i have made a web site in dreamweaver 8, i want to publish it to the web, do i need a domain name or a web hosting plane?

and what's the difference between domain name and web hosting?

thanks!

The domain name is simply the name you type in your browser to access a page. For example, "www.mywebsite.com" is a domain name. It replaces the IP address that no one in their right mind you remember.

You normally buy your domain name once and renew it yearly approximately. Your domain name can have multiple extensions, such as .COM, .EDU, .ORG, .CA, etc. Some have restricted usage (.EDU, .GOV), some are open (.COM, .CA).

Your hosting is the actual server where you will upload your site with your design tool (Dreamweaver, Frontpage, etc.). Your normally pay a fee monthly, but you can also host it yourself if you have a Web server at home that you keep on all day. You can do this using dyndns.org for example.

Note that you have multiple possibilities:

1) No domain name and self-hosting (www.dyndns.org for example) --> Free (or almost)

2) Domain name and self-hosting (not free; www.dyndns.org can do this)

3) No domain name and hosting --> Not free, about 5$/month (not recommended)

4) Domain name and hosting --> Not free, about 5$/month for the hosting + 50$/year for your domain name

To setup #4, try www.modhost.com or www.dotster.com. They both work well and are affordable.