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Happy Birthday, Dear DNS

Shloka writes with a snippet from Wired News: "Twenty years ago Monday, two computer scientists at the University of Southern California created a key component essential to the modern Internet. Jon Postel and Paul Mockapetris ran the first successful test of the automated domain name system, or DNS..."

158 comments

  1. Happy Birthday by laserlights2000 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Seems like just recently, it was the birthday of the "internet" among many other things, birthday season?

  2. i never know what to post in celebration threads by Neophytus · · Score: 3, Funny

    So all I'm gonna say is happy birthday. Thats the point, no? ;-)

  3. but....but...but... by tha_mink · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought Al Gore invented DNS. No?

    --
    You'll have that sometimes...
    1. Re:but....but...but... by dema · · Score: 3, Funny

      Al Gore DID invent DNS. But he would've felt bad taking all the credit, so he let the USC guys do the testing for him. I mean, Al Gore wouldn't lie, would he?

    2. Re:but....but...but... by Mononoke · · Score: 1
      Al Gore wouldn't lie, would he?
      I know you're only joking, but: No, he didn't lie.

      --
      NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
    3. Re:but....but...but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know you're only joking, but: No, he didn't lie.

      Really? It seems a bit unethical for a politician to not lie about something. If they're sometimes truthful then how are you ever going to be sure whether you can believe them or not?

    4. Re:but....but...but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Look, the guy basically admitted that he lied. So give it up already okay?

    5. Re:but....but...but... by gilleyj · · Score: 3, Funny

      Al Gore is often plagued with the unfortunate quote about him inventing the internet. According to an interview after that incident he did explain that while he didn't invent the internet and he regrets making that comment, in his own defense "I was jet lagged and tired because we were up late the night before inventing the camcorder"


      actual quote. look it up :)

      --
      feh
    6. Re:but....but...but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [ I thought Al Gore invented DNS. No? ]

      SCO's not gonna be happy about this.

  4. Presents??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hate birthdays, I never know what to get.

  5. [OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This would be kind of like palm graffiti where each "shape", that you
    draw in the silkscreen, is registered as a character.

    You would have a little panel like a "silkscreen" in the navigation bar
    on your web browser.

    To get to a particular website you would only need a input device to
    draw symbol on the "silkscreen". If you wanted to go to the website for
    Target (http://www.target.com.au/) you just draw a picture of a circle
    with a solid dot in the middle. To get to the main website for the
    Debian project (http://www.debian.org/) you draw the Debian Swirl
    (http://www.debian.org/logos/openlogo-nd-50 .png)

    Get this. There is a DNS-like naming system for these and there are
    central registries.

    When you want to use a particular "shape" for your IP you must register
    just like you would a domain name.

    You could also use this in corporate LANs' where users could use a input
    device to draw a character on the silkscreen when they needed to access
    a particular machine. This could speed-up and and simplify choosing
    which domain to log into if they need to choose from a significant
    number of them.

    The advantages for this as "domain name like" usage are ten fold when
    you consider globalisation, continued international technical
    development and last but not least the introduction of IPv6.

    People all around the world, regardless of language, will be able to
    access a website by just drawing its symbol.Businesses will love this
    and race to register their logos and trademarks.

    I do not recommend allowing people to define their own symbols or even
    have them predefined by local software as I have seen already.
    (http://www.sensiva.com/symbolcommander/ )

    This will ensure that you can go to any computer and draw the same
    symbol to access the same website.

    Please tell me if this exists already!

    regards,

    Chris Caston
    This e-mail is released under terms of the design science license:
    (http://www.dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt)

    1. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well it originally was an e-mail.

      Chris

    2. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about domains by smell-o-glyphs? I thought of that because I think your idea stinks.

    3. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This would be kind of like palm graffiti where each "shape", that you draw in the silkscreen, is registered as a character.

      In Asian languages, that "new" concept is called "ideograms".

      100.000 concepts, 100.000 ideograms. That may work for educated chinese or japanese people, but for internet websites, you're talking about gazillions of "URL graphitis", not just tens of thousands. Considering the difficulty standard computers still have translating handwritten latin alphabet, which is only 26 letters, I think this is a crackpot idea. And even if it worked, did you think about handicapped people, or blind people, who might just like to type URLs in plaintext ?

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    4. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by toddestan · · Score: 1

      First, who'd use this? I think it would be quicker and easier to just type target.com than to draw (.) or whatever. I doubt many people would buy a touchpad for their PCs to use this anyway.

      Secondly, how many different shapes do you think it will recognize? Graffiti only has to deal with numbers, letters, some symbols. Maybe 50-100 different symbols? Any more than that and they would probably look too much alike for the computer to reliably tell them apart.

      Of couse this would be a boon to the porn/spam industry, who would register something like {.} so if you draw your target sloppy you'll get to see the goatse guy or something. No thanks, I'll just use the keyboard.

    5. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      You've got one huge problem with that idea: the input device. How many consumers do you think would pay extra for a device just so they could draw instead of type domain names? Even if it was $10-$20 NOBODY would pay extra for it.

      Another major problem with your idea is that I don't see how it makes getting to websites any easier. How are people supposed to gain awareness of the symbol? In advertising? Why wouldn't you just advertise a domain name, something that everyone will be able to use. The examples that you gave are commonly associated with companies, but what about companies that don't have a symbol associated with their name? Quick, whats the symbol for google? I would think that remembering a 100 symbols for websites that I might visit only on a monthly basis would be impossible.

    6. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Cochonou · · Score: 1

      Even if it was $10-$20 NOBODY would pay extra for it.

      How many people did buy IBM Viavoice software or Dragon dictate software ?

    7. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by d3faultus3r · · Score: 1

      It could conceivably be built around standard DNS. After all, it's just using a different substitute for the IP address. instead of typing in www.something.com to connect to the IP address you'd be sending a certain symbol. However, the mechanism to interpret it would have to be highly advanced, able to recognize all of the weird drawing styles humans have. Typing it in is still easier because there's only one way to spell target(in english at least). From an ease of use standpoint it's just not worth it. Plus, imagine having to assign unique symbols to the billions or urls out there!

      --
      read my blog
      musings on politics and technol
    8. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Before you are too proud of your "new" idea, and before you start mouthing off about how great it is, realize that most likely people much smarter than you have probably already thought of it. This is especially true for something that gets as much attention as DNS. Not that it isn't possible for you to come up with an entirely new idea, but it is very unlikely and you should keep that in mind before boosting your ego too much.

