6 ms·

Show HN: Badger.com, a new domain registrar, needs beta testers (1 free domain)

24 points by badger-com 15y ago

We've been hard at work creating a new domain registrar and now we want some feedback to help us figure out where to go from here! The first 100 users to signup using this URL will get 1 free domain Credit: https://www.badger.com/#register/hackernews --- Please please please give us feedback! --- P.S. We only support .com and .net at the moment but we'll be adding about a dozen more extensions in the next couple of weeks.

pace 15y ago
Really nice service—great UI. Time for a change after 7yrs Godaddy.
anigbrowl 15y ago
Super-nice. I registered a domain painlessly...on a tablet, at that. Minor quibble - don't use fixed screen ratios for everything. But otherwise, great so far. If it keeps up like this I'll transfer in the 5 or 6 domains I have at other registrars (1&1, godaddy).
Ritu 15y ago
Love it. I like how every domain typed in the search box shows instantly and is saved on the right as we type new ones in. Thanks for the credit as well!
towndrunk 15y ago
The signup form appears to have a issue. If the passwords don't match I get an error stating "Unable to create person: Email already exists" and I'm not able to continue.
- towndrunk 15y ago
  OK. I'm able to log in after using the reset password feature which is a bit weird since the signup failed.
cybojanek 15y ago
!! Quick and painless !! Thanks!
- cybojanek 15y ago
  Great, simple UI. I like the domain searching, as well as the X, checkmark and + symbols/table. DNS updated quickly. WHOIS made private by default :-) "APP" installation is a neat automation.
- cybojanek 15y ago
  Cannot easily uninstall an "APP", but have to delete all records manually (perhaps at least group them?). Side bar doesn't update immediately once DNS entries removed and "APP" uninstalled (chrome).
bravolima 15y ago
Great UI with lots of polish and this leads to a great user experience. I love the way search history is displayed. A little 'clear history' option might be useful, but refreshing the page has the same effect. I'll be trying this for my next domain purchase.
zaqintosh 15y ago
Would be great if I could leave comments on your site. I do see an email contact form, but I presume you don't want feedback that way.
thedevelopment 15y ago
How have you written this? It's fast and has an interesting feel to it, but I don't recognize the JavaScript framework. Also, how can I leave feedback from within the site?
- badger-com 15y ago
  Thanks for noticing! We built badger.com a bit differently from most sites. Our backend is just a JSON api and the frontend uses this API and is implemented entirely in Javascript using an internal library we'll be releasing soon (code name: Hasher). API Docs - http://badger.github.com/ http://badger.github.com/ Frontend Source Code - http://github.com/badger/frontend http://github.com/badger/frontend Hasher JS Lib - https://github.com/badger/frontend/tree/master/javascripts/lib/hasher-0.1.0 https://github.com/badger/frontend/tree/master/javascripts/l... So for example, the Javascript behind our DNS manager can be found here -- https://github.com/badger/frontend/blob/master/javascripts/domains/apps/dns_badger.js https://github.com/badger/frontend/blob/master/javascripts/d...
MattBearman 15y ago
Looks really good, how are you going to handle the different prices for other tlds? Will you be adding .co.uk?
- badger-com 15y ago
  Some TLDs will be 2 or 3 credits per year instead of 1. We're still working out pricing on everything. Yes, we're actively working on the co.uk (and about a dozen more TLDs) and hope to launch quite a few more within the next few weeks.
tectonic 15y ago
Nice looking site. FYI, I had some trouble with the search box and backspace not working on my older iPhone (iOS 3.1.3).
JulianMiller520 15y ago
I see exactly what you are up to and i love it. I'll give more detailed feedback shortly but BRAVO!
- badger-com 15y ago
  Thanks, we look forward to your feedback!
davesmylie 15y ago
Looks nice! (And a lot easier to use than godaddy) I'll be creating an extra domain tonight and pointing it towards my webapp. If all goes well I'll look at moving my other domain registrations over as they expire on godaddy. Only downside would be the price seems a little steep compared to the typical godaddy pricing with a coupon code...
helen842000 15y ago
