[12635] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: About the creation of new 3-letter domain(s)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Barry Shein)
Wed May 25 00:36:59 1994
Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 18:02:21 -0400
From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
To: com-priv@psi.com
Ok, I think I've had it. I don't care if DNS uses a phone numbering
system IT WAS JUST A SUGGESTION.
I just began reacting when I felt that the objections were without
foundation or based on mere misunderstanding.
Here is my biased summary of the entire matter:
Some people don't like the idea of using phone numbers
for domains.
Why, exactly, isn't clear. It appears to be mostly aesthetics.
But because "aesthetics" doesn't sound like a very good
counter-argument they dream up objections that at least sort of sound
like they might be acceptable objections.
The most common unfounded objection relies on ignoring the fact that
there is no other system proposed or in existence that also satisfies
the objections, the objection is just launched into a vacuum. Thus,
for example, suddenly someone wants more privacy with domain names or
other dreamed up platonic ideals.
Or maybe relies on some sort of hard to believe assertion, like that
phone numbers aren't user-friendly enough for people to use (right...)
Someone else objects that although, yes, you suddenly can call
directory services anywhere in the world and get someone else's (or,
in particular, a company's) domain name well, hey, sometimes directory
assistance gives the wrong number!!!
Well, hey, ok, as opposed to the current system (what current system?
there is none. oh.) It's not like because one starts using phone
numbers that therefore we dismantle the NIC etc. Everything you had
before you still have if you like that better. Or, it didn't scale, so
it collapsed, but that would have happened anyhow.
I'm just getting more than a little tired of responding to objections
like
gee why don't we just use the taxonomy of all knowledge instead?
and
it's nice that I'd be able to call directory assistance to find out
a domain but if you're at a pay phone you need a dime and what if
you don't have a dime isn't that an objection? Once I didn't have a
dime at a pay phone and it was a real problem...
I don't care. It was a suggestion. That's all.
I still think it's a useful suggestion and that the objections have
all arisen either from sheer misunderstandings or wild musings dreamt
up by people who don't like it for aesthetic reasons but don't want to
just say that so they try to come up with some more plausible-sounding
objection.
It's just a little hard to argue that the world's international phone
numbering system is unworkable or unusable. Hey, I sympathize, one has
to be imaginative to dream up something that argues that point.
See you in 2004 when this comes up again. Perhaps by that time the DNS
naming schemes will have sufficiently collapsed that this idea can be
examined more seriously. Or perhaps someone will have solved this
problem in another way by then, to everyone's satisfaction.
Obviously now is not the time.
You know it's over when the most frequent objection starts to become
"I'm tired of seeing messages on this topic."
-Barry Shein
Software Tool & Die | bzs@world.std.com | uunet!world!bzs
Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 617-739-0202 | Login: 617-739-WRLD
