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New TLDs On The Way From ICANN

Posted by Hemos on Wed Jun 14, 2000 09:15 PM
from the giving-birth-to-new-domains dept.
ChrisBennett writes: "ICANN has just suggested a policy for introducing new Top Level Domains. This policy will be considered at the ICANN meeting on July 15-16, 2000 in Yokohama, Japan. I guess we'll be seeing the .rob and .dot TLDs that CmdrTaco wanted after all."
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  • TLDs by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @03:24AM
  • Re:The Wrong Answer to the Wrong Problem by Phroggy (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:01PM
  • Re:Alias the misspellings by mikpos (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:36PM
  • Impossible by Improv (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @11:35PM
  • Re:icann needs some competition... by jeffg (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:54PM
  • My choices for TLDs... by CoffeeNowDammit (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @08:02AM
  • Because some people need more than two or three do by pen (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:40PM
  • Re:Can just see it now.... by grahamm (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @12:58AM
  • Re:Too much gTLD's & too little internationalizati by grahamm (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @01:38AM
  • And what about... by pwhysall (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @11:24PM
  • TLD's of interest by Grey Dragon (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:32PM
  • Personal distributed ROUTE system by ZephyrAlfredo (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @09:36AM
  • Section II-C2 by Captain Nitpick (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @08:06PM
  • Restricted access TLDs... by Snibor Eoj (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:28AM
  • I want .rog by raka (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @08:06PM
  • long domain names by Tannin Kal (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @09:43AM
  • http://index.pl/slashdot.org by jfedor (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:11AM
  • Re:What purpose would they serve? by SEWilco (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @04:02AM
  • New TLDs won't solve the problem by scruffy (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:03AM
  • Problem: Searching by DarkMan (Score:1) Friday June 16 2000, @12:52AM
  • Why Not by Streiff (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:53PM
  • Re:For real this time? by titus-g (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @03:33AM
  • Re:Like USENET, DNS needs a ".alt" top level domai by MadAhab (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @07:09AM
  • We all need a little .sex now and then by WillAffleck (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:32PM
  • The .name is the thing by WillAffleck (Score:1) Friday June 16 2000, @07:59PM
  • Re:Who needs them? by SomeOne2 (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:24AM
  • Re:What I always wanted... by British (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:26PM
  • mmm by pirodude (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:49PM
  • Re:Finally... by Milican (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:00PM
  • Re:bah by mbyte (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @10:01PM
  • NOT .xxx or .sex by deblau (Score:1) Monday June 19 2000, @03:45PM
  • Why do we want so many TLDs? by Kanasta (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @09:10PM
  • How does the "ICANN at large" fit into all this? by fence (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:30PM
  • We will have to wait and see by fence (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:34PM
  • why .sex or .xxx is not a good idea by nc (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @03:33AM
  • Re:I don't think those exist by billstewart (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:06AM
  • .sex or .xxx doesn't work by billstewart (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @10:19PM
  • Re:Mixed bag by axlrosen (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @05:39AM
  • Re:When Hell Freezes Over by axlrosen (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @05:45AM
  • Wrong solution to an old problem... by eightball (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:01AM
  • Confusing the future by laborit (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:40PM
  • Re:I find this amusing... by cbacon (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @10:06AM
  • Recommended gTLD by pleitner (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:30PM
  • Re:They forgot two current TLDs - .invalid and .uu by noc (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @07:24AM
  • Re:What purpose would they serve? by crovax (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:21PM
  • icann needs some competition... by Error27 (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:36PM
  • Re:For real this time? by zeck (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:18PM
  • Re:w-o-w ... who cares by zeck (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:20PM
  • Re:bah by shandrew (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @10:41AM
  • Usenet link naming system by connor_macleod (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @10:30PM
  • Re:What's the point? by yarmond (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @12:04PM
  • Why bother by 1DeepThought (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:27PM
  • Re:Finally... by dtr21 (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @08:09AM
  • Got mine picked out! by Dr Caleb (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:02PM
  • Re:Got mine picked out! by Scriven (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:14PM
  • Re:Oh Great! by LaoK (Score:1) Friday June 16 2000, @09:07AM
  • Re:.sex OR .xxx by aiken_d (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @08:13PM
  • big_corp stomps new tlds? by horatio (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @03:50AM
  • NSI's monopoly could be eliminated (finally!) by Wesley Felter (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:25PM
  • Re:bah by Wesley Felter (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:29PM
  • TIMs of the World Unite by clickety6 (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @12:10AM
  • Re:How does the "ICANN at large" fit into all this by myshka (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:14PM
  • Too much gTLD's & too little internationalization by Inez{R} (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @10:51PM
  • YAY! by Kronovohr (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:22PM
  • Re:Database of proposed "New *TLDs", mailing list. by crazyj (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:17AM
  • Re:What do you know by LilGuy (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:52PM
  • Hurray! by LilGuy (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:03PM
  • Re:Who decides what belongs there? by drinkypoo (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:29PM
