Will domains become obsolete?

[hugegrowth]

A scary thought, but I've been doing some research on
it, and here's something I found in a report. Check the dates.

3. Beyond Simple Fixes

Going beyond some of the alternatives that are currently being explored, the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council will be undertaking a study on alternatives to Internet Addressing and the Domain Name System. Their goal is to analyze possibilities for restructuring the whole system. The study will review technical alternatives and their policy implications. According to CSTB staff, the study will probably begin in January 2000, and will be completed in 12-15 months. It is possible, therefore, that within 2 years there will be a proposal that will completely restructure the current Internet addressing system, making domain names obsolete.

 

[Bender]

almost 6 years later, they haven't come up with anything...

 

[jojoyohan]

Umm. And what do you think they are going to propose? IP's? Doesn't seem likely.

 

[Sarcle]

Yeah..It seems like every other day we hear a Chicken Little "end of the internet as we know it" theory. How quickly and efficiently do you think this can possibly be done and implimented? Really? Domains will still reign, we will get paid, at least for several more years to come.

 

[financialtraffic]

To maintain the breadth and scope of the Internet as it is, I can't see how domains and/or .com, .org or .net could be eliminated.

I'm sure the major search engines would love it if domains were done away with and entire sites existed only on their bandwidth accessible only by their respective networks. But I just don't see this happening anytime soon.

 

[nts]

I think they will obviously eventually become obsolete, but I can't think of anything right now tht could possibly replace them.

 

[Anthony Ng]

Domains will still reign, we will get paid, at least for several more years to come.

Yes, several more years.

 

[Leading Names]

The thing is, what's the alternative – numbers? That would be a step backwards.

I think domains are here to stay.

- Rob

 

[octobus]

For how long have we had telephone numbers? Since the beginning, they have only added more numbers.

Why reinvent the wheel! Domains work well for directly navigating in the internet. It's definitive, there's only one of its kind in every extension. You can always use search engines for browsing the index with help of keywords.

 

[droplister]

the internet is to big to just shut down, and anything made to replace domains would be very difficult to do considering the millions of domains currently active.

 

[Anthony Ng]

Numbers? Of course NOT. Domain names (with the .dot whatver thingy) is NOT meant for the common crowd. If you want to know what would be next, just ask the office lady (who has been sending and receiving e-mail and browsing the Internet on a daily basis but has no idea what Outlook or Internet Explorer is). She will tell you when she wants something about e.g. the financial report of a certain client, the cheapest air ticket to Houston the Friday after next for her boss, or even the brand name of a new lipstick she overheard on the subway, she doesn't want to remember domain names, URLs or even bookmark anything. THAT is the future of the Internet, and why Google has been, is and will be HUGE. Stay tuned for the future.

 

[NameGuy]

Somebody is trying already.

http://www.unifiedroot.com/

though this does not replace the current system, it is meant to extend it.

 

[BLazeD]

If you want to look at all the possibilities, I suggest thinking of the 5 senses

i.e. speak into a microphone and go to a site (stupid example, but you get the idea, VR etc etc).

 

[actnow]

In the global marketing business, I have gone thru the use of transferring
information by

1. Cable address.
2. Telex number.
3. fax number.
4. EDI.

One day something will replace domain names. But, I don't know what
it will be. Nor, when it will happen.

However, it is a "given" that domain names will eventually evolve into something
else. Probably not anytime soon.

 

[hugegrowth]

I can't think of anything to replace domains either
but I'm just looking around for interests sake.

I think the example given above for telephone numbers
is a good one, although domains have qualities that
numbers don't have. People who aren't born yet, and
today's kids, will never have a shot at a decent domain name
unless they have a lot of money. Who really cares what their
telephone number is? Most people have one or two telephone
numbers, while you can have 100's or 1000's of domains.
But like a telephone number, it's a communication 'address'.

Domains are probably something like a combination of a telephone
number and real estate.

 

[Focus]

domains are the evolution of address systems and communication...they are'nt going anywhere for many many years

 

[Sarcle]

Home addresses - Still Around.
Phone Numbers - Still Around.
SSN - Still around. (Although the system may not be)

The fact is we need direction. Things have evolved and moved on but our need for something to point us in the right direction will always be there.

Once people learn to do something one way it is very hard for them to break the habit and try something else.

Someone can say Banks into a microphone, or type "banks" in the search bar, and google will return them the top listings, but unless they have banks.com to guide them they are not for sure that this is the right place they need to be, or remember where to return.

Domains fill this void, much like a home address, phone number or ssn.

For Example: I may remember that Susie (banks.com) lives in Dallas Texas and try to call the operator(google) to find her but the operator will give me five different susie's in five different locations though-out the city. It's much easier if I had just remembered her phone number.

 

[mole]

Geesh, .EU hasn't even launched yet and its already obselete?

 

[Rarethings]

I just don't see this happening anytime soon. Other than Internet2 which isn't ever geared at the mainstream user, domains will probably remain the way they are... In fact, I only see them becoming more profitable..

There have always been companies (and still are) that are trying to do away with domains for their own personal reasons (a company is challenging the ICANN right now, as a matter of fact), but the simple truth is that domains are the basis for web presence.

If not domains, then what? If you can't assign your own DNS then how would companies develop.

Sure, they could go the IP route, but I highly doubt it.

The only change I could perhaps see is doing away with standard DNS and replacing them with a more conventional way of assigning servers.

But then again, simplicity is genius...

 

[DNGeeks]

People have been commenting on the death of (insert topic here) when anything is related to the net. Usenet for example was scheduled to die at least a few hundred times, yet the protocol has remained largely unchanged in 20+ years.