What’s the standard way to register a .eth name?

Etherum noob here. The concept of ENS is fascinating to me, mainly because I feel like I've always missed the "sweet spot" for good internet domains names.

First, I just want to make sure I'm thinking about this right. .eth are essentially equivalent to the uniqueness principal that DNS names like .com follow: There can only ever be one bob.eth at a given time?

Second, what is the best way to currently register a .eth name, such that you are the owner?

Thanks!