Every now and then (ok, quite often) I manage to mis type a URL, my favourite is
google.co.yj instead of
google.co.uk
my favourite browser (firefox) handles this very badly, internet explorer at least sends you to a page (of your choosing/configuration) to handle these DNs errors, and often suggests the right one.

what would make more sense to me is for the browser to watch which URL I go to after typing in the wrong one, and make a note of it, then, next time I type the wrong one in it should automatically take me to the right place.
Better still it learns from everyone else's mistakes.

Naturally, all of this only happens if your machine can't find the website it's looking for (resolve the hostname) otherwise you'd never find new sites (it wouldn't know when google.co.yj finally launches).
-- neilp, Feb 16 2005

quantas -> qantas (no 'u') http://www.quantas.com.au
They had to register the domain! [not_only_but_also, Feb 16 2005]

firefix http://www.neilphillips.com/firefix
for both of you that thought this was a good idea - I've implemented it as a firefox extension [neilp, Mar 10 2005]

I should register "google.co.yj". I'd make a fortune.
-- Detly, Feb 16 2005


you'd have to create the country first..
-- neilp, Feb 16 2005


I know how to spell QANTAS, but my hands automatically go for the 'u' after a 'q'.

See link.
-- not_only_but_also, Feb 16 2005


well.. this is aimed more at annoyance rather than cybersquatting (eww. terrible word, I'll be saying 'information superhighway' before long).
-- neilp, Feb 16 2005


I've always wanted to own a .co.ck address. Childish I know. Nice idea - the spelling correction code could be lifted out of Word (like anyone's going to give you the code for that...).
-- wagster, Feb 16 2005


This is worse than spellcheckers. At least they might help if you don't know the correct way to spell a word.

Here you just want software to fix your mistakes made by clumsy fingers. No excuse for it.
-- waugsqueke, Feb 16 2005


There used to be a dot-com called typo.net that did this by registering thousands of misspelled domain names like "micorsoft.com". They would show you a banner ad and then quickly send you off to the right place. I thought it was clever and harmless, but they got accused of cybersquatting and were run out of town on a rail.
-- krelnik, Feb 17 2005


just to re-iterate, this has nothing to do with registering domain names or 'cyber-squatting' and everything to do with saving time and learning from other people's typos.
-- neilp, Apr 06 2005


Good Lord - is this the first ever incidence of someone actually baking an idea from the HB?
-- BunsenHoneydew, Apr 07 2005


Does anyone know how this is handled in Internet explorer? Mine redirects to http://sea.search.msn.com on a DNS error, but I can't see where (in the registry?) this is set.
-- neilp, Apr 08 2005



random, halfbakery