  • Re:What's the point? by Lord Ender (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:24PM
  • Re:I find this amusing... by Jasonv (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @11:32PM
  • limitations by grue23 (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @09:41AM
  • Re:NSI's monopoly could be eliminated (finally!) by d0m1n10n (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @05:21AM
  • Re:Two thoughts. by lazybeam (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @05:14AM
  • Re:Database of proposed "New *TLDs", mailing list. by MsGeek (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @07:44AM
  • TLDs _HAD_ a meaning - they don't anymore by Ars-Fartsica (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:09PM
  • My favorite part - which NSI ignores by alarmo (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:02AM
  • Who needs them? by muldrake (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:22PM
  • Re:When Hell Freezes Over by knightPhlight (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:55PM
  • Re:Two thoughts. by Tri0de (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:42PM
  • Re:Who decides what belongs there? by FooRat (Score:1) Friday June 16 2000, @10:13AM
  • Re:What I always wanted... by SubtleNuance (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @04:33AM
  • Re:The Wrong Answer to the Wrong Problem by KjetilK (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @05:41AM
  • Re:Who decides what belongs there? by Karmageddon (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @03:40AM
  • Re:You should get around a bit more by Karmageddon (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @08:03AM
  • New TLD - Hooray! by john_uy (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @10:52PM
  • New Schema by Arthropoid (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:22AM
  • .REG solves trademark problem by Garry Anderson (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @07:26AM
  • Anything is possible by Garry Anderson (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @11:20AM
  • The problem with .god by Jon Erikson (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @11:28PM
  • Re:Too much gTLD's & too little internationalizati by fudboy (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @11:29PM
  • .qb TLD by qbasicprogrammer (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:55PM
  • Re:Database of proposed "New *TLDs", mailing list. by mini-meme (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @09:04PM
  • here are my submissions: by mini-meme (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @09:07PM
  • Re:YAY! by VileScum (Score:1) Wednesday June 14 2000, @09:41PM
  • Re:Got mine picked out! by p4r4d0x (Score:1) Thursday June 15 2000, @12:17PM
  • Re:Finally... by Gregg M (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:53PM
  • Two thoughts. by pen (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:32PM
  • You should get around a bit more by A nonymous Coward (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @04:31AM
  • Re:When Hell Freezes Over by FFFish (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @08:32AM
  • They ask questions, I give my answers. by SEE (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @08:44PM
  • bah by Phexro (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:56PM
  • Re:.sex OR .xxx by Phexro (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:04PM
  • Re:bah by Phexro (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:39AM
  • Re:NSI's monopoly could be eliminated (finally!) by FreeUser (Score:2) Friday June 16 2000, @03:52AM
  • Re:NSI's monopoly could be eliminated (finally!) by FreeUser (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @03:14AM
  • Re:For real this time? by freejack (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:17AM
  • Re:TIMs of the World Unite by Tim C (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @01:00AM
  • TLD's? Oh dear. :) by Bowie J. Poag (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:43PM
  • .cc? by Pope (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:25PM
  • Ummmm.... by DragonHawk (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:26AM
  • Too bad DNS is hierarchal by definition by DragonHawk (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @06:42AM
  • Understand what the DNS is by DragonHawk (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @07:18AM
  • Limiting domain names? by DragonHawk (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:45AM
  • I don't think those exist by DragonHawk (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:51AM
  • Re:Finally... by LLatson (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @03:17AM
  • Re:You should get around a bit more by GregWebb (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @04:55AM
  • Re:We all need a little .sex now and then by generic-man (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @04:12AM
  • dotcon by DreamerFi (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:45PM
  • They forgot two current TLDs - .invalid and .uucp by billstewart (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @10:08PM
  • Re:What I always wanted... by synsear (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:06PM
  • Re:why .sex or .xxx is not a good idea by briancarnell (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @07:23AM
  • Alias the misspellings by cperciva (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:12PM
  • Re:For real this time? by tmu (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @05:37AM
  • For real this time? by tmu (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:09PM
  • Re:They made a similar thing in Brazil... Only wor by Wellspring (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @02:51AM
  • Enforcement is the key by Scriven (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:29PM
  • Re:I find this amusing... by hypergeek (Score:2) Friday June 16 2000, @11:29PM
  • Eliminate the scarcity problem. by Borogrove (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @09:49AM
  • What I always wanted... by marko123 (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:21PM
  • Re:.cc? by balbuzaro (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:15PM
  • Here's a thought... by Golias (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @05:38AM
  • What happened to the old stuff? by KjetilK (Score:2) Thursday June 15 2000, @12:37AM
  • Oh No by tealover (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:24PM
  • Can just see it now.... by tiwason (Score:2) Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:10PM
  • by Improv (2467) <pgunn@dachte.org> on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:05PM (#1001484) Homepage Journal
    It seems to me that we don't really need anything
    more than what we have.... for example, why would
    we need .banc? Any bank is much more likely to
    get a .com than a .banc, especially b/c they
    couldn't say .banc without people misspelling it
    in their browser window..
  • by jeffg (2966) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:47PM (#1001485)

