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> >i'm probably going to be labelled a heretic...
> 
> Sinner! :)

she's a witch! 8-)

> >the problem with domain names is that they don't scale.
> >multiple 2LD's don't solve this problem, they only complicate matters.
> >if a .biz.au, .co.au, .foo.au were created, a fair few existing domain
> >owners would be racing to register their .com.au names in the other
> >2LD's. so sometimes foo.com.au would reach foo.biz.au, but
> >bar.com.au != bar.biz.au.
> >what is wrong with moving away from the vanity names altogether &
> >going to a system much like phone numbers/car rego plates for domain names? 
> >directory services take care of the searches for entities on the net, much
> >the same way 013/altavista takes care of entities in the phone system.
> >vanity names can be obtained, however they come at a price.
> >
> >i have no magic solutions, i'm just thinking long term. this is a problem
> >the internet will have to solve. i'd like to think there is a more satisfying
> >solution than anything that i have seen proposed to date.
> 
> If we were going to go the way of car rego/phone numbers, we've already got
> the equivalent... IP addresses.

not really. dns provides one level of abstraction from IP addresses.
this adds value by providing for many domain names -> 1 IP address &
allows for domain names to move on top of the IP address layer in a relatively
seemless manner. there are probably other differences - these are the ones
which sprang to mind.
IP addresses also do not scale in their current implementation.
i'll save that rant for another forum. 

> If I had a dollar for every time I was asked "Does the Internet have an
> index?" or similar, I'd be long since retired.  And some form of absolute
> index would be required.

why absolute? what form of index that exists today for public info is
absolute? as for there being no internet index - i think are reasonable
facsimiles. & you can choose your index to suit your searching style.
i take your point these indexes aren't complete, accurate or timely,
but then the same can be said of the phone book. whether these indexes can 
be applied to the name space effectively is dependent on many factors
which i won't go into here. i feel i've digressed enough.

> The DNS is not supposed to be a directory service, but in the absence of an
> actual directory service, people who don't understand the Internet will
> persist in trying to use it as one.

but the ratio of people who "understand" the internet to those who "don't
understand" or have no wish to. i.e. users. is rapidly diminishing.
wouldn't it be better to develop a directory service as well as spending
time educating people that they're not supposed to be using DNS as a 
directory service? 

btw, i like the suggestion of using ACN numbers for a 2LD. i think that
would work much better than .biz.au etc. i also am ignorant of company law
so i am unsure what the requirements are to have an ACN/display the number on
stationary etc. this solution will also not scale across national boundaries,
nor will it cope if there is a major upheaval in securities commission policy.
it depends on which problem you are trying to solve & how long you are planning
on solving it for.

cheers,
pauline

Pauline van Winsen                                   pauline§uniq.com.au
Uniq Professional Services Pty Ltd                       www.uniq.com.au
PO Box 70, Paddington, NSW 2021,                      (Sydney) Australia
Phone: +61-2-9380-6360      Fax: +61-2-9380-6416      Pager: 016 287 000
"Never try to flirt with your boss... he's your bread & butter and
not your honey."
	The boss is not your honey - Book 3, Woman's World, circa 1964.