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Google Launches Public DNS Resolver

AdmiralXyz writes "Google has announced the launch of their free DNS resolution service, called Google Public DNS. According to their blog post, Google Public DNS uses continuous record prefetching to avoid cache misses — hopefully making the service faster — and implements a variety of techniques to block spoofing attempts. They also say that (unlike an increasing number of ISPs), Google Public DNS behaves exactly according to the DNS standard, and will not redirect you to advertising in the event of a failed lookup. Very cool, but of course there are questions about Google's true motivations behind knowing every site you visit."

18 of 540 comments (clear)

  1. It's their logical next step by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They were limited to knowing only about the sites you searched for, can't have that, bad for business. Now they can track all of the sites you visit. Since Google is our warm fuzzy giant corporation that we can trust, there is no problem.

  2. OpenDNS by SillyWilly · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow the people at OpenDNS are going to be pissed by this.

    Still 8.8.8.8 is a bit more memorable than 208.67.222.222

    --
    Online & Feelin' Fine
  3. Re:8.8.8.8/4 by sopssa · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would be interesting to know how much Google paid for those two 256 ranges to Level 3. One would think simple ip's like 8.8.8.8 would cost some nice amount too.

    Or maybe they should had used the coolest ip on the net, aka

    > host 69.69.69.69
    69.69.69.69.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer the-coolest-ip-on-the-net.com.

  4. Google was going to hire DJB to make this work by fotoguzzi · · Score: 5, Funny

    but they didn't want too much brilliance all in one place.

    --
    Their they're doing there hair.
  5. Re:so? by metamechanical · · Score: 5, Funny

    fEEL FREE TO OPT OUT AT ANY TIME.

    They have a great program for that!

    --
    If I had a nickel for every time I had a nickel, I'd be richcursive!
  6. Re:Don't get me wrong, I love Google. by mcgrew · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, Google knows everything about me... except who I am!

  7. Re:Why not do both? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We put a cache in your cache so you can browse while you browse.

  8. Re:Why? by TooMuchToDo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Their pipes, their rules. Feel free to buy service from another last mile provider.

  9. Re:Don't get me wrong, I love Google. by ArsonSmith · · Score: 2, Funny

    "What I search for, where I surf to, with my Droid where I navigate to, my e-mails, my documents. WOW."

    They follow your world of warcraft account? That's going too far.

    --
    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  10. Re:Don't get me wrong, I love Google. by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Funny

    Underwear and t-shirt? Why would I need underwear and a t-shirt?

  11. Re:I guess it is good news... by node+3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is a good think

    It's also double plus ironic.

  12. Hardly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Ekde vi ne havas la oftan entilecon al klarig vian mesaon skribitan en neklara mortinta lingvo, Mi estas respond al vi en alia mortinta lingvo.

  13. Re:I guess it is good news... by sexconker · · Score: 4, Funny

    Of course you can still have cache misses.

    You: Gimme goat.se
    Google: That's not in my cache, hold on.

    Google: Hey auth DNS gimme goat.se
    Auth: K, here.

    Google: Hey you, here.
    You: K.

    Your mom: Gimme goat.se:
    Google: Yeah, I have that, here.
    Your mom: K.

    Your dad: I NEED the goat.se !
    Google: Yeah I have that, but I need to recache it. Here's what I already have, it's probably still good.

    Google: Hey auth DNS gimme goat.se
    Auth: K, here.

    Your dad: WTF? Where's the gaping anus?!
    Google: Yeah, looks like the one I gave you before was wrong. No worries, this one is fresh.
    Your dad: Sweet mother of corn holes.

    Updating your cache early doesn't solve anything. You get less of a chance of misses only because you've checked more frequently. This comes at a performance cost on Google's end. Any DNS provider can cache anything for however long they want and return whatever result they think is valid.

    The obvious thing to do is return your most recent authoritative result for cached domains or get one if it's not a cached domain. Choosing to empty out your cache after something has expired vs. refreshing it from auth is a performance decision. As is choosing whether or not to dump something when updating, or keep it around in case you get requests for it while you're updating. As is the overall frequency with which you update your cache.

    No magic, brilliance, or good will on Google's part here - just horsepower and the willingness to operate at a financial loss in order to mine more data.

  14. Not EVERY site you visit by EverlastingPhelps · · Score: 2, Funny

    Technically, they only get to track the sites that you access by domain name. You can always punch an IP address in and circumvent the DNS system. Start memorizing those porn IPs now!

  15. Re:Why not do both? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Soviet Russia?

  16. Re:I guess it is good news... by Gilmoure · · Score: 2, Funny

    My browsing history would likely result in spammy poppups.
      *sigh*

    --
    I drank what? -- Socrates
  17. Re:At least they have a clear privacy policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Yes White upper middle class liberals who live high off the hog of Western Culture but berate it for Eastern Culture as they go and rape that as well under the guise of White Guilt. Anything not white is good even though they would never date a brown.

  18. Re:I guess it is good news... by Fred_A · · Score: 2, Funny

    4.2.2.2 and their ilk are free and non-redirecting. You can use 4.2.2.1 4.2.2.2 4.2.2.3 4.2.2.4 4.2.2.5 or 4.2.2.6

    They are run by L-3 and sitting on major backbones, and the ip addresses are pooled, so that you will likely get a server that is geographically near you when you use one of those addresses.

    But with Google you don't have to use those complicated numbers any more. It's all much more simple. All you have to use is
    dns.google.com
    Much simpler to remember.

    If it doesn't work, it's because it's still in beta. Just try again.

    --

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    Made from the freshest electrons.