On 07/14/2013 08:25 PM, Dave Crocker wrote:
On 7/14/2013 8:14 PM, Doug Barton wrote:
It is unarguably true that as things currently stand there will be
"problems" with dotless domains. How widespread, and how serious those
problems become is yet to be seen. However it is also unarguably true
that if there is sufficient market demand for dotless domains the
software folks, at both the OS and application levels, will make them
work. [1]
The effects of your putting your hand into a fire are yet to be seen.
However we have enough knowledge of things to be able to assess likely
outcomes quite accurately.
And correspondingly we have a lot of knowledge about what is likely to
happen with dotless domains, at least in the early stages. Brian already
pointed out that the overwhelming majority of end-user hosts have either
a default domain, or a search string configured. Thus for the most part
dotless domains will (again, in the early stages) be an annoyance, at
worst.
There will be some pathological cases where various people/enterprises
have been doing things that they have been told for years not to do
(hijacking "unused" TLDs) who will have some pain. I have no sympathy
for them.
Part of the annoyance will be that users will have an "inconsistent"
experience. That's been true of the Internet for years, depending on
your software, local configuration, etc. So again, nothing to see here.
In contrast, assertions about "market demand" ensuring that "software
folks... will make them work" rests on a fuzzy concept of market forces
-- for example, the market of users isn't likely to be issuing a formal
or informal 'demand' about any of this,
If you believe that's what I meant by "market forces" I'm not the one
with the fuzzy concept. :)
Google is pushing for dotless-dot-search, so you can guarantee it will
work in chromium (with or without ICANN's blessing). If sufficient
$CURRENCY (or other currency-like motivation) is thrust in the direction
of other browser vendors they will follow suit. The fact that it works
in the browser will encourage other software vendors to adapt.
... or not. I don't think it's impossible that this will fail. I don't
even think it's impossible that it will fail in a spectacular manner.
What I know it is impossible to do is prevent it from happening.
and a model of altering
installed-base behavior that has, I believe, has no historical precedent.
"I find your lack of faith ... disturbing."
It is, in fact, possible that Marshall Rose was wrong and that for some
things, there is no possible thrust sufficient to make pigs fly, or at
least not without killing an extraordinary number of other pigs.
For the record I am not in favor of harm coming to any bovine,
regardless of altitude.
Doug (get it? thrust? see what I did there?)