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I don't understand why we even have TLDs, and don't just register names at the root level. Sure, it's nice to be able to shard data structures among many provi

I don't understand why we even have TLDs, and don't just register names at the root level. Sure, it's nice to be able to shard data structures among many providers (.com can be different servers/infrastructure/rules than .net) and might have been a technical necessity "back in the day" (though there weren't many shards, so I doubt it), but now it's actively harmful. You found a company called foobarcorp and register foobarcorp.com... and some jerk registers foobarcorp.net, foobarcorp.info, foobarcorp.sucks, etc. Why even allow this? Let there be one and only one foobarcorp. Yes, I'm bitter that Google gets google. but I'm stuck with jrock.us. Why does it cost millions of dollars to remove one dot from my domain name? There is no technical reason. Maybe it's time to overthrow the default root servers and start our own Internet. Also "." should have an A record.

troquerre 6y ago
Agreed we should have names at the root level. There's a new DNS protocol that enables this called Handshake. It's an alternative root zone where anyone can register a root TLD through an open vickrey auction (unlike ICANN which often works behind closed doors...). For instance, I registered my name tieshun/ which you can resolve through NextDNS, a Handshake Chrome extension (https://github.com/execc/link-frame https://github.com/execc/link-frame), or a Handshake gateway like https://hns.to/tieshun https://hns.to/tieshun
- godeatgod 6y ago
  THIS is the way of the future. Hell, it's not even the future anymore. TLDs should have been the very first thing that got decentralized. (ok, SECOND behind money) ICANN is a monopoly whose corruptness should be criminal. Example: they make Google a partner to sell TLDs as a registrar. Therefore, google can give priority and precedence to searches for TLDs on ICANN's registry and not a competing registrar (like Handshake). Before this (Handshake), where could you go to get an alternate competing top level domain? Answer: nowhere. It's a monopoly by definition.
josefx 6y ago
> Yes, I'm bitter that Google gets google. Google can have google for all I care. I am less than happy with them staking their claim on generic terms with the "new" TLD and trying to present document.new redirecting to Google docs as the best thing since sliced bread.
- glandium 6y ago
  Not to mention web.dev which sounds like it would be like MDN or something, but is entirely about Chrome.
  - saagarjha 6y ago
    It’s actually similar to MDN in that it’s run by a browser but supposedly about web standards. However, it can be a little too Chrome-leaning…
ShakataGaNai 6y ago
It's not the company name TLD's that are most of the problem, it's the most generic words that are the problem. Amazon tried for .amazon and that's currently in a big dispute ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.amazon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.amazon ). What if they setup a service called River and used river.amazon? They also bought .bot, google did .app. Those are where the real problems are - because now "big internet" controls the TLD and can do almost anything they want with it. On the flip side, lots of people like to use CC TLD's. So if you happen to like your .fm domain (like say di.fm) that's great... except now you are beholden to the Federated States of Micronesia (which most people probably couldn't even point out on a map).
johnnywu 6y ago
Piggy backing off troquerre, I should mention that Handshake is a decentralized blockchain project called Handshake that makes it possible for anyone to get TLDs like ".johnnywu", which can then be used as "linkedin.johnnywu", "email.johnnywu", "paypal.johnnywu" etc. Normally to get new TLDs you would need to pay an $185k application fee to ICANN, which isn't even guaranteed to be accepted! However Handshake instead distributes TLDs through auctions — the highest bidder wins the name and only pays the 2nd highest bid, so in an auction where there are no other bidders, the winner receives the domain extension for free! Note I already own the ".johnnywu" Handshake TLD and wrote an article on this that can be reached via https://hns.to/article.johnnywu https://hns.to/article.johnnywu
- robjan 6y ago
  That's great but the vast majority of people can't access your site. Btw if you are recommending your own service it's considered a courtesy to state your connection.
KMnO4 6y ago
I find it really nice that we have county based TLDs. If I google search for places to buy XYZ and I see xyz.ca, I know in buying from a Canadian website. Also, you can have country specific information, eg immigration.co.uk, which is pretty obvious who it applies to.
- tallanvor 6y ago
  You really can't guarantee that if you buy from a .ca website that it will be a Canadian company. I bought from a .no, and was surprised when I was hit by a large customs fee when I went to pick up the package. The company ended up actually being registered in the Netherlands and failed to disclose that they weren't collecting the duty tax. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any of the consumer groups in Norway or the Netherlands to take any action over it.
  - winthrowe 6y ago
    CCTLD policies vary, but Canada should be one of the TLDs that this is a reasonable thing to expect: https://www.cira.ca/policy/rules-and-procedures/canadian-presence-requirements-registrants https://www.cira.ca/policy/rules-and-procedures/canadian-pre...
puranjay 6y ago
> foobarcorp.net, foobarcorp.info, foobarcorp.sucks, etc. Why even allow this Because there can be multiple companies with the same name. Why cut them off from using their own name in a domain address?
- codegladiator 6y ago
  That problem isn't really solved with the TLDs.
- account42 6y ago
  You already have that problem - there is only one .com and most companies will want to hog all others too.