    First off, I hate to break the bad news to everyone, but that Great New *TLD that just popped into your head? It's been thought of before. By lots of people.

    New *TLDs are nothing new, and indeed have been being debated, tossed around, fought over, proposed, implemented, and torn down for the better part of the last decade or so.

    CmdrTaco didn't think of .god, .dot, and probably not even .rob. Neither did you, most likely. :)

    For a listing of proposed *TLDs and their status, see http://www.earth-net.net/GTLD/database. html [earth-net.net] (gzipped text file)

    Pay particular attention to Field 2, Root Server Providers. Check out the Open Root Server Confederation [open-rsc.org].

    While we're on this subject, a quick redux to the .god TLD... zone files and current status of .god registry [pccf.net].

    ANYONE interested in domain policy (and the politics are Quite Interesting in this realm... surf the domain-policy mailing list archives [internic.net] (hosted by InterNIC).

  • Re:.sex OR .xxx (Score:3)

    by RayChuang (10181) on Thursday June 15 2000, @03:06AM (#1001486)
    If the companies that give out registered DNS names on the Internet (Network Solutions, Register.com, and so on) can agree to a standard on how to give out names using the new TLD's, then we can save ourselves a lot of hassles on how to "block" unauthorized sites from children.

    I myself would propose this TLD for adult sites: .AOS (AOS means Adult-Only Site). Web browsers from the start can set the default so they can't log onto .AOS sites without first sending an encrypted password. For example, Playboy's web site can be divided into two parts, one the original playboy.com for their general-interest material and the new playboy.aos for their adult-oriented material. It also means sites such as whitehouse.com will have to switch to whitehouse.aos to avoid confusion with the whitehouse.gov domain.

    If I were the ITU-TSS I would strongly suggest they hold a conference in conjunction with ICANN to finalize the new TLD names as soon as possible.
  • by sethg (15187) on Thursday June 15 2000, @03:14AM (#1001487) Homepage
    If memory serves, .uucp doesn't represent any central registry -- if the mail software on the user's host machine knows the bang path [tuxedo.org] to foo over UUCPNET [tuxedo.org], it will translate fred@foo.uucp to quux!baz!bar!foo!fred.