    9. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was just something I thought about after smoking something.

      Regards,

      Chris

    10. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by blogan · · Score: 2, Funny

      OK, so if you want Debian, you draw a swirl. If you want Dreamcast, then draw a swirl. But if I want to go to the Crusoe website, then I would draw a swirl, right?

      Just imagine all the problems with squatting then. "I wanted to go to the White House website, but when I forgot one of the columns when drawing the little house, I went to a porn site."

    11. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by __past__ · · Score: 1
      In Asian languages, that "new" concept is called "ideograms".
      Funny, that sounds pretty european to me.
    12. Re:[OT] idea for a 'new? domain naming concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I call the phallus!

  6. Security Patch by SEWilco · · Score: 5, Funny

    And real soon now they are expected to have a DNS which is ready for use in the enterprise.

  7. So much for that idea by AndroidCat · · Score: 2, Funny
    I was going to check to see if anyone had the domain happy.birthday.to.me (using DNS to check), but the TLD .me hasn't been handed out to anyone from what I can tell.

    Amazing, well fsck.me!

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
    1. Re:So much for that idea by Dicky · · Score: 1
      There are alternatives you know...

      Except that it apparently contravenes naming rules. :-(

      --
      Paranoia isn't an infectious condition, it's a way of life
    2. Re:So much for that idea by mnewton32 · · Score: 1

      there's always happy.birthday.to.yu

  8. You know... by Faust7 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "The system was built to expand but not necessarily to be secure,"

    Holy tapdancing Christ, really?

  9. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Back when these guys were creating early Internet technologies, they were called geeks. Now, they're recognized as pioneers of the Internet. Too bad there're getting to old for the girls to notice.

    1. Re:Finally by Ella+the+Cat · · Score: 4, Funny

      Too bad they're getting too old for the girls to notice

      Now they get noticed by women ...

    2. Re:Finally by dema · · Score: 1

      Something tells me today's aLt CaP sYmBoL*!& LoViNG FeMaLeS !@&* wouldnt be very impressed. Unless they pioneered some new way to write annoying text.

    3. Re:Finally by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 1

      Not so much noticed by women, more tripped over or stood upon in John Postels case alas (he died 5 years ago).

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    4. Re:Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Now they get noticed by women ...

      I should hope dead ones in Mr. Postel's case. Rest in peace man, rest in peace. Truly a pioneer.

    5. Re:Finally by mnewton32 · · Score: 1

      Too bad they're getting too old for the girls to notice
      Now they get noticed by women ...


      and what fun is that? (ducks as wife throws a shoe)

  10. Celebrate... by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 4, Insightful

    but don't sing Happy Birthday or you'll get screwed for copyright infringement.

    --
    Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
    1. Re:Celebrate... by tvm662 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      According to this page the copyright is owned by a company that is now part of AOL Time Warner and it brings in two million dollars every year in royalties.

      Tom.

    2. Re:Celebrate... by xombo · · Score: 1

      Happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy bithday dear DNS happy birthday to you.

      sosumi

  11. Well thats just retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I mean, how am I supposed to draw the goatsex man!?!

    1. Re:Well thats just retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Try this: (=0=)
      I wonder who's gonna get penisbird.

  12. Time to celebrate, everyone! by Saint+Aardvark · · Score: 3, Funny
    #!/usr/local/bin/bash

    for i in a b c d e f g h i j k m
    do
    dig @${i}.root-servers.net *.com axfr
    done

    1. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by G-funk · · Score: 1

      eh? I don't speak .sh, what's dig do?

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
    2. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      man dig

    3. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Parent is advocating a Rude thing to do, namely to query each of the root servers for all of the names they know about.

      dig ("domain internet gropre") is a tool for interrogating DNS servers about the various named objects they can identify - hosts, networks, mailservers, etc.

    4. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by moonbender · · Score: 2, Informative
      Done:
      NAME

      dig - send domain name query packets to name servers

      SYNOPSIS

      dig [@server] domain [<query-type>] [<query-class>] [<query-option>]
      [-<dig-option>] [%comment]

      DESCRIPTION

      Dig (domain information groper) is a flexible command line tool which can
      be used to gather information from the Domain Name System servers. Dig
      has two modes: simple interactive mode for a single query, and batch mode
      which executes a query for each in a list of several query lines. All
      query options are accessible from the command line.

      ...
      Full manpage.
      --
      Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
    5. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dig @${i}.root-servers.net *.com axfr

      That won't work at all, unless you have files named *.com in the working directory. Besides that, you don't need the proprietary GNU shell, plain jane /bin/sh will, and it can be a simple oneliner:

      for i in a b c d e f g h i j k m; do dig @${i}.root-servers.net *.com axfr;done

      Brett 'Turbo' Glass

    6. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the proprietary GNU shell

      *yawn* smack smack ...interesting...

    7. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by uid8472 · · Score: 1

      First, you don't want the *. Second, it's the GTLD servers, not the root servers, that are authoritative for com., as a simple NS query will show. Thus:

      for i in a b c d e f g h i j k m; do dig @$i.gtld-servers.net com. axfr; done
    8. Re:Time to celebrate, everyone! by oobar · · Score: 1

      And none of them will allow a zone transfer (AXFR), so this entire thread is incorrect.

      To actually get the com/net/org zone files, you have to sign and return this big nasty thing promising not to spam or otherwise abuse the data. After processing you are assigned a username and password with which you can FTP the zone files.

  13. Awh, so cute! by rosewood · · Score: 4, Informative

    Its funny because I just setup my first authoritive DNS server ever this week. It was fun stuff.

    I used safari.oreilly.com to get me the DNS and BIND book + other helpful things all for (well free for 2 weeks) $15. Thats just friggen awesome.

    Ill just add this little tidbit: SBC has its in-addr.arpa. shiz setup as IN-ADDR.ARPA. Aparently this makes a big fucking difference. So, if tomorrow you decide to celebrate 20 years of DNS by setting up a new authoritive server with SBC, make sure you setup your zone file to be authoritive for IN-ADDR.ARPA. not in-addr.arpa. like the books say :)

  14. Modern world by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Isn't it weird that people take automated name resolving for granted in the internet world, and yet don't find it odd to have to look up other people up themselves manually in another, older, even bigger world wide network called the "telephone system", using an regionalized locally-cached database called the "phone directory" that's updated only once a year ? In the 21st century, I find it really surprising that phones still feature a 10 key touchpad and cheapo dialtones to talk to you.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    1. Re:Modern world by bj8rn · · Score: 1

      But there is only one slashdot.org and there are many, many John Smiths in New York...

