Keith Moore wrote:
Keith Moore <moore(_at_)cs(_dot_)utk(_dot_)edu>:
"alternate DNS roots" aren't part of DNS. if someone wants to propose
a URN based on a DNS-like system with its own root zone, they're free
to do so and see if they can get support for it. For that matter if
someone wants to propose a URN based on some other naming system that
doesn't look like DNS they're free to do that also.
But trying to make "alternate DNS roots" fit into a DNS URI scheme is
like trying to make OIDs or some other naming scheme fit into a DNS
URI scheme. We don't need to do that - there's a separate scheme for
OIDs. And trying to do so would make DNS URIs far more complex than
they need to be - for no real benefit. For instance, how do you
assign names to the alternate roots?
By specifying the root name as a prefix?
great. then people can start arguing about who gets to maintain the
set of names for ... er... what were formally known as roots.
most of us have better things to do with our time.
I agree that alternate roots are not part of DNS as long as you
contrain your universe to be the ICANN/USG published set of DNS
names, but there are other things floating around the net that
do use the DNS protocols and do resolve names for people who
choose to use them.
there are other protocols on the net than those defined by IETF
standards, too. the fact that they exist does not compel IETF to
endorse them.
Amusingly, Richard has, by suggesting that we should name the
"alternate roots", just discovered why the whole "alternate root"
story is nonsense.
Since the DNS is a hierarchical namespace, and since trees have one
root, if you add "alternate roots", you then discover that you have
to uniquely name them, i.e. insert a new unique root "above" the various
"alternate roots".
Or to put it another way, if we need several naming authorities, one for
each "alternate root", we're going to need a naming authority to uniquely
name those naming authorities.
Funny how you can't change mathematical facts, isn't it?
However, back in the real world, the existing unique root works just fine.
Brian