So now, rather than having just .COM and .NET, an ISP will have to add .FIRM, .WEB, at least, to minimize peoples confusion. The reason so many people went to .COM was because that way no one had to REMEMBER the .COM part. It's not like www.Intel.SC.CA.US is ever going to be seen on a billboard, regardless of the price difference. Oh, the pains people go through to have short names. The need for a good index is going to be more now than ever, with having to search 12 possible names looking for "bizname.?" Gee, I just stepped on another good intention. Wonder where this road goes? Curt-

---<reposted from cmp-techweb>---

May 01, 1997

Global Telecom Body OKs New Domain Names (05/01/97; 5:00 p.m. EDT) By Malcolm Maclachlan, TechWire

GENEVA -- It's not just a ".com" world anymore.

At the close of an International conference here Thursday, dozens of organizations signed a memorandum of understanding that adds seven new top-level generic Internet domains.

The new domains -- .arts, .firm, .info, .nom, .rec, .store and .web -- join the five current, top Internet domains: .com, .org, .net, .gov and .edu. The last two names, .gov and .edu., are available only to government and educational institutions.

The announcement of the new domains came on the last day of the International Telecommunications Union conference here. The ITU, based here, is the telecommunications agency of the United Nations.

Under the plan, 28 new registrars -- four in each of the world's seven regions -- are given the right to distribute top-level addresses. Potential registrars now have 100 days to apply for one of these spots.

Network Solutions Inc. (NSI) has the exclusive right to distribute top-level domain addresses through a contract with the National Science Foundation. The NSF announced last week that it would not renew the contract, which expires in 1998.

The campaign for the new system was led by the Internet Society, a nonprofit group dedicated to "maintaining the viability and global scaling of the Internet."

"Internet top-level domain names are a public resource," said Internet Society President Don Heath at conference closing ceremonies. "They are now recognized as a public trust. This marks just the beginning of a long process in which governments will be more involved and will work with the Internet community."

The plan was also endorsed by Vinton Cerf, vice president of Internet architecture at MCI. Cerf is the researcher generally credited as being "the father of the Web."

The memorandum was signed by 57 organizations, while another 23 have stated their intention to sign. These include groups from 24 countries on four continents. Almost all the signers are companies, such as MCI and Digital Equipment, as well as non-profit advocacy groups, rather than government agencies.

"The intent was really to get the players in the industry to sign up," said Internet Society Executive Director Martin Burack, speaking from the group's Reston, Va., offices. "The governments need to be involved, but we want it to be industry self-regulation."

No More Monopoly

In the meantime, Network Solutions appears to have finally lost out on the lucrative monopoly it had controlled since 1993. It has made more than $40 million registering addresses, and stood to make far more given the continued Internet explosion.

The company said it plans to maintain control over the right to distribute .com addresses. It is unclear whether the company has the right to do this, according to the NSF.

The plan is also facing a legal challenge. Image Online Design, a web design firm, filed suit in California court today. The company is seeking an injunction against the plan on the grounds that groups involved have no legal standing to carry out their plans.

~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-,._.,-*~'`^`'~*-.._..-*~ Rob M. VanHooren +1 519 679-1155 x34 Network Engineering Services 171 Queens Avenue, Suite 320 Linkdata Communications Inc. London, CANADA Good things come to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. Yadda Yadda Yadda