Awesome, thanks! Just used it to find and register a useful domain in under 10mins. SO much less headache than Go Daddy - very speedy. I also love the search feature, letting you know it's available while you're typing. That's how I actually found the domain I registered! I was a bit confused when using URL forwarding as it automatically appended /path to the source. So I removed that. I found I had to type my destination in, then click on the source box to make /path disappear and then press Add to get it to add forwarding to the root of the site. Many thanks again. If I can provide a more detailed write up/feedback let me know.
- badger-com 15y ago
  Thanks for the compliments! The "/path" issue with URL forwarding sounds like a bug... we'll look into it. What browser are you using?
padraigk 15y ago
Very nice! Speaking as a non-US resident, the fact that 'State' be a mandatory field in the profile registration form is a bit annoying but I can understand why that's the default. Maybe that could be optional if the country field is set to nations other than the US?
- badger-com 15y ago
  Great point! I'll add this to our todo list. Anything else?
gregparadee 15y ago
On top of the simplicity, design, and overall awesome feel of the website, the greatest thing is the privacy feature. Having everything in the WHOIS set to private is awesome and I applaud you for that. Godaddy charges an absurd price to make the WHOIS record private. Thank you!
- badger-com 15y ago
  You're welcome! Having privacy enabled by default was one of the easier product decisions for us simply because having it any other way didn't make sense. Any other feedback?
xen2xen1 15y ago
I loved it. My main domain is up for renewal from godaddy soon and if your prices are OK I'll move it over. Automating the DNS verification of Google Docs would be awesome (if that's possible), even if it's to some degree. I'll send more comments after I've tried it out some.
- badger-com 15y ago
  Our prices are $10-15 per domain depending on how many credits you buy at a time. Better integration with Google Apps is already high on our list... check back soon!
chc 15y ago
I found a bug in your signup process: If the passwords you enter on the signup form don't match, it gives you an error, but creates the account anyway — so when you retype the passwords, it then tells you it can't create the account because the email is already used.
- badger-com 15y ago
  You've found a bug! I just fixed this so hopefully it won't happen again. If you're not able to login, give the "Forgot Password" link a try!
  - chc 15y ago
    Thanks. Yeah, "Forgot Password" link was the first thing I tried and it worked perfectly, but I thought you'd like to know about the bug anyway. Silly little things like that can be hell on your bounce rate.
jessepollak 15y ago
seems great. easy UI to navigate and it took very little time to set up my first domain. just gave you guys a shout out on Twitter, hope it helps. ps. you should start tweeting, so my @ to you turns up interesting stuff!
- jessepollak 15y ago
  also, two little things: 1. if you log out then go back to badger.com, there doesn't seem to be a way to log back in if you are in the beta. 2. for some reason my Whois didn't change from private to public even though I provided and saved the necessary info. hope this helps
rprospero 15y ago
Minor bug. The Home and End keys don't seem to work in the search box.
guptaneil 15y ago
Brilliant work. I've never actually enjoyed searching for domains before! Depending on how the service holds up, I'll definitely look into transferring my domains over from GoDaddy. Quick question: do the credits expire? I don't have a domain to register right now, but would love to use my credit later.
gerrynjr 15y ago
Well laid out site, I just might have to port over my domain. Sick of Godaddy.... One gripe though. I registered a new domain to check out the interface, but it was not immediately obvious that you offered DNS services. I might have ported over my domain today had I known this beforehand.
chetane07 15y ago
Just logged in, first thing that popped up is the "dotted line" around every menu link I clicked. I would suggest adding the following css to your menu a tags: { outline: none;}
- chetane07 15y ago
  Absolutely love the way to search for available domains... It was so painful beforehand! Thanks!
dlf 15y ago
Looks better than anything I've seen yet. I'll transfer a domain tomorrow to get a better feel for it. Thanks for the free credit.
ohashi 15y ago
When I click profiles, it puts a big green button in top right but I have an entire empty page with nothing. Maybe you could put something there as well to let the user know they haven't created a profile yet?
klaut 15y ago
oh, so the invite code is no logner available. But nonetheless, great UI! :)