    (Links to the Jargon File provided for you kids who don't remember what it was like in the old days, when we had to carve email messages on clay tablets and haul them to the server room, two miles away in the snow, uphill both ways....)
    --

  • by Sivaraj (34067) on Thursday June 15 2000, @02:51AM (#1001488)
    A new organization - MINC [minc.org] - is being setup to make domain names multilingual. If you speak a language other than English, please check it out.
  • by 1010011010 (53039) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:42PM (#1001489) Homepage
    Example:
    Requiring porn sites to use ".xxx" or ".porn" or some such would allow a quick way to prevent children from seeing porn sites; much better than the "net nanny" crap.


  • .MP3 ? (Score:3)

    by VonSnaggle (64586) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:36PM (#1001490)
    Wouldn't .mp3 just piss off the RIAA! -if common-sense was common wouldn't everyone have it?
  • What a waste (Score:3)

    Country TLDs are useful. So are .com, .net, and .org -- each has a meaning.

    However, what really is the purpose of .god? I mean, really, it is just a waste. Sure, getting i-am.god or *.is.god would be nice, but churches can use .org. There is no need to add to the confusion many newbies suffer when going online.

    "Hey, my favorite website doesn't work!"
    "Did you make sure to type in .net?"
    "Oh. It works."

    The panel itself may be a good idea, if only to restrict frivolous TLDs.
  • What's the point? (Score:3)

    by yarmond (114187) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:31PM (#1001492)
    I can't see this being a good thing for anyone except Network Solutions and the other registrars. It's just a way to sell every corporation some more domain names so they can "protect" themselves from people who might put up something they don't like.

    The original TLD's were probably a pretty good idea once upon a time, but now, everyone knows that things on the Internet starts in www and ends in .com. (barely better than the people who ask if you have a "screen name" rather than an e-mail address). Everything except .edu and .gov are so polluted as to be meaningless. Look where we right now...slashdot.ORG? Why? Or perhaps my college, which has registered not only mit.edu, but also mit.com, mit.net and mit.org

    If it weren't for the incredible mess it would create, I would suggest that we abandon TLDs altogether. I always spell .com wrong anyway...

  • Re:.qb TLD (Score:3)

    by istartedi (132515) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:06PM (#1001493) Journal

    Yes, then the International Association for Dyslexic People could register dp.qb

    None of them would *ever* find it.


    The regular .sig season will resume in the fall. Here are some re-runs:
  • by SlushDot (182874) on Thursday June 15 2000, @06:23AM (#1001494)
    More importantly than whatever final list ICANN comes up with, there needs to be a Black Flag of sorts within DNS. An anarchistic wastland where all domains are first come, first served, all registrations final, and over which all lawsuits are prohibited.

    DNS needs a ".alt" top level domain.

    When the Big 7 newsgroups were being drafted on USENET just prior to the great flag day, this simple need was recognized practically from day one and .alt was born (and is today bigger than all the Big 7 groups combined).

    Flame all you want, but without a dumping ground where anything goes without restrictions, the trash will not go away. It will seep into all areas of the "approved TLDs".

    If an .alt TLD is set up, it will make rule violations in the remaining TLDs much easier to enforce because there will always be an alternative. "You didn't have to create [domain] here".

    Trap the rats with no way to register their profane, controversial, questionable, or whatever-offends-whoever domains and they'll start clawing at the walls of whatever other heirarchy they can get at.

    Remember, in the Big 7 newsgroups, there was no room for sex or drugs, so these because the very first two alt groups.

    Even the cleanest, most orderly city still has a garbage dump.

  • by Colin Smith (2679) on Thursday June 15 2000, @02:09AM (#1001495)

    Jesus wept. Just when I think they can't get any dumber!

    They are going to turn DNS into WINS. From a heirarchical naming system into a flat naming system. They must be stopped!

    The ICANN / Registrar DNS diatribe [freeserve.co.uk]

  • by FFFish (7567) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:20PM (#1001496) Homepage
    We've been hearing about new TLDs for, oh, at least an eternity. Maybe even two.

    And let's face it: all so-called corporate names will be immediately obtained and/or sued-for by their so-called owners; and all remaining sensible names will be immediately obtained and camped-on by the domain name resellers.

    You and I, who may have need for a website six months from now, are *ALWAYS* going to be screwed: the name we'd have used is gone.