      --
      Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
    2. Re:Modern world by cperciva · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Servers move far more frequently than people do. I've had the same phone number for 22 years now; if slashdot.org used the same IP address for 22 years, I might start to access it without using DNS.

    3. Re:Modern world by bj8rn · · Score: 1

      And, you can always memorize all the phone numbers you need.

      --
      Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
    4. Re:Modern world by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 1

      But there is only one slashdot.org and there are many, many John Smiths in New York...

      Well then, how come you manage to find the right John Smith in New York using the phone book ? because you also look up the street address, city and state. Did I say people should be looked up by name only in my previous post ?

      I don't know what's trollish about wanting telephones with a keyboard and screen to look up people directly from the phone line, instead of using the phone book. The French nearly got that right : you can look up people with the Minitel, but the Minitel doesn't connect you directly, you still have to dial manually.

      The only thing I'm saying is this : printing phone directories and requiring people to dial numbers is turn of the previous century technology, and I think there should be a better, cheaper, more elegant way of doing this by now, but there isn't, which is odd.

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    5. Re:Modern world by Zarhan · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I don't know, but I would assume that even in the US you can get the same things as here in Finland - electronic phonebooks, available online in the web, on CD-ROM, or accessible via SMS (Just type in FIND [address] [hometown] and send it to number 15400, you'll get the number in reply. When using my company phone and need something (such as a taxi when I'm on business trip), I usually just dial to a phonebook service and ask them to connect me directly.

      So, we're hardly limited to a once-a-year updated books...

    6. Re:Modern world by d3faultus3r · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's the qwerty phenomenom. People have used it so many times it's ingrained in them. Plus, just about everyone has a phone in the industrialized world and even in the developing world most people have access to a phone. Imagine trying to reassign phone numbers based on some other system to all of those people while keeping the network up. It's a system that works quite well, so why spend massive amounts to change it?

      --
      read my blog
      musings on politics and technol
    7. Re:Modern world by Micro$will · · Score: 1

      We have that here in the US, but it's not used by actual people. It's used primarily by telemarketing scum to find your number and call you at dinner time to sell you crap you don't want. My number is listed pretty much everywhere, but I'm on the NY do not call list, which is IMO the most important listing to be on.

    8. Re:Modern world by bj8rn · · Score: 1
      The only thing I'm saying is this : printing phone directories and requiring people to dial numbers is turn of the previous century technology, and I think there should be a better, cheaper, more elegant way of doing this by now, but there isn't, which is odd.

      You know, phones were invented in the 19th century, in a way, they are outdated. I don't remember when I last used a phone directory to find another person's number - most of those I know have mobiles (and almost all of the rest have no phone at all...) In some countries there are already as many (or even more) cellphones in use than "traditional" phones. Phone directories are dying with phones. The 21st century technology isn't telephone, it's email or something like that.

      --
      Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
    9. Re:Modern world by Pflipp · · Score: 1

      Yes. I'm working on a solution for that. At least have been for years. You know how this goes for hobby projects.

      The solution is called SoFiNet (from the Dutch "social-fiscal number", popularized as "sofinummer"; US citizens may just like refer to it as SSNet). The idea is that you resolve people's PC's not by their Internet address, not by their domain names, but by the Social Security Number of their users. This is also ideal for applications like Instant Messaging, personal email, etc. Would also help you to track down lost friends.

      The project is semi-serious, but I'm trying to make this work at a level that most present-day Internet programs can easily adopt to it, so for instance, by means of an alternative DNS system. BTW, the same thing can also be abused for any other personal ID systems, like Slashdot UIDs. I don't think this should be illegal as long as we don't force anyone to log in on SoFiNet.

      Ohw c'mon, you trust your government, don't you?

      --
      "We can confirm that Debian does *not* ship the version with the trojan horse. Our version predates it." [CA-2002-28]
    10. Re:Modern world by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 1
      Servers move far more frequently than people do. I've had the same phone number for 22 years now; if slashdot.org used the same IP address for 22 years, I might start to access it without using DNS.

      But do you really? You don't have a pager, cell phone, fax, work phone number, etc.? I've changed my cell phone carrier (and number) at least 4 or 5 times in the past 7 years, my home phone number 3 times in the past 5 years, and my work phone number 3 times in the past 5 years. I've had 7 different pager numbers in the last 7 years as well. Do people know how to get ahold of me? How should I know? That's why I tell them to use pencil when writing my info down in a phone book. I'd much rather have one number or alphanumeric name that I could program that someone could dial and always reach me at.

    11. Re:Modern world by cperciva · · Score: 1

      But do you really? You don't have a pager, cell phone, fax, work phone number, etc.?

      As it happens, no, I don't have any of the above.

    12. Re:Modern world by __past__ · · Score: 1
      We have that here in the US, but it's not used by actual people. It's used primarily by telemarketing scum to find your number and call you at dinner time to sell you crap you don't want.
      Sounds a lot like DNS to me. Unless you've run your own mail server, you wouldn't believe how much spam you get at any plausible-sounding-name@whatever.domain.in.any.tld
    13. Re:Modern world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Isn't it weird that people take automated name resolving for granted in the internet world, and yet don't find it odd to have to look up other people up themselves manually in another, older, even bigger world wide network called the "telephone system", using an regionalized locally-cached database called the "phone directory" that's updated only once a year ? In the 21st century, I find it really surprising that phones still feature a 10 key touchpad and cheapo dialtones to talk to you.

      I think thats where the term K.I.S.S. came from - Keep it Simple Stupid. The system has worked for a long time, and I don't think theres any reason to change it now. Imagine if your phone got some new 'phone worm' and you weren't able to call your mother whos dying from cancer. Its best to build upon what we already have, or create new systems that might emulate what we have, but with a system that has worked as well as it has for as long as it has, why change it?

    14. Re:Modern world by __past__ · · Score: 1
      The solution is called SoFiNet (from the Dutch "social-fiscal number", popularized as "sofinummer"; US citizens may just like refer to it as SSNet).

