ENS: Ethereum Name Service setup (icemancom.eth)
Hi Steemit friends!
Thanks for following- words can't express how much the recent outpouring of support has meant for me.
Today, I setup the ENS address icemancom.eth that I had won recently for a scant 0.01 ETH to resolve to my ethereum wallet address! I decided to write this blog entry to encourage my friends here at Steemit to set theirs up too.
Wut?
Having ENS configured is handy because, as we all know, many typical crypto addresses are quite long and are generally mostly a string of random characters. For at least the next two years, I've got icemancom.eth on lock-down. It works just like a DNS and redirects any would-be ethereum sender who uses it in the address field of their ethereum transaction directly into my configured ether vault. Easier to remember, share and use overall and I think can be a terrific value. I'm going to see if I can lock up a few more cool addresses while the getting is good, and I suggest you all do the same if you are into ethereum too.
The easiest way I've found to browse and secure ENS addresses is to first download and install Mist, the ethereum browser. There is also the ethereum wallet located at the following link, but if you are using Mist, you can create and access wallets inside the Mist browser so the wallet is redundant, but useful if you want to open the browser and wallet separately. They can work together or independent from one another.
https://github.com/ethereum/mist/releases
The address to search the ENS registrar is
You can type that registrar address into the address field of the Mist browser to get cracking on finding your perfect ENS address. Even if you don't bid on certain addresses it can be interesting to watch the prices. It's staggering how much ETH some people are willing to spend on these addresses, some in the thousands (!). I find it difficult to believe that it will ever be worth it to have any address for thousands of ETH, but it ultimately depends on how much you and others value the address. Maybe they are hoping that certain addresses attract donations or that people mistakenly send them ethereum? Who knows, but until next time, Happy hunting!
I think they're most probably planning on setting up shop through ethereum, and hoping a ENS name can get them customers through promoting and services linked with that name.
In any case, interesting post. Have a good day !
Thanks for your reply @pbock- it will be interesting to see if many or any of these folks will be able to generate profits north of thousands of eth within 2 years, when you would need to re-register and thus re-auction the name. Upvoted your comment and followed! I've had a great day so far thanks to BitShares, hope you have a good one too!
Hehe... indeed, we will see if they regain their profits, or even choose to persevere if they don't and buy the name back at the end of the period...
We live in interesting times... I've REALLY got to teach myself blockchain development. It's going to be one hell of a bonus skill soon !
Thanks @klymacks for sharing. I've had a crack at a few too. However, where I've not yet made any headway (mainly due to time) is to resolve the XXX.eth address to my ETH wallet address.
What tool did you use to set it all up?
Cheers,
Gray
Hi @cassius-gray! I used used Mist and the ENS registrar. It's kinda confusing, but it guides you step-by-step so I'd advise to take your time and as you follow along, the screen will actually display exactly how to code your ENS through ETH contracts. Just copy and paste. I just set mine up too and I think I've set it up properly to resolve; the Mist browser confirms this, but I haven't been able to send due to ETH constraints. When I get my ETH later this month, I'll attempt to send through Mist and report back. I also just Googled a bit and read that ENS is only running on the Ropsten testnet network for now so it may not fully work until ENS launches. Holler back if you run into issues, let's work through it together!
Ah ha! Thanks for the reply @klymacks, I appreciate it. I did the registration through Metamask. I'll take a look at the Mist option and likewise report back.
Are you sure about the testnet though? I found this article, which suggests it's already live and my payments from Metamask were definitely on the Main Net.
@cassius-gray Only one way to know for sure: let's try sending ETH through. My icemancom.eth address should be setup correctly, but I'm out of gas until I'm able to secure more ETH.. Will let you know when I get a successful transfer through how to properly get it done!
Great content. Consider joining the ENS community on our sub/r/doteth and our slack (link in the sidebar).