24 points by badger-com 15y ago

pace 15y ago

Really nice service—great UI. Time for a change after 7yrs Godaddy.

anigbrowl 15y ago

Super-nice. I registered a domain painlessly...on a tablet, at that. Minor quibble - don't use fixed screen ratios for everything. But otherwise, great so far. If it keeps up like this I'll transfer in the 5 or 6 domains I have at other registrars (1&1, godaddy).

Ritu 15y ago

Love it. I like how every domain typed in the search box shows instantly and is saved on the right as we type new ones in. Thanks for the credit as well!

towndrunk 15y ago

The signup form appears to have a issue. If the passwords don't match I get an error stating "Unable to create person: Email already exists" and I'm not able to continue.

towndrunk 15y ago
OK. I'm able to log in after using the reset password feature which is a bit weird since the signup failed.

cybojanek 15y ago

!! Quick and painless !! Thanks!

cybojanek 15y ago
Great, simple UI. I like the domain searching, as well as the X, checkmark and + symbols/table. DNS updated quickly. WHOIS made private by default :-) "APP" installation is a neat automation.
cybojanek 15y ago
Cannot easily uninstall an "APP", but have to delete all records manually (perhaps at least group them?). Side bar doesn't update immediately once DNS entries removed and "APP" uninstalled (chrome).

bravolima 15y ago

Great UI with lots of polish and this leads to a great user experience. I love the way search history is displayed. A little 'clear history' option might be useful, but refreshing the page has the same effect. I'll be trying this for my next domain purchase.

zaqintosh 15y ago

Would be great if I could leave comments on your site. I do see an email contact form, but I presume you don't want feedback that way.

thedevelopment 15y ago

How have you written this? It's fast and has an interesting feel to it, but I don't recognize the JavaScript framework. Also, how can I leave feedback from within the site?

badger-com 15y ago
Thanks for noticing! We built badger.com a bit differently from most sites. Our backend is just a JSON api and the frontend uses this API and is implemented entirely in Javascript using an internal library we'll be releasing soon (code name: Hasher). API Docs - http://badger.github.com/ http://badger.github.com/ Frontend Source Code - http://github.com/badger/frontend http://github.com/badger/frontend Hasher JS Lib - https://github.com/badger/frontend/tree/master/javascripts/lib/hasher-0.1.0 https://github.com/badger/frontend/tree/master/javascripts/l... So for example, the Javascript behind our DNS manager can be found here -- https://github.com/badger/frontend/blob/master/javascripts/domains/apps/dns_badger.js https://github.com/badger/frontend/blob/master/javascripts/d...

MattBearman 15y ago

Looks really good, how are you going to handle the different prices for other tlds? Will you be adding .co.uk?

badger-com 15y ago
Some TLDs will be 2 or 3 credits per year instead of 1. We're still working out pricing on everything. Yes, we're actively working on the co.uk (and about a dozen more TLDs) and hope to launch quite a few more within the next few weeks.

tectonic 15y ago

Nice looking site. FYI, I had some trouble with the search box and backspace not working on my older iPhone (iOS 3.1.3).

JulianMiller520 15y ago

I see exactly what you are up to and i love it. I'll give more detailed feedback shortly but BRAVO!

badger-com 15y ago
Thanks, we look forward to your feedback!

davesmylie 15y ago

Looks nice! (And a lot easier to use than godaddy) I'll be creating an extra domain tonight and pointing it towards my webapp. If all goes well I'll look at moving my other domain registrations over as they expire on godaddy. Only downside would be the price seems a little steep compared to the typical godaddy pricing with a coupon code...