      You should seriously consider finding another acronym before offering that in germany...

      The idea is that you resolve people's PC's not by their Internet address, not by their domain names, but by the Social Security Number of their users. This is also ideal for applications like Instant Messaging, personal email, etc.

      But I have several computers, and only one social security number. I have one server at a large hoster that handles web and mail for me, and a few desktops at home where I would want to use IM on.

      Perhaps even more severe, many german students don't have their social security number yet, because you only get it when you need it, i.e. when you have you first job that is "Sozialversicherungpflichtig" (many students jobs are not). How would that be handled? (No flame intended, I seriously want to know)

    15. Re:Modern world by Old+Wolf · · Score: 1

      There are phones like that. However, at a cost of about $1000 a pop, people prefer to use the phone book (and perhaps buy a PC with a web browser and have money left over).

    16. Re:Modern world by Pflipp · · Score: 1

      (No flame intended, I seriously want to know)

      A little too serious, perhaps? ;-)

      Even if I'd ever finish anything, it would merely function as a great practical joke about the "your Sofinumber will only be used for fiscal stuff and will not become a general number the government will use to track your every step with" guarantee that's been firmly stated to the people when the SSN was introduced in America and later in the Netherlands.

      Social Security Numbers have since become part of the Dutch (and American, I believe) passport and identity card system. I belive that in America SSN abuse can be a real topic for those who still care about such things. As for students, the study finance system works with your Sofinummer as well here (not that that is so bad).

      So actually, if your country's system can't be abused for a concept like SoFiNet, you can just consider yourself lucky. Or you might always still be able to hop in using your Slashdot ID. Whatever :-)

      --
      "We can confirm that Debian does *not* ship the version with the trojan horse. Our version predates it." [CA-2002-28]
    17. Re:Modern world by 4of12 · · Score: 1

      better, cheaper, more elegant way of doing this by now

      I wish.

      I do notice that the directory services will dial the number for you, which is convenient.

      But the still charge the better part of US$1 for the service, so cheap is not a feature.

      I keep thinking that there should be directory service through the fancier cell phone displays, which could use alphabetical listings, sending and receiving text to update the display the same way that personal directory listings are on my Motorola v60i.

      As you key in the alphabetical sequence the display should update to narrow down the focus and enable you to scroll and click on the right number.

      And, it ought to have a way of looking through old numbers you've dialed (caching) as well as completely new searches.

      Until then, I'm keeping a phone book in my car to cut down the expense of directory assistance look ups of the numbers for restaurants in my area.

      --
      "Provided by the management for your protection."
  15. Internet and the telephone by geekmetal · · Score: 0

    Reading the article made me wonder how much of the initial internet design was heavily based upon the telephone networks.

    --
    There are two kinds of egotists: 1) Those who admit it 2) The rest of us
  16. C'mon by Isbiten · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    No need to post Wired articles all the time. If you like them so much you might as well go there and read them everyday.

    --
    I fought the corporate America, and the corporate America bought the law.
  17. Now they tell me! by The+Spelling+Nazi · · Score: 5, Funny

    the automated domain name system, or DNS...

    AUTOMATED domain name system? So I DON'T have to manually add every host on the Internet to my HOSTS file?

    Someone could have told me this a lot sooner!

    1. Re:Now they tell me! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh, the company I work for still does! The hosts file is like 10 GB on each workstation.

  18. Happy Birthday! by citizenc · · Score: 5, Funny

    Happy birthday, DNS! I wasn't sure how else to celebrate, so:

    -bash-2.05b$ nslookup happy.com
    Server: dnsr01-eth0.nyc01.dsl.net
    Address: 216.175.203.50

    Non-authoritative answer:
    Name: happy.com
    Address: 64.45.128.45

    -bash-2.05b$ nslookup birthday.com
    Server: dnsr01-eth0.nyc01.dsl.net
    Address: 216.175.203.50

    Non-authoritative answer:
    Name: birthday.com
    Address: 207.5.97.78

    -bash-2.05b$ nslookup dns.com
    Server: dnsr01-eth0.nyc01.dsl.net
    Address: 216.175.203.50

    Non-authoritative answer:
    Name: dns.com
    Address: 127.0.0.1

    *Shrug* =)

    1. Re:Happy Birthday! by Pflipp · · Score: 1

      Name: dns.com
      Address: 127.0.0.1


      Hey, that's remarkable. I didn't know that dns.com points towards my (or your) own computer, but in effect, yes, it does!

      --
      "We can confirm that Debian does *not* ship the version with the trojan horse. Our version predates it." [CA-2002-28]
    2. Re:Happy Birthday! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't rely on dns.com pointing to 127.0.0.1 -- it's just some DSL user who's got it set up like that.

    3. Re:Happy Birthday! by kasperd · · Score: 2, Funny

      I didn't know that dns.com points towards my (or your) own computer, but in effect, yes, it does!

      Now it is about time to tell all those kidies who are the gratest wannabe crackers, that now they have the chance to become famous. Just DDoS dns.com, caus' they as all us others know how important dns is to the internet.

      --

      Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
  19. Typo-squatting happened one day later by Kickstart70 · · Score: 4, Funny

    when some ham-fingered PFY typed in 'sxe.com'

    1. Re:Typo-squatting happened one day later by rplacd · · Score: 1

      This is sort of off-topic, but I don't see "sxe.com" as necessarily being typo-squatting.
      sxe = sexy!

  20. Using the Internet before DNS by Animats · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I remember the old days, when you had to download the HOSTS.TXT file from SRI-NIC, using anonymous FTP. Adding a host required talking to people at SRI. Name propagation took months, because many sites didn't update their HOSTS.TXT site frequently. (Parts of the MILNET still work that way, for security reasons.)

    ARPANET IMP addresses were orignally 8 bits. They were expanded from 8 to 16 bits in the late 1970s, but some sites didn't upgrade their software and only talked to host numbers below 256. So having a low host number (1..255) meant something.

    I got the fifth Class B IP block (128.5.xxx.xxx) for Ford, and that was being nice - we probably could have gotten a class A. BBN had four class A blocks back then.

    And there was no spam. Not ever.

    1. Re:Using the Internet before DNS by HiKarma · · Score: 2, Interesting

      No spam ever? That even predates DNS.

