setting host name during install?

[Peter Michaux]

Hi,

During install, I don't quite understand the "host" parameter that I
supplied for my networking configuration.

I used DHPC and most of the parameters were filled in for me

Host:
Domain: gv.shawcable.net
IPv4 Gateway: 192.168.0.1
Name server: 192.168.0.1
IPv4 Address: 192.168.0.103
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Extra options to ifconfig (usually empty):

When I pressed tab in the Host box it automatically filled in with
".gv.shawcable.net" which make sense since I have a cable modem from
Shaw in Greater Victoria. But it seems like something should have gone
before the first dot. Is there an opportunity here to give my computer
a cool name like "beastie" so I can type things like
"http://beastie:3000" instead of "http://192.168.0.103:3000" ? Or is
this host name supposed to be some server at my ISP?

I changed the hostname using the following steps but I don't know what
I really gained.

1. vi /etc/rc.conf
2. change
     hostname=".gv.shawcable.net"
   to
     hostname="beastie"
3. restart computer so change becomes reality.
4. now the command prompt says root at beastie

When I tried "http://beastie:3000" I ended up at the Beastie Boys
website. Not the worst suprise but not what I was hoping for.

Thanks,
Peter