Namecheap CEO Richard Kirkendall announced that he is looking for early beta testers for the company’s under development “registrar and digital product platform” known as Spaceship. Beta testers should be people who already own domain names and are looking to register more. They should be also willing to provide feedback about their experience using the platform:
Looking for some early beta testers for the new https://t.co/qcBPOYEcFU registrar and digital product platform. Will be limited for now. Prefer people with at least a few domains and that are looking to register more and share feedback. Slide into my DMs if you fit the profile.
— Richard Kirkendall (@NamecheapCEO) November 23, 2022
Richard followed this tweet by telling potential beta testers that they will be able to register domain names at cost for the time being:
Forgot to mention, domains at cost for now.
— Richard Kirkendall (@NamecheapCEO) November 23, 2022
At the moment, Spaceship is password protected, so I can’t get an idea of what the platform is going to offer. I imagine it will be substantially different from Namecheap, hence the need for beta testing.
One bit of speculation that hasn’t been be put to rest is that Namecheap could eventually rebrand as Spaceship. Namecheap is a well-known brand in the domain name space, but I don’t know if the brand presently suits the company as its matured well beyond the promise of of cheap domain names suggested by its moniker. When asked, Richard didn’t deny that Spaceship could eventually replace Namecheap.
Like Frank Schilling was when he launched Uniregistry, Richard is a hands-on CEO who is knowledgable about all facets of the domain name business. I am looking forward to seeing what Spaceship has to offer.
That’s a brilliant brand name.
In all candor, I’ve always disliked the “Namecheap” name. But I suppose it served a purpose for a time.
Their software UI has always left a bit to be desired. Closer to a lot than a bit really. In case anyone didn’t get the memo, some people actually use domains, not just accumulate and hoard for sale.
One thing I find objectionable is the mandatory 2FA. Very bad. Sadly not surprised GoDaddy jumped on that bandwagon too. I hope it’s not going to become “mandatory” everywhere as was previously reported is the current (appalling) push.
It’s a sad sign of the times with all the anti-social (to put it nicely) “mandate” madness. While some in the industry are warped enough be on board with that, no doubt a number of the industry luminaries would simply not be willing to say anything and rock the boat just for their own sake.