      See This Slashdot story

    2. Re:Using the Internet before DNS by smkndrkn · · Score: 0

      BBN still has quite a bit of address space. I work there currently. I wish I could remember what we have off the top of my head but I don't. But I belive its "multiple Cass Bs" now.

      --
      ======== In the future, everything will be artificial. ========
    3. Re:Using the Internet before DNS by edhall · · Score: 3, Insightful

      As you imply, back in the really old days, there was effectively only one class C (later an effective class B) for the entire ARPANET (although they didn't actually have such a thing as "class A," "class B," and so on back then). Everyone was on net 10, e.g. 10.0.0.1, 10.0.0.2, and so on. The place I worked at then (RAND) had 10.0.0.7. I'm sure that at the time some folks thought that using four address bytes was gross overkill, but in retrospect it was amazingly far-sighted.

      It's not a coincidence that when the Great Split of the ARPANET into MILNET and the public Internet happened, net 10 was declared dead (and thus unrouted). That's why the entire class A net 10 is now used only for private networks (along with net 192.168), since these addresses will never be used on the public network (and aren't likely to get anywhere should they "escape").

      -Ed
    4. Re:Using the Internet before DNS by stanwirth · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well I used to update our /etc/hosts (in Unix, we don't use the suffix -- you must have been on one of them VMS machines, calling it HOSTS.TXT!) every friday without fail-- but then, campus networking would do the (long, slow) download from sri.nic.arpa for the benefit for the rest of the sysadmins, plus you could get just a patch and apply the diffs -- so it wasn't that big a deal to get it over the network, no hours of babysitting an FTP link back to the mothership SRI. Sort of like the way DNS actually works now -- like a phone tree.

      I figured they got the idea of how to set up the DNS distributed hierarchical database bits by studying the pattern of how people actually distributed their hosts files -- and wouldn't it be nice if they'd only have to distribute the changes: just like sending out weekly patches. Plus ca change, plus ca change pas.

      When we got ahold of the first alpha and beta versions of BIND in the mid-80's, downloading the hosts table was still preferable because there were just too many bugs in BIND at that stage. It's kind of annoying that so little stuff is set up to fall back to the hosts tables properly anymore.

    5. Re:Using the Internet before DNS by Ben+Hutchings · · Score: 3, Informative

      Ford did get a class A - 19.0.0.0/8:

      $ whois NET-19-0-0-0-1
      OrgName: Ford Motor Company
      OrgID: FORDMO
      Address: P.O. Box 2053, RM E-1121
      City: Dearborn
      StateProv: MI
      PostalCode: 48121-2053
      Country: US

      NetRange: 19.0.0.0 - 19.255.255.255
      CIDR: 19.0.0.0/8
      NetName: FINET
      NetHandle: NET-19-0-0-0-1
      Parent:
      NetType: Direct Assignment
      NameServer: DNS004.FORD.COM
      NameServer: DNS003.FORD.COM
      Comment:
      RegDate: 1988-06-15
      Updated: 1999-12-07

      TechHandle: ZF4-ARIN
      TechName: Ford Motor Company
      TechPhone: +1-313-390-7095
      TechEmail: dnsadmin@ford.com

      # ARIN WHOIS database, last updated 2003-06-22 21:05
      # Enter ? for additional hints on searching ARIN's WHOIS database.
  21. Success? by Alomex · · Score: 4, Funny

    first successful test of the automated domain name system, or DNS...

    Conventional wisdom is that we have yet to witness such a thing.

  22. I'm sorry by Gothmolly · · Score: 1, Troll

    that you're using BIND. When you get r00ted next week when the LATEST hole is dicovered, maybe you'll switch to a real DNS server.
    Yes, Nehril, this is a troll.

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
    1. Re:I'm sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well provided you keep yourself patched, then there isnt a problem is there.

      Not of all of us are lazy Windows admins ;)

    2. Re:I'm sorry by Electrum · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well provided you keep yourself patched, then there isnt a problem is there.

      But why patch at all when you can use secure software in the first place?

    3. Re:I'm sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      djbdns can't do half of the stuff that bind can do, and it's author is an egotistical tweaker. Are you, Gothmolly, DJB's alter ego?

    4. Re:I'm sorry by __past__ · · Score: 1
      But why patch at all when you can use secure software in the first place?
      You mean software where the author will never release patches because he dismisses all problem reports as trolling?
    5. Re:I'm sorry by Old+Wolf · · Score: 1

      yeah. I've found that djb's dnscache will stop responding to queries after a while (few days or so), and I have to HUP it. I dont like my chances of discovering a fix for the problem though.
      Having said that, it's still preferable to the Bloated IND.

    6. Re:I'm sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Surely you do not refer to Windows! Hahaha!!

    7. Re:I'm sorry by Electrum · · Score: 1

      yeah. I've found that djb's dnscache will stop responding to queries after a while (few days or so), and I have to HUP it. I dont like my chances of discovering a fix for the problem though.

      Can you provide any evidence of this?

    8. Re:I'm sorry by jo42 · · Score: 1

      Error!

      License Not Compatible With Linux Religion.

      REBOOT

    9. Re:I'm sorry by Geekboy(Wizard) · · Score: 1

      fwiw, my setup does this as well. it takes about a week, and I update my server more often than that (I run -current on my server)

  23. In related news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    SCO says it owns DNS and will sue everyone on the internet for using it because it violates their intellectual property rights. They have detected what appears to be similar code spread across any damn computer connected to the internet.

    More fake news at 11...

  24. TL-whats? by Spudley · · Score: 1

    from the better-than-most-tlas dept.

    Oh, it's TLAs. D'oh! I read that as "better than most TLDs". :-D

    --
    (Spudley Strikes Again!)
  25. Cease & Desist by Tokerat · · Score: 5, Funny


    Re: Infringements of HAPPY BIRTHDAY Copyrights and Trademarks

    I write as attorney for the Recording Industry Association of America ("RIAA").

    As you are, no doubt, aware, RIAA owns all of the rights to the musical composition entitled HAPPY BIRTHDAY and all derivatives, including HOW OLD ARE YOU NOW, and the YOU SMELL LIKE A MONKEY remix (collectively the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY Properties"). These rights are protected by numerous copyrights trademarks in both the compositions themselves and the lyrics, sheet music, and other elements appearing in those compositions.

