Boston.com was one of the first news websites on the public web, launched in late October 1995 by Boston Globe Electronic Publishing Inc. The domain name was purchased from the Boston-area café chain
Au Bon Pain in exchange for print advertisements for charities chosen by Au Bon Pain's CEO. Since its inception, Boston.com has covered a wide range of stories of interest to people in the region. It was the primary website of
The Boston Globe until September 2011, when the
Globe launched a subscription-only website. Boston.com remained free, to provide "full daily sports coverage, breaking news updates, online features, and lifestyle information". The site also maintains a mobile application for
iPhone and
Android devices, which connects readers with stories featured on the website. ==Relation to
The Boston Globe==