For the 99+% of us who aren't computer savvy, "using your own domain with a well-reputed registrar..." is as achievable as suddenly speaking Sanskrit. Think outside the echo chamber.
While my recommendation was targeting the HN crowd, where I assume some level of computer savviness, buying a domain doesn’t require technical expertise. Wiring it up with an email provider may require some, although providers often provide good instructions, and, more pertinently, you can also buy this as a service, or have a friend or family member take care of it. The important part is that you own the domain.
I fully agree that it should be made easier. But people have to create the demand for that to improve.
>... buying a domain doesn’t require technical expertise.
I respectfully disagree. I succeeded in buying my own domain but it was a VERY painful, confusing, and disagreeable experience, which I wouldn't recommend to anyone who's not amongst the HN techie crowd.
When I bought my domain, granted a decade ago when there were fewer TLDs, it was a typical search bar. Then click Buy then enter payment and user info. It wasn't any more difficult than any other online purchase. The config/DNS steps require a certain level of techiness but buying the domain, the key step, was easy.