    We have recently learned that you have posted various elements of the HAPPY BIRTHDAY Properties on your site at slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/22/172247. For example, we refer to your posting entitled "Happy Birthday, Dear DNS" (the "Synopsis"). Your posting of these items is an infringement of RIAA's rights in the HAPPY BIRTHDAY Properties.

    Based upon the foregoing, we hereby demand that your confirm to us in writing within ten days of receipt of this letter that: (i) you have removed all infringing materials from your site, including the aforementioned Synopsis and all HAPPY BIRTHDAY references; and (ii) you will refrain from posting any similar infringing material on the Internet or any other on-line service in the future.

    The foregoing is without waiver of any and all rights of the Recording Industry Association of America, all of which are expressly reserved herein.

    Very truly yours,
    Troll.
    [Attorney]

    --
    CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
    1. Re:Cease & Desist by Reckless+Visionary · · Score: 1

      Quite funny, and this made me google it. Snopes has a great history of the copyright ownership of "Happy Birthday", which is currently controlled by a division of AOL Time Warner until 2030. That is, until copyrights are extended. . .again.

      --
      I think I'll stop here.
  26. Today is MY birthday! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No joke! I turned 19 today.

    Kinda sad I'm surfing slashdot on my b-day, eh?

    1. Re:Today is MY birthday! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its kinda sad you are surfing /. regardless of the fact that its your birthday ;)

    2. Re:Today is MY birthday! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      congrats!

      Pflipp

    3. Re:Today is MY birthday! by dotgain · · Score: 1

      Number of Slashdot UID's taken = approx 680,000.
      680,000 / 365.25 = probably about 1,862 slashdotters enjoying their birthday with DNS today.
      Sorry, you can carry on feeling special now.

  27. it's called LDAP by axxackall · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I know, LDAP is designed to host and distribute personal user acount info, while you want LDAP for everyone, not only computer users. But the problem is that outside of computer industry itself computer information services are either expensive or useless.

    Twenty years is not really a long time interval to change our social life revolutionary. Although, it was in last 20 years that Internet have become a part of our life. Or have it?

    Most of information services in Internet are about other Internet informational services or about Internet technologies. No wonder: when it is growing on shoulders of Internet enthusiasts they publish what they know. And the best they know is Internet itself.

    The picture was going to change with B2C, but the boom has collapsed saddenly, and then all investors have frozen their money waiting when Mr. President will finally all his wars he's planned. I guess once he's doneand investors are back then B2C will take it's second chance and then we'll finally see more and more infomration services about resources directly not related to internet nor to computer industry.

    Another factor is that ma-bells in their core services are far from being "internetized". They might still afraid Internet after ATT was hacked famously in eary 1980s. I worked in ATT. I remember that Internet is prohibitted for all workstations (exception: http proxy for some of them). It's just an illustration of paranoid anti-internet environment there.

    Another factor is the modern anti-spam trend - people afraid spam and telemarketing and they don't want to publish their personal info like phone numbers and email addresses. I guess until there will be a law (international, as domestic laws do not protect such international thing as Internet) protecting from spam and from telemarketing, until then people will not let their info being published.

    Conclusion: let Mr. Bush finish his wars and investors to re-animate B2C, let ma-bells leave their paranoid fears of Internet, let the law protect people from the spam - and you'll be able to use LDAP to find you friends even if they are not connected to Internet.

    --

    Less is more !
    1. Re:it's called LDAP by Surak · · Score: 2, Informative

      The picture was going to change with B2C, but the boom has collapsed saddenly, and then all investors have frozen their money waiting when Mr. President will finally all his wars he's planned. I guess once he's doneand investors are back then B2C will take it's second chance and then we'll finally see more and more infomration services about resources directly not related to internet nor to computer industry.

      You're kidding, right? You don't *really* think that the dot-com crash had something to do with Bush do you?

      Now, I'm no big Bush supported (well, a different kind of big bush, but that's a different story ;), but I also can say with absolute certainty that the dot-com crash had little, if anything, to do with the Bush administration. It was already well on it's way to crashing before Bush took the White House.

      The dot-com crash came about mostly because people were being disingenious about an Internet-based economy. Various people in these dot-com startups were going around thinking they could run a business by selling a product for less than it cost them to produce. Any 1st year business school student (heck, any 1st grader even!) could tell you that you can't make money doing that. It's ludricrous! So the venture capital dried up, the companies went bust, and *big surprise* Wall Street investors pulled all their money out of dot-com stocks.

      Little, if anything, had to do with Bush and his wars. Bush and his wars *did* cause a freeze in economic markets, and *did*contribute to an *already* unstable economy (due mostly to the dot-com crash) but it didn't in any sense of the word create the dot-com crash.

    2. Re:it's called LDAP by axxackall · · Score: 1
      I did not tell that dot-com crashed b/c of Bush. I just told that after dot-com has crashed it did not have its chances to reburn yet b/c of Bush.

      In other words, if Bush would not have his wars, dot-com would restructure and come up again.

      I don't believe that Bush failed dot-com. But I do believe that Bush has made (and still is making) everything possible to keep dot-com down as long as it's possible.

      Since 2001 US administration has very many chances to help dot-com industries. US goverment has very badly designed, very useless, very outdate web-servers and web-services. Would Bush give goverment contracts to web development companies it would certainly help. I guess he didn't do it as (1) he doesn't own any web development company, (2) he doesn't undestand what is Internet about, (3) his companies mine oil or other way oil-related and it was in his interests to keep oil prices as higher as possible - no time for any other job left.

      --

      Less is more !
    3. Re:it's called LDAP by Surak · · Score: 1

      I don't think it was Bush's intention to keep the dot-coms down. Bush *did* contribute problems to an already hurting economy by creating uncertainty with this wars. But I don't think that his intentions were to keep dot-coms down.

      As far as the outdated web servers goes, I'm sure this has more to do with budget cuts then anything else. Bush slashed spending and the last thing that's going to get updated are the Web servers. You have to put your money into your actual program (whatever that is -- be it Social Security, welfare, housing, military, infrastructure, whatever) before you can put it into niceties like a Web server. And with all the problems we have as a nation, I'd rather the money be spent on actual programs that on Web sites to that do little more than educated the public. Clearly housing the homeless or feeding the hungry are more important goals than having a Web server talking about housing the homeless or feeding the hungry. Make sense?

