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..."

Comments

but....but...but...

[tha_mink]

I thought Al Gore invented DNS. No?

Security Patch

[SEWilco]

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

Finally

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Now they tell me!

[The Spelling Nazi]

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!

Happy Birthday!

[citizenc]

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* =)

Using the Internet before DNS

[Animats]

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.

Cease & Desist

[Tokerat]

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]