    And even if you do manage to get the DNS you wanted -- www.borsht.??? -- who the hell's ever going to find it? www.borsht.com is gone (to a domain name camping asshole, of course), and who's ever going to have patience to try .net, .org, .ca ,.xxx, .god and whatever other .tlds are available?

    The ONLY solution is to bag this silly-ass naming system and come up with something that allows people to type in a more unique, descriptive name that isn't duplicated umpteen times over with the most minor of variations...

    Rant, roar.

    www.borsht.com for sale. My god.

    --
  • by DragonHawk (21256) on Thursday June 15 2000, @02:41AM (#1001497) Homepage Journal
    Wonderful. More TLDs. That's a lousy answer to a problem that isn't the real problem. Two strikes at once. Great job.

    Here is why it is the wrong answer: It won't work. Right now, companies (and squatters) register foo.com, foo.net, and foo.org, "just to make sure" they have all the bases covered. All this is going to do is make Network Solutions and the other registrars more money.

    The real problem is that everybody is trying to map a virtually infinite number of items (i.e., the known universe, as far as the Internet is concerned) into a limited namespace (English words and phrases less then 64 characters long). Anyone with half a brain can tell you that is a solution that is inherently unscalable.

    The only way to make a system like this scalable is to switch to a hierarchical system. Just like you don't put every file (or directory) on a system under / (the root, C:\ for Windows folks), you shouldn't try and put every entity in the universe under .COM.

    There are two hierarchies I can think of: By category, and by location.

    By category would mean that instead of microsoft.com, we would get microsoft.software.computers.com or something. Basically, use a Yahoo!(TM)-style structure to structure the Domain Name System.

    There are three problems with this approach that make it unworkable. First, who gets to decide the categories, and what category a given site falls under? Is this slashdot.talk.org or slashdot.computers.com or slashdot.geeks.culture.rec.com or what?

    Second, the administrative overhead of all this sorting would be prohibitively high. Registering a domain should not require a six-month background check.

    Third, and most importantly, you can still have name collisions in a particular field, so long as they are geographically seperated. There must be an "Atlas Auto Body" in every county in New Hampshire. So who gets atlas.bodyshops.auto.com?

    No, the only method that will scale with reality is to model the DNS after reality: Physical location. There are already existing mechanisms to make sure there aren't two Atlas Auto Body shops in Concord, NH. So make the domain atlasautobody.concord.nh.us, and the problem is solved.

    Yes, it does mean Microsoft would be microsoft.redmond.wa.us. But such is life. People already remember names, addresses, phone numbers, and other things with much less sense then this.

    Not coincidentally, the mechanism to do this is already in place. Just nobody uses it.

    My solution? Don't add new TLDs. In fact, don't add new 2LD (Second Level Domains) either. No more new .COM domains. Make people use the system put in place to solve this problem over ten years ago.
  • Against .protest (Score:4)

    by cjkarr (23970) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @07:21PM (#1001498) Homepage
    While I think that the inclusion of new TLDs is a good idea, I am against anything that is too finely done.

    Imagine, a .protest domain. You are one of the vendors of filtering and blocking software. Anything against the norm? Why not just block .protest. Same goes for companies and/or oppressive governments with nasty firewalls.

    The move toward more TLDs is a good thing. We just need to be sure that we don't make it too easy to filter out "undesirable" speech.

    -Chris
  • by LLatson (24205) on Thursday June 15 2000, @03:27AM (#1001499) Homepage
    But how do you "require" anyone on the net to do anything at all?

    As soon as you start limiting what content can be put on each domain, the internet as we know it is gone.

    LL
  • That's funny... (Score:4)

    by / (33804) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @06:29PM (#1001500)
    I would've thought it would have been Microsoft who'd be asking for a .rob TLD. You know, right up there with .rape, .pillage, .extend, and .extinguish.
  • That's NOT a joke !
    Some years ago here in Brazil the only ones that could register a domain name were companies (and they had to prove they were companies). Regular people also wanted to register domains, as Internet was gaining popularity and personal websites becoming common. So they started complaining, and the powers that be [cg.org.br] decided to create new Brazilian TLDs just for regular people.