    4. Re:it's called LDAP by axxackall · · Score: 1
      Clearly housing the homeless or feeding the hungry are more important goals than having a Web server talking about housing the homeless or feeding the hungry. Make sense?

      That would make sense with any other adminstration. But Bush cuts taxes telling that the money going back to people and that must create (somehow magically) more work places. I think that b/c the US economy was hurt first of all in dot-com and internet industries than it would make more sense to create work places specially in those industries. Thus it still makes sense to me to give goverment contract to dot-com and internet companies rather than to cut taxes.

      Well, sometimes I think that Bush cuts taxes "to give money back to people" b/c he thinks that people know what to do with those money much better than US administration, don't you think?

      --

      Less is more !
    5. Re:it's called LDAP by Surak · · Score: 1

      The purpose of the tax cuts as stated by the Bush administration was to provide a part of an economic stimulus package. Basically, its purpose was the improve the economy. It was predicted at the time of its passage that the economy would likely pick up in the second half of the year. Well, it's June, and there are signs of an economic recovery now.

      How much of that is due to the tax cuts and how much of that is due to a return from uncertain times regarding war and such is uncertain. Overall, I'd have to say it's a little of both probably. The problem is that the economy in our country is mostly based on consumer spending (whether that be on goods, services, or homes or what have you), and on the commodities markets and consumers and commodities traders (stocks, bonds, or actual commodities such as gold, coffee, oil, etc) are so fickle that determining why the economy does what it does is a rather subjective and very complex process. There are so many different variables that it's difficult to give 100% credit to the Bush administration -- or any part of government, really. But, IMHO, much of the credit for the currently in-progress economic recovery can be laid on both Bush's tax cuts and on a return to less turbulent times.

      Of course, this doesn't it the slightest bit alter rather negative view of the Bush administration, in light of the civil liberties that they have taken away from me, or in light of their rather poor handling of foreign policy thus far.

  28. post-Postel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Postel is also (sadly) dead.

  29. "12 so-called root servers" ???????? by gbitten · · Score: 1

    He means:
    "still lives on just 13 so-called root servers"

    http://www.root-servers.org/

  30. It was 20 years ago today... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sgt Postal built an SOA
    He invented a canonical style
    That stored the CNAME in DNS file
    So may I introduce to you
    The hack you've known for all these years
    Sgt Postal's lonely group ICANN

    ©1983 Jon Postel and Paul Mockapetris

  31. celebrate DNS by anwyn · · Score: 2, Funny

    In order to celebrate, somebody create a hosts file for the Internet, then everybody download it!

    1. Re:celebrate DNS by xombo · · Score: 1

      is there a way to obtain a hosts.txt of all the dns records that exist?

    2. Re:celebrate DNS by Quill_28 · · Score: 1

      You could set-up up a script to attempt this but the data would never be update-to-date. And you would always be modifiying your hosts file. So in short the answer is no.

  32. Let's not forget Dr. Vinton Cerf by dmehus · · Score: 4, Informative

    On this anniversary, let us not forgot one of the other fathers of the Internet, Dr. Vinton Cerf who co-created the TCP/IP protocol and was a major contributor to the invention of DNS. Dr. Cerf is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors at ICANN and Senior Vice President for Architecture and Technology at MCI®. So, Dr. Cerf, combined with Dr. Postel and Mr. Mockapetris, are the three fathers (or, father, mother, and uncle) of the Internet.

    Best,
    Doug

    1. Re:Let's not forget Dr. Vinton Cerf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought you said "Dr. Mockpenis" for minute there. Hyenas have mock penises.

    2. Re:Let's not forget Dr. Vinton Cerf by munter · · Score: 1
      Bah humbug.

      Vint was one of the key guys sure. But I'm pretty sure that it's a whole cast of people.Not_just_Vint

      Ref RFC3.

      "...The Network Working Group seems to consist of Steve Carr of Utah, Jeff Rulifson and Bill Duvall at SRI, and Steve Crocker and Gerard Deloche at UCLA. Membership is not closed..."

      Personally I think it is against the collaborative nature of The Internet to single out individuals.

      The Internet is not primarily based on TCP/IP. It is based on this notion: "...I want to connect with you..."

      (yes I know this is blatantly technically wrong - but you get my point right?)

      Let's all take this moment to reflect that the Netheads have won. A collaborative philosophy is better than a closed one.

      Let us remember that it was a team that gave us The Internet. Not individuals. Think about it.

    3. Re:Let's not forget Dr. Vinton Cerf by mabu · · Score: 1

      Judging from the progress of ICANN, Dr. Cerf might want to resign and salvage what's left of his reputation post haste.

    4. Re:Let's not forget Dr. Vinton Cerf by aminorex · · Score: 1

      I think you meant "father, mother, and father's
      *ahem* friend".

      --
      -I like my women like I like my tea: green-
  33. Target with a hole? by Iron+Monkey543 · · Score: 1

    If you wanted to go to the website for Target (http://www.target.com.au/) you just draw a picture of a circle with a solid dot in the middle.

    But then what's there for goatse??

  34. You're 100% wrong! SCO owns DNS! by Newer+Guy · · Score: 3, Funny
    SCO chairman Darryl McDrivel today asserted SCO's claims of them owning the Internet, DNS, IRC and FTP. "We're 100% sure of this. Unix started the Internet, so by extension we own 100% of it - completely and absolutely".

    SCO attorney David Bores confirmed this during the press conference by stomping up and down yelling: "We own it...WE own it!...WE OWN IT!". He also took his thumb out of his mouth long enough to give a 'thumbs up' to Mc Drivel during the press conference.

    Mc Drivel also announced that the RIAA and SCO were currently involved in merger talks. "We believe that there is a good fit between both companies' philosophies. Together we shall dominate - er - license our intellectual property to everyone".

  35. Let's fix it by berkeleyjunk · · Score: 1

    It has been 20 years. Lets try to get it fixed. DNS configuration and operation is something even geeks try to avoid. It is easy to get wrong (who has setup their DNS server right the first time around?), hard to fix, insecure... It has done a great service but time is almost up.

    1. Re:Let's fix it by Simon+Lyngshede · · Score: 1

      I don't try to avoid it. I try to avoid BIND and its zone files, but not DNS configuration. I got my first DNS setup right the first time... but my testing of it was wrong, so I didn't notice. If you can tolerate Bernstein djbdns make DNS setup very easy. BIND is just stupid. Don't get me wrong, BIND works, I just think it makes things look more complicated than they really are.

