On Sunday, November 24, 1996 5:54 AM, Derek Elder[SMTP:djelder@accessus.net] wrote: @ Kind sir, I have been a netizen for 10 years and a network administrator @ for an ISP for 4 years. The thing that -you- don't understand is the @ -millions- of people flocking to the net could care one little iota about @ what a root nameserver is. The only thing they care about is getting to @ www.toyota.com that they heard about on television. @ @ And I feel quite certain that www.toyota.com isn't going to turn into @ www.toyota.earth which means that the people that matter and the people @ that cause the change -- our users -- will never know that you exist. @ @ Have a very pleasant day. @ @ | Derek Elder http://www.accessus.net V.P., CIO | @ | djelder@accessus.net accessU.S., Inc. 888-637-3638 Ext. 222 | @ @ Your point is well taken. Since you have selected Toyota as an example, let's continue on that theme. Imagine, that a new solid, well-engineered set of Root Name Servers are installed in strategic places in the network. Imagine that they are not run by volunteers, like the current hodge podge collection used by most ISPs. Now, imagine that these TRUE Root Name Servers do nothing but provide other ISP Name Servers with referrals for the location of the .COM TLD Name Servers. (Unlike the current arrangement, where .COM is served off the root name servers) The question (or opportunity) arises regarding "which" .COM Top Level Domain Name Servers are supported by these Root Name Servers. If the current 9 popular .COM TLD Name Servers are used, then Toyota.COM will be visible. If on the other hand, a different collection of .COM TLD Name Servers are used (let's say for some State that wants to collect a "com" tax) then Toyota may find that it has to register with multiple .COM TLD Name Server confederations to be visible to a wide range of people. In summary, rather than Toyota just having to pay $50 per year to a company located in the State of Virginia, they could find that they have to pay $50 to each State that operates their own .COM TLD Name Servers. For Toyota, this should be pocket change and will yield States a share of the domain name taxes being raised. For small companies in the .COM domain, this could be a major expense. -- Jim Fleming UNETY Systems, Inc. Naperville, IL e-mail: JimFleming@unety.net JimFleming@unety.net.s0.g0 (EDNS/IPv8)