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Verisign Gets Out of the Registrar Biz, Keeps .com Registry

Posted by michael on from the overpriced-cruddy-service dept.

Perianwyr Stormcrow writes "Verisign shot off a message today saying that they're selling off Network Solutions to Pivotal Private Equity (a firm specializing in picking up and turning around 'under-performing' businesses.) Perhaps Sitefinder was an attempt at maximizing shareholder value for the sale."

7 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yet another example by cybermage · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Someone please tell me again why capitalism is good.

    Capitalism isn't good. It's just the least bad of the available options tried thus far.

    --
    Some people have a way with words, and some people, um, thingy.
  2. Re:Hmmm... by dzym · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Umm, do we sing "Ding Dong the wicked witch is dead"... or just panic?
    Panic. Now there are no monopoly issues with them reimplementing SiteFinder. Less things to sue them over to get them to stop the next time they decide to fuck over the Internet "for fun and profit."
  3. Re:It makes sense. by oolon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whats so bad about it? Ok off the top of my head.....

    1) I cannot turn it off.
    2) Its in English (not the native tounge of the reader).
    3) It breaks the autocomplete url functionality because every time I typo a url it is added to my history, where as they are not added when a domain is not found. Making the right sites harder and harder to find.
    4) Search engine is paid for adverts.
    5) http is not the only protocol on the planet, its just one port of many.
    6) Why does verisign have the right to the wildcard, surely this is a valuable commonity and should have been sold off to the highest bidder?

    James

  4. Re:I think I speak for everybody when I say by DrEldarion · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They're most definitely still there - It's just that now someone else is handling all the customers. They're still keeping control over the infrastructure and doing all the back-end stuff. They can still screw things up.

    -- Dr. Eldarion --

  5. Re:Yet another example by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
    I trust a greedy capitalist looking out for his own good more than I trust a career gov't man claiming to be looking out for my good.


    Verisign doesn't live in a vacuum. It was a gov't imposed-monopoly that gave verisign the ability to screw up dns.


    Whatever you think of capitalism, just remember that the gov't takes your money through taxes whether you like it or not. If a capitalist takes your money, it's because you willingly gave it to him in exchange for something you desire.

  6. Re:Capitalism is fucking great by cK-Gunslinger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ever heard of "From Rags to Riches" stories? Not all of them are made up or trumped up on the evening news. Societies/economies based on human's own motivation and drive are not bad.

    Your key phrase was "almost impossible." Many a fortune has been made on beating those odds. Don't be such a cynic. Not everyone gives up so easily.

  7. This business is really tiny by Animats · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The amusing thing, of course, is that running the registry back end is really just running a modest sized database and some DNS servers. The registry doesn't have to deal with end users, just other registrars, and that's all automated. If everything is working right, the DNS servers don't even get hit that often.

    It's only a "billion dollar business" because it's a monopoly and because it's been heavily hyped.