Re: [ICANN-EU] IDN or: Are users Unicode-aware?

[Jeff Williams <jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com>]

Alf and all,

Alf Hansen wrote:

> Thomas,
>
> Thank you for bringing this to the rest of us.
>
> Thomas Roessler wrote:
> >
> > This message is some kind of follow-up to Mr. Schüller's web chat
> > from this afternoon.  In the chat, Mr. Schüller argued in favor of
> > Internationalized Domain Names.  Basically, he believes that we
> > should not prescribe to people from other cultures how they are
> > going to write their name, and that users in asiatic countries who
> > don't speak English are about to be excluded from the net.
> >
> > On the other hand, personally, I'm not convinced that IDNs are a
> > good idea.
>
> IDNs (domain names using national character sets) IS a good idea, but
> the implementation of it has to wait for the technical solution provided
> by IETF.

  Why does the IETF have to provide "The" technical solution?

>
>
> > Additionally, I do believe that when they will get into
> > widespread use, some administrative proceudres may be needed on the
> > registrars' end in order to avoid a great lot of confusion.
> >
> > Here's why: Domain names are displayed to and memorized, recorded,
> > and typed by human beings.  However, this is only possible if the
> > human beings in question are able to read and distinguish the
> > characters used.  This is nicely guaranteed with phone numbers, and
> > it's kind of guaranteed with the current us-ascii character set.
> > However, assuming that we are heading towards a world with
> > internationalized domain names, this feature won't persist, since -
> > even given correctly functioning software, which I doubt will exist
> > - users are generally not Unicode-aware.  Europeans just don't read
> > Arab or Chinese alphabets in general, and Chinese people won't read
> > Hebrew.
> >
> > This implies that domain names can't be used globally any more,
> > because they can't be typed or read globally (note that phone
> > numbers can).
>
> They MUST be used globally, and the IETF has to reach a conclusion on
> how this can be achieved. It is a difficult problem, and I do not know
> the solution.

  Why does the IETF nave to reach a conclusion on this???

>
>
> > That is, domain names become close to useless as
> > globally unique addresses which they, technically, still are.
>
> Not if the IETF is able to reach a conclusion.

  Again why the IETF???

>
>
> >
> > Nevertheless, people will happily register domain names with
> > national characters in them, and note the problems they create that
> > way too late.
>
> ICANN should not open up for this until it has been proven to work
> properly.

  And how is that to be determined?  By whom?

>
>
> >
> > I do believe that domain registries should make sure that global
> > addressibility in the DNS is preserved - and be it by forcing
> > equivalent us-ascii domains upon users.
>
> Agree. That is how it works today before IDNs are operational according
> to the IETF's RFC(s).

  RFC's are "Requests for comments" NOT standards of any kind...

>
>
> >
> > (Note that just taking the us-ascii transcription of domain names
> > may not be sufficient - the IETF IDN working group's drafts say that
> > software merely MAY permit input in that transcription (I think it
> > should be a MUST), and, additionally, that transcription isn't that
> > much more aesthetic or memorable than a raw IPv6 address.)
> >
> > Comments and flames welcome.
> >
> > --
> > Thomas Roessler                         <roessler@does-not-exist.org>
>
> No flames, but comments. For now ICANN has to wait for the IETF before
> IDNs are introduced in real life.
>
> Best regards,
> --
> Alf Hansen                     Mail address:
>                                  UNINETT FAS A/S
> aha@uninett.no                   N-7465 Trondheim, Norway
> Home page:                     Phone: +47 73 55 79 00
> http://domen.uninett.no/~alf/  Fax:   +47 73 55 79 01

Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman INEGroup (Over 112k members strong!)
CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng.
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
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