I started my site, initially on a free host at tripod, about 22 months ago.

After a couple of weeks, in Feb 2000, I decided that it would be good to have my own domain in case I wanted to move onto a paid for hosting service at some later date.

I noticed an ad on altavista to sell domains so I visited the firm, confirmed that my domain was available as a .com and looked at the price.

The price seemed a little high so I figured that I'd think about it.

A week later, I decided that I would register the domain. Of course, it had been taken by a bulk squatting firm that was offering to sell it to me.

I quickly realised that I had been had and so my next move was to grab the dot org version which did me just as well and subsequently, for reasons associated with simplifying the move from tripod to a paid host, I registered the .net version too.

That was all over a year ago and I have been keeping an eye on the .com version in case anyone was actually using it but after a while even the "this name is for sale" page disappeared and a whois just had the name owned by some Australian body.

The name was due to expire in Feb 2002 and I had in mind to try to get it then. Last week, when I made my "whenever I remember to" check on the whois record I was informed that the name was not assigned to anyone and that it could be registered.

So, I did and now I have the .com name as well. That's all very well but I am left to wonder how and why the name came free three months before it was supposed to expire.

Any ideas?

TIA

jpoc

Some registrars DO allow you to delete domain names. (eg: GoDaddy) I do not know whether it will be available for registration just upon deletion or not. But strange things do happen in domain world often.:D

Yea, talk about weird....

Most places I know of though say you have to keep it or sell it, it is always in your name and you can let it expire, but until then it's in your name. :) Oh well, at least you got it.

-Kyle