Re: [atlarge-discuss] HOWTO send a message to ICANN

[david@aminal.com]

On Tue, Feb 11, 2003 at 05:32:02PM -0500, espresso@e-scape.net wrote:

<snip>

> 4. People who use those URLs put a strain on the normal DNS
>    system and its infrastructure, which was designed to support
>    only the "normal" domains under the U.S./ICANN's dominion.
>    The root servers (which translate domain names humans read
>    into server addresses computers can connect to) are already
>    overburdened handling the "normal" addresses and using
>    "unauthorized" ones makes them work even harder, so using
>    URLs for the alternative namespace can be a means of protesting
>    the "normal" policy of artificially limiting the supply of
>    domain names so that commercial registrars can charge higher
>    prices [see Economics 101 for the "law of supply and demand"]
>    and artificially limiting the number of organizations "allowed"
>    to give people domain names under ICANN's "authorized" TLDs so
>    as to increase ICANN's power and income.
> 

Point four is interesting, and I wonder where you got this impression.

It is not correct.

Correctly implemented, inclusive namespaces put no additional load on
the ICANN sanctioned root servers. In fact, the system I implemented
here at Speco puts no load at all on those root servers at all, because
the function they perform is handled locally by our system. 

<snip>


> The problem I see with this method of protest, Joe, is that we
> Internet users want the Internet to be stable, reliable and
> accessible to everyone. If we 1,000 took your advice and not
> only used that URL ourselves but encouraged all our friends and
> relations to do so, we'd be causing a "technical disaster" with
> an effect opposite to what we want.

No technical disaster, people who use these systems simply bypass
ICANN controlled infrastructure.


> 
> There is also no guarantee that the official response to the
> disaster would be anything other than lumping us in with the vandals
> and terrorists: that is, finding ways to arrest and prosecute us for
> malicious attacks on the Internet. And somehow I doubt that this
> kind of "voting" would count with the technical community as
> anything but another problem.

Again, I am very curious as to how you got the impression that not
using the ICANN domain name system infrastructure could be considered
vandalism or a malicious attack on the Internet.


> I'd like to see this group start by articulating exactly
> what is wrong with the U.S./ICANN model for administration and
> governance of the Internet and lobbying against the "crony
> capitalism" as well as for improvements in both the technical
> underpinnings and the inclusion of Internet users in a more
> transparent and democratic process. I think we would need to
> do that in layman's language, so that all of our members and
> all of the technically-unadept politicians could understand
> what we're talking about.
> 

The domain name system is not as mysterious or complex as you
might think.

I agree that it is important to make the concepts accessible to
laypeople, and I'd like to help to do that.

Please feel free to contact me (privately might be best for now),
and I'll do my best to explain the hows and whys of the DNS.

If I'm succesfull, perhaps we can distill the results into
something that will be usefull for the whole group. 

Thank you,

David Schutt
Speco, Inc

> Regards,
> 
> Judyth
> 
> ##########################################################
> Judyth Mermelstein     "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..."
> Montreal, QC           <espresso@e-scape.net>
> ##########################################################
> "A word to the wise is sufficient. For others, use more."
> "Un mot suffit aux sages; pour les autres, il en faut plus."
> ##########################################################
> 
> 
> 
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