3 ms·

There was namecoin. The problem with anyone registering anything for free is that people will immediately hoard every usable name and try to resell them on for

There was namecoin. The problem with anyone registering anything for free is that people will immediately hoard every usable name and try to resell them on for a profit. With domain name fees, you can only hoard the ones you reasonably believe will be in high demand and sell for a profit. With how many TLDs there are now, it's easy to find an unused domain name especially if you use your countries local tld.

kristopolous 5y ago
There's probably decent economic models to prevent "scalping" or at least make it way harder. For instance, you make the property less alienable so the "seller" in a transfer is still just as legally liable if the new "owner" gets in court somehow due to the new content at the domain. Then people wouldn't sell it, that's the point. They may transfer it in an acquisition or name change and in those cases, such legal liability is redundant. If company A buys B then company B Is company A Another example: for abandonment it's not the first person that sees it snatching it up. Instead say, the first 60 days after lapse, interested parties register in a pool and then one is randomly selected. There's vastly superior ways to do this then relying on naive price signals
- exdsq 5y ago
  Just charge people for a domain - simplest method there is.
  - SilverRed 5y ago
    Agreed. The vast majority of people would prefer to pay the few dollars per year for the simple current system over some complex system to hand out names based on how much they are deserved.
- tofukid 5y ago
  Handshake uses an auction, so everyone has a chance to get the TLD they want, if multiple people want it. That seems the most practical solution.
  - SilverRed 5y ago
    This seems like the worst system. Now if you want a domain, you have to broadcast your intent before you get it. So scalpers can watch all domains being put up for auction and buy it before you. Vs the current system where you just look for one that is free and can grab it immediately.
    - tofukid 5y ago
      Both systems are arbitrary, but only the auction system provides for multiple people to contest the same domain. There’s no decentralized method to prevent scalping. Scalping can happen whether it’s first-come-first-serve or auction.
      - SilverRed 5y ago
        Right now you can not easily scalp the current domain system. If I wanted to buy a domain, I can check which ones are free and buy it immediately. No one could know I wanted that domain before I had already reserved it for myself. But if I had to trigger an auction for the domain. That is broadcasting to the world "Hey, someone wants this domain. Go buy it and resell it to them"

kristopolous 5y ago

There's probably decent economic models to prevent "scalping" or at least make it way harder. For instance, you make the property less alienable so the "seller" in a transfer is still just as legally liable if the new "owner" gets in court somehow due to the new content at the domain. Then people wouldn't sell it, that's the point. They may transfer it in an acquisition or name change and in those cases, such legal liability is redundant. If company A buys B then company B Is company A Another example: for abandonment it's not the first person that sees it snatching it up. Instead say, the first 60 days after lapse, interested parties register in a pool and then one is randomly selected. There's vastly superior ways to do this then relying on naive price signals

exdsq 5y ago
Just charge people for a domain - simplest method there is.
- SilverRed 5y ago
  Agreed. The vast majority of people would prefer to pay the few dollars per year for the simple current system over some complex system to hand out names based on how much they are deserved.
tofukid 5y ago
Handshake uses an auction, so everyone has a chance to get the TLD they want, if multiple people want it. That seems the most practical solution.
- SilverRed 5y ago
  This seems like the worst system. Now if you want a domain, you have to broadcast your intent before you get it. So scalpers can watch all domains being put up for auction and buy it before you. Vs the current system where you just look for one that is free and can grab it immediately.
  - tofukid 5y ago
    Both systems are arbitrary, but only the auction system provides for multiple people to contest the same domain. There’s no decentralized method to prevent scalping. Scalping can happen whether it’s first-come-first-serve or auction.
    - SilverRed 5y ago
      Right now you can not easily scalp the current domain system. If I wanted to buy a domain, I can check which ones are free and buy it immediately. No one could know I wanted that domain before I had already reserved it for myself. But if I had to trigger an auction for the domain. That is broadcasting to the world "Hey, someone wants this domain. Go buy it and resell it to them"