    They were so wise that they had a brilliant idea. To create various TLD's, each one for an occupation. So far so good. In a demonstration of their wisdom, they keenly chose 23 occupations as deserving a TLD. Some of them:

    .ntr.br - for nutritionists - with 12 domains registered

    .slg.br - for sociologists - with 3 domains

    .zlg.br - for zoologists - (no that's not a joke !) And it has *1* (one) domain registered since it was created on may 1999

    Obviously people just ignored these ridiculous TLDs and continued registering .com.br (that has 244594 domains registered - 92.69% of all Brazilian domains) You can check with your own eyes [registro.br] the Brazilian TLD's and their stats directly from Fapesp, the only Brazilian registrar (at least they work far better than Network Slowlutions). As its in Portuguese, Babelfish may help.

    Amazing, isn't it ?

  • by A nonymous Coward (7548) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @09:16PM (#1001502)
    Lots of 'mericans would say any partial nudity belongs n the .xxx domain; lots of people elsewhere in the world laugh at that. Lots of 'mericans would say violence *doesn't* belong in .xxx; lots of others would disagree. My brother-in-law will happily rent the goriest action videos for his kids, with profanity, gore, mayhem, etc, but it better not show much in the way of nudity.

    It wouldn't work. It would just create more and more arguments.

    --
  • Mixed bag (Score:5)

    by NMerriam (15122) <NMerriam@artboy.org> on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:41PM (#1001503) Homepage

    Well, we keep hearing the same refrain of "slow and controlled manner" that we have for the past decade. If this gets any more slow and controlled we could all be dead before the next TLD is born.

    But seriously, why the emphasis on keeping domaind artificially scarce? The argument they keep discussing is one of needing to protect valuable marks, but that is only necessary when a limited number of domains are available. If you can register any 3-letter combination as a TLD (minus a few restricted ones?), you have just made it financally prohibitive for anyone with even a huge bankroll to do any domain squatting.

    It is only by making domains scarce that they become individually valuable or threatening -- make them plentiful and it's up to the company to bring the value to the name (rather than vice-versa: the "roulette wheel" theory of domain registration - pick the right one and you're rich!)

    At least they sort of tangentially talk about this when asking about differentiation. Why the hell should ICANN be concerned about differentiation? When companies are paying 50 grand to come up with names like Agilent and Agilant within 12 months of each other, why should ICANN be looking out for corporate identity differentiation? Bury us in 999 TLDs and maybe Agilent and Agilant can differentiate themselves with the extra three letters...
  • by seebs (15766) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:25PM (#1001504) Homepage
    http://slash.dot/.slash/

    "aitch tee tee pee colon slash slash slash dot dot slash dot slash slash".

  • .sex OR .xxx (Score:5)

    by JamesSharman (91225) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:34PM (#1001505) Homepage
    I actually think the best suggestion for a new top level domain in the document is a TLD devoted to material of an 'adult' nature. Such a domain is one of the few I think would gain rapid support among it's target community. We all hope the Internet will remain relatively free of control, but the nay-sayers continue to point out that the net is full of pornography etc. A new TLD for new sites and hopefully a reasonable degree of migration of existing adult material will serve to provide a degree of separation. The average adult (male at least) probably knows where the local adult store is in town and can make the choice for themselves. With a designated TLD the same will hopefully become true of the internet, this I feel will weaken the argument of the censors without reducing freedom. And besides, if your that way inclined you'll know where all the good stuff is.
  • Finally... (Score:5)

    by ruin (141833) on Wednesday June 14 2000, @05:16PM (#1001506) Homepage
    I think the most obvious and necessary new TLD is .xxx, for online vendors of pornography. It would be a distinction appreciated by both lovers and haters of porn. Is there any other subject matter for which such a strict distinction exists? Imagine...

    "Last night I loaded up one of those trashy .com sites. You know, just for the articles." *snicker*

    "I think freedom of speech is fine, so long as my children don't get exposed to any of those .com sites."

    Other useful ones might be .info (public information servers), .ent (entertainment, also easily corruptible), and .dotcom (cheesy internet scams)


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