>> It discourages end customers from buying directly from NOMINET by a
>> charging non-members twice the amount it charges members.

>Why is the rationale for allowing non members to register directly
>at all?  Why not have nominet act purely as a clearing house for
>its members?

Perhaps someone could explain to me why there is a need for any intermediary
between the User and the entity that maintains the shared registry?  Surely
the most efficient and simplest method of operation is that the process of
applying for a domain name is a simple e-form filled in by the user which
interacts directly with the shared registry software.  There's no logical
need for intermediate Registrars - they're just an added level of
complexity.

For any SLD where the approval process can be automated (ie, there's' no
manual checking of info provided by the user) because the eligibility rules
are either:
* First Come First Served
* The user warrants that they meet the eligibility rules
* The user provides information which can be automatically checked against
an existing database (eg, they provide an ACN or ARBN)

then the User should register their domain name directly.  I registered my
business name directly - the same should apply for domain names.

There are really only two issues to be resolved:

1. The authentication issue - how does the central registry software know
that its actually the valid user making a change rather than an impostor?
And the use of public key authentication meeting the government's gatekeeper
model seems to be the way to go here.
2. The funding issue - the money to maintain the system has to come from
somewhere.  It should come from the users.  The simplest way to set it up I
think would be via on line credit card payment - the fee initially would be
about five bucks, based on the number of Oz domain names in use and rough
estimates of system running costs.

I realise this would be a blow for any entity hoping to make a living from
getting in between the end user and the actual domain name database, but
hey, the internet is all about disintermediation.  Its a bit embarrassing to
say 'hey, we've got the technology to let individual users register their
own domain names, but we won't let them because we going to keep an
unnecessary layer of bureaucracy in the middle.

If a User chooses to ask someone else to register the name for them, fine.
But there should be no surcharge on users registering directly, where the
registration process is automated.  That's just price gouging.

Regards, Mark

Mark Hughes
Director
Effective Business Applications
effectivebusiness§pplications.com.au
61 4 1374 3959