Re: [wg-c] Re: nine principles for domain names

["Ross Wm. Rader" <ross@tucows.com>]

Phillip, all;

I'm not very comfortable with the set of principles that you set forth -
comments below, but overall, this needs a lot of work before it can act as
any sort of platform (of value anyways). Comments interspersed...

> Principles affecting the relationship between a gTLD Registry  operator and
> those who may register
> 1. Certainty: a gTLD should give the net user confidence that it stands for
> what it purports to stand for.

You assume that all gTLD additions will/should stand for something.

> 2. Honesty – a gTLD should not unnecessarily increase opportunities for
> malicious or criminal elements who wish to defraud net users.
> 3. Simplicity - a gTLD should not "impose" an overly bureaucratic procedure
> on a registry.
> 

I'm not clear on how a name can increase/decrease complexity for registry
operators. If you are saying that ICANN should not impose burdensome
guidelines for registry operators, I might agree, but you aren't being
clear.

> Principles effecting the relationship between Registries
> 4. Differentiation – a gTLD should differentiate from all other gTLDs so as
> not to confuse net users.
> 5. Competition – new gTLDs should foster competition in the domain name
> space.
> 6. Diversity - new gTLDs should foster the expression of views, both
> commercial and non-commercial.
> 
> Principles with query resolution and character encoding implications
> 7. Semantics – a gTLD should be meaningful in a language with a significant
> number of net users.

Why? Is a TLD addition somehow less useful if it is only valuable to a
small subset of users? 

> 8. Findability – a gTLD should assist a net user to find a particular domain
> name.

?? TLD's were never meant to act as an index or taxonomical structure of
any sort - I fail to see where, why and how this is useful or even
valuable.

> 
> Other principles
> 9. Multiplicity - new gTLDs should become available as needed to meet the
> needs of an expanding Internet community.
> 

This is pretty trite - do you have any sense of the metrics that should be
used to determine what the needs of the community are and when new TLDs
should be introduced?

> Note: net user is used in the widest possible sense and refers both to the
> web surfer and domain name registrant.
> 

IMHO, this is a dangerous definition. I can think of several instances
where the practical needs of both of those constituencies are directly at
odds with each other.


-RWR



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Ross Wm. Rader                     http://www.domaindirect.com
Director, Assigned Names Division       http://www.opensrs.org    
TUCOWS.com Inc.                     http://www.domainwatch.com
ross@tucows.com                    http://www.domainsurfer.com
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