      I would say easy to setup, insecure and fun. (Note that things doesn't have to be insecure to be fun)

    2. Re:Let's fix it by Desert+Raven · · Score: 1

      It is easy to get wrong (who has setup their DNS server right the first time around?)

      I just don't get this.

      I've been setting up BIND servers for several years, and I've never had any trouble figuring it out. I had the first one up and running (properly) in under an hour.

      Are geeks really that much dumber today?

    3. Re:Let's fix it by Quill_28 · · Score: 1

      Maybe my brain works differently but I found tinydns to be easy to setup and simple to understand. It just made sense. BIND on the other hand...it just felt weird. YMMV

    4. Re:Let's fix it by Quill_28 · · Score: 1

      Oh no they are not dumber today, you are just so much smarter when you were a young geek.

  36. What fitting timing by Skapare · · Score: 2

    What fitting timing. I just deployed a replacement for BIND called NSD for all my authoritative name servers. Now I need to choose a good resolving server. Maybe tinydns.

    --
    now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  37. Oh God by vga_init · · Score: 1
    Due to some unforseen error, I have accidentally made the above post on the wrong topic. If somebody with administrative powers sees this, I hope that they take the time to fix this, though I don't think this would be worth bothering anyone about.

    Anyway, my deepest apoligize for this display of gross incompetence. x.x

    1. Re:Oh God by DinkyDoorknob · · Score: 1

      Just wanted to point out that there's a very large Muslim population in India; it would be nice if India's space program was good for them, too, and not another point of departure for the Hindu nationalists currently doing so much harm in India.

      Interesting that the initial post was modded a 2, despite being about the wrong topic :-)

  38. SCO must demand shutdown of all root servers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They were running AIX, right?

    SCO, do what you must do!

  39. Me Too! by scsi_pants · · Score: 4, Funny

    Finally a celebrity that I share a birthday with that I actually recognize. And DNS even responds to my requests....

  40. DNS is not a locator service by IGnatius+T+Foobar · · Score: 3, Interesting

    DNS is not a locator service, but unfortunately people treat it as if it were one. They think "ok, I want to find the web site for XYZ Corporation, so all I have to do is just prepend WWW to the name and append COM and it'll be there." This line of thinking is what has created all of the fighting that goes on over domain names -- the reason we seem to treat domain names as if they were real estate. A true locator service would have a number of fields you could fill out to tell it what you're looking for, and it would find it for you. Perhaps it would simply find the domain name, which in turn would find the IP address.

    It's not going to happen now, though. At least not using the IETF standards process. Back when DNS was invented, people knew how to participate -- the result is things like DNS, and SMTP, where everyone talks to everyone else. Now that the corporateheads have taken over, everything gets invented in lawyerspace, where standards take a back seat to money (or at least some corporate idiot's dream of making lots of money by owning a choke point) and you have horrid nonstandard systems that don't talk to each other (like the various independent instant messaging systems).

    Oh well.

    --
    Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
    1. Re:DNS is not a locator service by TeddyR · · Score: 1

      browsers are what made this worse...

      Most modern browsers will assume that if you type "micrsoft" in the address field, that you want to go to "www.microsoft.com"

      [opera can have this turned off by selecting preferences | network | server name completion]

      --

      --
      Time is on my side
    2. Re:DNS is not a locator service by ceswiedler · · Score: 1

      We do the same thing with phone numbers like 1-800-CALL-ATT.

    3. Re:DNS is not a locator service by kju · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I would rather type in www..com and be right, than using a lookup service. It is much more overhead to type in these informations, and the resultings urls might be difficult to remember (think ibm would probably be under ibm-computer.com, because some other used ibm.com first. In a locator service one would argue, that the real domainname won't matter (and thus won't be fight over) and therefour "real" ibm should have no problem in not having ibm.com. Do you really want this?

      This would mean, we all would have to use a locator lookup service as requirement. This would really slow down my everyday work and fun. No more www.slashdot.org, now i must enter USA -> Computers -> Culture -> Nerds -> slashdot. Yes, thats what i ever wanted. 5 Minutes for each URL i want to open.
      If you really think, that you wan't to do something like a lookup, use google. enter companyname and maybe some other criteria, and nearly sure as hell will be your wanted site under the first four links, if not even on first position. So, there is your locator service. No need to change the domain name system.

    4. Re:DNS is not a locator service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To some extent, search engines like google already provide a kind of locator service. If you type in a description of the company you're looking for, and accept their first search result ('I'm feeling lucky'), the probability is quite high that you get to the site you intended. Especially for finding less well-known companies or non-profit organizations, this kind of technology helps.

  41. First DNS exploit by more+fool+you · · Score: 3, Funny

    Happy birthday to the very first DNS-Nuke program, in about 5 minutes!

  42. Re:You're 100% wrong! SCO owns DNS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ho ho ha hee!
    That's some CAHM-O-DEE!

    You need a FUNNY-PERSON Contract, to be rewarded for your tee-hee skills!

  43. Re:You're 100% wrong! SCO owns DNS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no, they just own Telnet.

    Oh, and all dirivative protocols. Which would be just about everything.

  44. hosts = pre dns system? by Barbarian · · Score: 1

    The article says that humans had to look up each address, but I'm assuming that what was actually used was a hosts file in the pre dns days. This correct?

  45. Vince Cerf may be the father of the Internet.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Vince Cerf may be the father of the Internet, but we're the mothers that make it work."

    -- unknown sysadmin

  46. National Identification Number by pablo.cl · · Score: 1
    Perhaps even more severe, many german students don't have their social security number yet, because you only get it when you need it
    It used to be like that here in Chile. Now you get it at birth. And of course, once you have it, then you begin to need it.
    • Health system
    • School
    • Language schools, and sport clubs are also joining this trend
    • Now you don't need a number to enter university. Your scores are retrieved using your national id.
  47. Re:Target with a hole? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    (_o_)

  48. And for those into astrology ... by Greedo · · Score: 1

    If DNS was born on June 21, that makes it a Cancer.

    Hrmm.

    --
    Tuus crepidae innexilis sunt.
  49. Ford DID get a class A by Animats · · Score: 1

    Wow! I left in 1986, before they got that.