helen842000 15y ago

Awesome, thanks! Just used it to find and register a useful domain in under 10mins. SO much less headache than Go Daddy - very speedy. I also love the search feature, letting you know it's available while you're typing. That's how I actually found the domain I registered! I was a bit confused when using URL forwarding as it automatically appended /path to the source. So I removed that. I found I had to type my destination in, then click on the source box to make /path disappear and then press Add to get it to add forwarding to the root of the site. Many thanks again. If I can provide a more detailed write up/feedback let me know.

badger-com 15y ago
Thanks for the compliments! The "/path" issue with URL forwarding sounds like a bug... we'll look into it. What browser are you using?

padraigk 15y ago

Very nice! Speaking as a non-US resident, the fact that 'State' be a mandatory field in the profile registration form is a bit annoying but I can understand why that's the default. Maybe that could be optional if the country field is set to nations other than the US?

badger-com 15y ago
Great point! I'll add this to our todo list. Anything else?

gregparadee 15y ago

On top of the simplicity, design, and overall awesome feel of the website, the greatest thing is the privacy feature. Having everything in the WHOIS set to private is awesome and I applaud you for that. Godaddy charges an absurd price to make the WHOIS record private. Thank you!

badger-com 15y ago
You're welcome! Having privacy enabled by default was one of the easier product decisions for us simply because having it any other way didn't make sense. Any other feedback?

xen2xen1 15y ago

I loved it. My main domain is up for renewal from godaddy soon and if your prices are OK I'll move it over. Automating the DNS verification of Google Docs would be awesome (if that's possible), even if it's to some degree. I'll send more comments after I've tried it out some.

badger-com 15y ago
Our prices are $10-15 per domain depending on how many credits you buy at a time. Better integration with Google Apps is already high on our list... check back soon!

chc 15y ago

I found a bug in your signup process: If the passwords you enter on the signup form don't match, it gives you an error, but creates the account anyway — so when you retype the passwords, it then tells you it can't create the account because the email is already used.

badger-com 15y ago
You've found a bug! I just fixed this so hopefully it won't happen again. If you're not able to login, give the "Forgot Password" link a try!
- chc 15y ago
  Thanks. Yeah, "Forgot Password" link was the first thing I tried and it worked perfectly, but I thought you'd like to know about the bug anyway. Silly little things like that can be hell on your bounce rate.

jessepollak 15y ago

seems great. easy UI to navigate and it took very little time to set up my first domain. just gave you guys a shout out on Twitter, hope it helps. ps. you should start tweeting, so my @ to you turns up interesting stuff!

jessepollak 15y ago
also, two little things: 1. if you log out then go back to badger.com, there doesn't seem to be a way to log back in if you are in the beta. 2. for some reason my Whois didn't change from private to public even though I provided and saved the necessary info. hope this helps

rprospero 15y ago

Minor bug. The Home and End keys don't seem to work in the search box.

guptaneil 15y ago

Brilliant work. I've never actually enjoyed searching for domains before! Depending on how the service holds up, I'll definitely look into transferring my domains over from GoDaddy. Quick question: do the credits expire? I don't have a domain to register right now, but would love to use my credit later.

gerrynjr 15y ago

Well laid out site, I just might have to port over my domain. Sick of Godaddy.... One gripe though. I registered a new domain to check out the interface, but it was not immediately obvious that you offered DNS services. I might have ported over my domain today had I known this beforehand.

chetane07 15y ago

Just logged in, first thing that popped up is the "dotted line" around every menu link I clicked. I would suggest adding the following css to your menu a tags: { outline: none;}

chetane07 15y ago
Absolutely love the way to search for available domains... It was so painful beforehand! Thanks!

dlf 15y ago

Looks better than anything I've seen yet. I'll transfer a domain tomorrow to get a better feel for it. Thanks for the free credit.

ohashi 15y ago

When I click profiles, it puts a big green button in top right but I have an entire empty page with nothing. Maybe you could put something there as well to let the user know they haven't created a profile yet?

klaut 15y ago

oh, so the invite code is no logner available. But nonetheless, great UI! :)