RE: [wg-c] So why not name.space style? [was suggestion from slashdot]

["Christopher Ambler" <cambler@iodesign.com>]

>> 1. NSI would never agree to it. If they don't agree, it's not fair
>> (and probably not legal) to make new registries have to follow
>> it. Convince NSI to agree, and it can be done.
>
>Huh? I'm sure NSI was opposed to allowing other registrars (such as
>TuCows OpenSRS) compete with them, but that certainly went
>through. Doesn't ICANN have the power to decide things like this?
>Perhaps I don't understand the power structure here -- could somebody
>enlighten me?

NSI opposed to a built-in sales force? I don't think so. Does ICANN
have the power to decide things like this? No. Now that NSI is
under contract, ICANN cannot just up and modify it. The contract
is up for renewal in 2007, I believe - THEN you could propose this.
Until then, NSI's single-registry-per-TLD model is locked by
contract.

> 2. It's not technically feasible right now, the way the system
> works. This is a weaker reason, as the system could be changed. But
> for now, it's not.

>Really? What part of the system? Where did somebody (foolishly)
>hardcode in the current list of gTLD's? Or is it a concern about
>somebody on an intranet who's been resolving my.machine to
>my.machine.intranet.com and then somebody registers my.machine in the
>global namespace? AFAIK, if you type a dot in a hostname, it should
>resolve in the global namespace first -- or else intranet admins could
>just set up their nameservers to resolve locally first, then globally.

Do you understand how DNS works? (serious question, not meant as an
insult in any way).

We're not talking the ability to add new TLDs - that's not a problem.
The problem is in creating a system where there is shared access at
the registry level. We have shared access at the REGISTRAR level, but
that means that they all contact a single central registry. In the
case of .com, that's NSI. The "name.space" model is based on the
premise that the registry can also be run by multiple companies.
While I can't even see the business model working, that's moot, as
there is no technical way that the DNS can support that now.

Christopher Ambler
chris@the.web