Buying domain names from hosting co. vs domain co.

[lutetia]

OK, here's another newbie question for the experienced webmasters in this forum.

Some hosting companies offer domain registrations at high prices and then give you"free" or low-cost hosting. Other low-cost hosting companies don't deal with domain registrations at all.

Sometimes it works out cheaper to go the first route. But price and all other things being equal, is there something I should watch out for in this kind of set up?

I'm trying to check out all the fine print for terms on each site, but some of them ramble on and are quite confusing. For example, they might say you retain ownership of the domain name, but are then ambiguous about what charges may apply if you switch to another company.

So, what I'm wondering... is it generally preferable to purchase your domain name from companies like godaddy.com, independently of the hosting company? Or does it depend on each case?

Anyone care to weigh in?

Thanks

Signed,
Lost in the Jungle

[webado]

And I prefer to buy from a place like Godaddy, because you have full control over your domain. Other places, especially those that also provide hosting, bury the domain management functions under all sorts of things. The extra little step involved in setitng up your domain is really a very small inconveience, but the price is usually more attractive from 'the others". Occasionally "the others" might lock you in and may be slow in making changes.