troquerre 6y ago

Agreed we should have names at the root level. There's a new DNS protocol that enables this called Handshake. It's an alternative root zone where anyone can register a root TLD through an open vickrey auction (unlike ICANN which often works behind closed doors...). For instance, I registered my name tieshun/ which you can resolve through NextDNS, a Handshake Chrome extension (https://github.com/execc/link-frame https://github.com/execc/link-frame), or a Handshake gateway like https://hns.to/tieshun https://hns.to/tieshun

godeatgod 6y ago
THIS is the way of the future. Hell, it's not even the future anymore. TLDs should have been the very first thing that got decentralized. (ok, SECOND behind money) ICANN is a monopoly whose corruptness should be criminal. Example: they make Google a partner to sell TLDs as a registrar. Therefore, google can give priority and precedence to searches for TLDs on ICANN's registry and not a competing registrar (like Handshake). Before this (Handshake), where could you go to get an alternate competing top level domain? Answer: nowhere. It's a monopoly by definition.

josefx 6y ago

> Yes, I'm bitter that Google gets google. Google can have google for all I care. I am less than happy with them staking their claim on generic terms with the "new" TLD and trying to present document.new redirecting to Google docs as the best thing since sliced bread.

glandium 6y ago
Not to mention web.dev which sounds like it would be like MDN or something, but is entirely about Chrome.
- saagarjha 6y ago
  It’s actually similar to MDN in that it’s run by a browser but supposedly about web standards. However, it can be a little too Chrome-leaning…

ShakataGaNai 6y ago

It's not the company name TLD's that are most of the problem, it's the most generic words that are the problem. Amazon tried for .amazon and that's currently in a big dispute ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.amazon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.amazon ). What if they setup a service called River and used river.amazon? They also bought .bot, google did .app. Those are where the real problems are - because now "big internet" controls the TLD and can do almost anything they want with it. On the flip side, lots of people like to use CC TLD's. So if you happen to like your .fm domain (like say di.fm) that's great... except now you are beholden to the Federated States of Micronesia (which most people probably couldn't even point out on a map).

johnnywu 6y ago

Piggy backing off troquerre, I should mention that Handshake is a decentralized blockchain project called Handshake that makes it possible for anyone to get TLDs like ".johnnywu", which can then be used as "linkedin.johnnywu", "email.johnnywu", "paypal.johnnywu" etc. Normally to get new TLDs you would need to pay an $185k application fee to ICANN, which isn't even guaranteed to be accepted! However Handshake instead distributes TLDs through auctions — the highest bidder wins the name and only pays the 2nd highest bid, so in an auction where there are no other bidders, the winner receives the domain extension for free! Note I already own the ".johnnywu" Handshake TLD and wrote an article on this that can be reached via https://hns.to/article.johnnywu https://hns.to/article.johnnywu

robjan 6y ago
That's great but the vast majority of people can't access your site. Btw if you are recommending your own service it's considered a courtesy to state your connection.

KMnO4 6y ago

I find it really nice that we have county based TLDs. If I google search for places to buy XYZ and I see xyz.ca, I know in buying from a Canadian website. Also, you can have country specific information, eg immigration.co.uk, which is pretty obvious who it applies to.

tallanvor 6y ago
You really can't guarantee that if you buy from a .ca website that it will be a Canadian company. I bought from a .no, and was surprised when I was hit by a large customs fee when I went to pick up the package. The company ended up actually being registered in the Netherlands and failed to disclose that they weren't collecting the duty tax. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any of the consumer groups in Norway or the Netherlands to take any action over it.
- winthrowe 6y ago
  CCTLD policies vary, but Canada should be one of the TLDs that this is a reasonable thing to expect: https://www.cira.ca/policy/rules-and-procedures/canadian-presence-requirements-registrants https://www.cira.ca/policy/rules-and-procedures/canadian-pre...

puranjay 6y ago

> foobarcorp.net, foobarcorp.info, foobarcorp.sucks, etc. Why even allow this Because there can be multiple companies with the same name. Why cut them off from using their own name in a domain address?

codegladiator 6y ago
That problem isn't really solved with the TLDs.
account42 6y ago
You already have that problem - there is only one .com and most companies will want to hog all others too.