Pauline van Winsen - Uniq Professional Services wrote:
> 
> hi all,
> 
> > I think whatever happens it will be harder to find
> > companies on the net.
> 
> this i cannot agree with more.
> 
> > I see the best structure for DNS names as one that
> > side-steps the conflict of name issue and allows
> > a search engine to be constructed simply.
> >
> > In my mind the problem is that the people applying
> > for .com.au domain names are willing to sacrifice
> > a good structure for short-term PR advantage (the
> > supposed benefit of a name like widgets.com.au).
> 
> i'm probably going to be labelled a heretic...
> 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.
> 
> <re-entering lurk mode>
> 
> cheers,
> pauline (speaking only for myself)
> 
> Pauline van Winsen                                   pauline&#167;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
> "Another matter which must be left to your escort in restaurant dining
> is any communication with the waiter. If you want something that is
> not on the table you never ask the waiter direct, but ask your escort
> if he will ask the waiter for it."
>                Dining Out - Book 3, Woman's World, circa 1964.
Pauline

The problem with your example of registration plates is that (1) some
registration plates are intrinsically more meaningful than others eg
when nsw issued the bicentenary number plates and there was a shuffle to
get ones that had 200 in their licence (2) the authorities themselves
acknowledge their is a second tier of plates which are not run of the
mill eg mazda, adman etc.

I agree that proposals which make it more difficult to find sites should
be dropped. I include in this the introduction of a 3rd level heirarchy
by state and the artificial distinction that many have commented on
between pty companies and business names. 

If the registry adopted the us approach of allowing general words the
pool would be immediately increased within the .com.au area and we
wouldn't have people taking just .com names - the latest of which seems
to be johnlaws.com if i read his publicity correctly.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond with my thoughts.

Warm regards
Gary