with a reply deadline of today.

Still, nothing to worry about.  This is just fear marketing or, if I may be so bold, “fearketing“.

I could start this article a lot of different ways hemming and hawing over the minute technical differences between these two products.  But I won’t.  Instead I’ll just say this:

Which I’ll only temper with “…unless you have no other choice.”

Here are the three big reasons:

1.    There are some minor technical issues, but nothing that the standard small business site with less than a few million record needs to worry about.  MySQL will perform at least as well and often far better than MS SQL server.
2.    MySQL hosting is less expensive.
3.    MySQL databases are easier and less expensive to move.

So why do people ever choose MS SQL server?  It usually has to do with a comfort level with the brand name rather than a technical or financial choice.  If, as a programmer or a computer user you’ve only ever worked with Microsoft products (which is very common), you will naturally move toward what you are familiar with.  As a side note, if your web developer doesn’t know anything about MySQL, the database that has been running the web since its inception, you’ll want to find a new developer.