New plan to open up internet domain names

ablaye · #1 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 04:31 PM

Quote:

'Shake-up' for internet proposed

The net could see its biggest transformation in decades if plans to open up the address system are passed.

The net's regulators will vote on Thursday to decide if the strict rules on so-called top level domain names, such as .com or .uk, can be relaxed.

If approved, it could allow companies to turn their brands into domain names while individuals could also carve out their own corner of the net.

The move could also see the launch of .xxx, after years of wrangling.

Top level domains are currently limited to individual countries, such as .uk (UK) or .it (Italy), as well as to commerce, .com, and to institutional organisations, such as .net, or .org.

To get around the restrictions, some companies have used the current system to their own ends.

For example, the Polynesia island nation Tuvalu, has leased the use of the .tv address to many television firms.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), which acts a sort of regulator for the net, as well as overseeing the domain name system, has been working towards opening up net addresses for the last three years.

Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7468855.stm

I don't think this is a good idea. It would make things more confusing.

ablaye · #2 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 06:21 PM

More on this...

Quote:

Internet users should soon be able to use new domain names such as .love, .paris or .bank if one of the world wide web's biggest shakeups is approved this week as expected by the web regulator ICANN.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which opened its annual general meeting Monday in Paris, was due to vote on the new names this week.

"Apart from the .com, .net or .org, the 1.3 billion web users will be able from early 2009 to acquire generic addresses by lodging common words such as .love, .hate or .city or proper names," ICANN president Paul Twomey told French newspaper Les Echos.

The meeting has gathered more than 1,300 delegates from 130 countries.

ICANN, a non-profit organization based in southern California, oversees the assignment of domain names and internet protocol addresses that help computers communicate.

kensh · #3 (**permalink**) 06-24-2008, 10:11 PM

It's good that they're adding new extensions but a lot of these extensions haven't been successful in the past and some of them (info) have been a breeding ground for spam. I wonder how this will play out.

TVDinner · #4 (**permalink**) 06-25-2008, 03:52 AM

in the end ".com" is still the name of the game. It will be very interesting to see if any other extension ever approaches it's popularity.

Wolverine · #5 (**permalink**) 06-25-2008, 01:04 PM

I read about this recently at another site. I'm not sure how to feel about it other than it has potential to open up a truly gigantic wave of buying and selling of domain names again ...

ablaye · #6 (**permalink**) 06-26-2008, 06:16 PM

The proposal has been approved.

Quote:

A complete overhaul of the way in which people navigate the internet has been given the go-ahead in Paris.

The net's regulator, Icann, voted unanimously to relax the strict rules on so-called "top-level" domain names, such as .com or .uk.

The decision means that companies could turn brands into web addresses, while individuals could use their names.

A second proposal, to introduce domain names written in scripts, such as Asian and Arabic, was also approved.

"We are opening up a new world and I think this cannot be underestimated," said Roberto Gaetano, a member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7475986.stm

I wonder if people would be able to own domain extension. For example, if your last name is smith, could you own the extension <anything here>.smith ?

Jacob · #7 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 09:47 AM

OTher language scripts.. meh.. dunno about that, but it'll keep a fair bit of noob-advertisers off english boards.

Quote:

The move could also see the launch of .xxx, after years of wrangling.

This should have been surfaced as soon as porno on the internet surfaced, this shouldnt have even been discussed!
having .xxx will allow various parental lock-out systems to simply lock out " *.xxx "