4 ms·

It amazes me that ipv4 addresses are still so cheap. Shouldn't they cost thousands of dollars per each address by now? It seems that the current price is roughl

It amazes me that ipv4 addresses are still so cheap. Shouldn't they cost thousands of dollars per each address by now? It seems that the current price is roughly 50$

zapdrive 3y ago
Are you kidding? 50$ per address is cheap? These should be practically free! 50 is infinitely bigger than 0. IP address is just a number! There's no reason to charge money for a number. If you are out of numbers, make more numbers. There's an infinite amount of numbers. What's next? 1000$ per social security number, because we are running out of 9 digit numbers?
- cassianoleal 3y ago
  That's obviously wrong. > IP address is just a number No it's not. It's exactly 4 octets. No more, no less. Which takes me to the next point. > If you are out of numbers, make more numbers You can't make more numbers and expect all systems that assume 4 octets to work. That's how we ended with IPv6, which actually provides us with a near-infinite amount of "numbers" as you call them. Mind you, they're still quite finite though - their numbers are just really really big. > There's an infinite amount of numbers No, and that's why they cost - scarcity. You could try to argue that it's an artificial scarcity, but the most likely answer is just that they never thought they'd need as many addresses as we've realised since.
  - stock_toaster 3y ago
    4 octets is just the most common representation. https://www.hacksparrow.com/networking/many-faces-of-ip-address.html https://www.hacksparrow.com/networking/many-faces-of-ip-addr...
    - cassianoleal 3y ago
      This is a very thin hair you're splitting. :)
      - stock_toaster 3y ago
        Well... To be fair, this _is_ HN. ;)
        cassianoleal 3y ago
        :D
  - SturgeonsLaw 3y ago
    That's right. They're not just a number, they are a seat at the table on the internet. That's like buying a ticket to an event and thinking that the barcode on the ticket costs hundreds of bucks. It's not about the number, it's about what the number lets you do.
  - sshine 3y ago
    >> IP address is just a number > No it's not. It's some more specific definition of a number So... it's not just a number, it's a number? (Four octets put together form a single 32-bit number)
    - cassianoleal 3y ago
      Good job taking things out of context and completely missing the point!
      - sshine 3y ago
        I understand the "more than just a number" context well from other comments: Access to use an IP address is a ticket to go online, not just the ticket's number. The fact that an IPv4 address can be decomposed into four quads has nothing to do with that point. My comment, said differently, is that the syntax of an IP address is the wrong focus to make a "more than just a number" point.
        cassianoleal 3y ago
        My comment, literally everything after the only bit you seem to have read, contextualises and explains why it's important. Sure, it's not the raw fact that it's 4 octets. It's the fact that it's not any other number, especially the fact that it's a finite resource.
- DeathArrow 3y ago
  > IP address is just a number! There's no reason to charge money for a number. A domain name is just a number, still some cost millions.
lmm 3y ago
Yeah, I'd actually be in favour of an open market. I bet companies would get on with switching to IPv6 a lot quicker if they could make a quick buck by selling their IPv4 addresses.
- CuriousSkeptic 3y ago
  No need to treat them as property. Just allocate to the highest bidder would have the same effect no? With the added benefit that the revenue from that could go to something fair, like a public dividend, rather than to rent seekers
  - lmm 3y ago
    > No need to treat them as property. Just allocate to the highest bidder would have the same effect no? The problem is that companies who have an adequate chunk of IPv4 addresses have no reason or incentive to bother with IPv6. So unless you're going to yank existing alloctaions - which comes with massive problems - I think letting them trade on the open market is the least bad option.

It amazes me that ipv4 addresses are still so cheap. Shouldn't they cost thousands of dollars per each address by now? It seems that the current price is roughly 50$

zapdrive 3y ago

Are you kidding? 50$ per address is cheap? These should be practically free! 50 is infinitely bigger than 0. IP address is just a number! There's no reason to charge money for a number. If you are out of numbers, make more numbers. There's an infinite amount of numbers. What's next? 1000$ per social security number, because we are running out of 9 digit numbers?

cassianoleal 3y ago
That's obviously wrong. > IP address is just a number No it's not. It's exactly 4 octets. No more, no less. Which takes me to the next point. > If you are out of numbers, make more numbers You can't make more numbers and expect all systems that assume 4 octets to work. That's how we ended with IPv6, which actually provides us with a near-infinite amount of "numbers" as you call them. Mind you, they're still quite finite though - their numbers are just really really big. > There's an infinite amount of numbers No, and that's why they cost - scarcity. You could try to argue that it's an artificial scarcity, but the most likely answer is just that they never thought they'd need as many addresses as we've realised since.
- stock_toaster 3y ago
  4 octets is just the most common representation. https://www.hacksparrow.com/networking/many-faces-of-ip-address.html https://www.hacksparrow.com/networking/many-faces-of-ip-addr...
  - cassianoleal 3y ago
    This is a very thin hair you're splitting. :)
    - stock_toaster 3y ago
      Well... To be fair, this _is_ HN. ;)
      - cassianoleal 3y ago
        :D
- SturgeonsLaw 3y ago
  That's right. They're not just a number, they are a seat at the table on the internet. That's like buying a ticket to an event and thinking that the barcode on the ticket costs hundreds of bucks. It's not about the number, it's about what the number lets you do.
- sshine 3y ago
  >> IP address is just a number > No it's not. It's some more specific definition of a number So... it's not just a number, it's a number? (Four octets put together form a single 32-bit number)
  - cassianoleal 3y ago
    Good job taking things out of context and completely missing the point!
    - sshine 3y ago
      I understand the "more than just a number" context well from other comments: Access to use an IP address is a ticket to go online, not just the ticket's number. The fact that an IPv4 address can be decomposed into four quads has nothing to do with that point. My comment, said differently, is that the syntax of an IP address is the wrong focus to make a "more than just a number" point.
      - cassianoleal 3y ago
        My comment, literally everything after the only bit you seem to have read, contextualises and explains why it's important. Sure, it's not the raw fact that it's 4 octets. It's the fact that it's not any other number, especially the fact that it's a finite resource.
DeathArrow 3y ago
> IP address is just a number! There's no reason to charge money for a number. A domain name is just a number, still some cost millions.

lmm 3y ago

Yeah, I'd actually be in favour of an open market. I bet companies would get on with switching to IPv6 a lot quicker if they could make a quick buck by selling their IPv4 addresses.

CuriousSkeptic 3y ago
No need to treat them as property. Just allocate to the highest bidder would have the same effect no? With the added benefit that the revenue from that could go to something fair, like a public dividend, rather than to rent seekers
- lmm 3y ago
  > No need to treat them as property. Just allocate to the highest bidder would have the same effect no? The problem is that companies who have an adequate chunk of IPv4 addresses have no reason or incentive to bother with IPv6. So unless you're going to yank existing alloctaions - which comes with massive problems - I think letting them trade on the open market is the least bad option.