Re: ISO 3166 TLDs

["Cary Karp" <ck@nrm.se>]

The IAHC obviously perceives a need for the harmonization of
adminstrative procedures in iTLD space and nTLD space. They
would not otherwise have included recommendations to the
ISO-3166 TLD authorities in the draft IAHC Proposal. This means
that the IAHC either does regard its charter as encompassing
nTLD concerns, or the IAHC has deliberately transcended the
boundaries of the charter.

There was apparently some consideration of the practical and
logical difficulties in maintaining an iTLD space interstitially
to nTLD space. This, I assume, is the reason for the definition
of and focus on gTLDs. It remains to be seen if this construct
will reduce the level of destructive disorder in Internet name
space. Like it or not, this may well be determined as much by
its acceptance or rejection by the ISO-3166 community as by any
degree of irritated debate in a meeting room or on a discussion
list.

If the present initiative leaves too many problems unsolved,
there will be little alternative to yet another attempt at
setting things right; perhaps by considering the need for a
single coherent name space -- gTLD space plus nTLD space.
I remain unable to see what harm could be done by taking all
possible measures for ensuring the success of the current
attempt. Providing a forum for a discussion of the joint
concerns of the maintainers of all the current domains would,
surely, be a step in that direction.

If the IAHC has already polled the ISO-3166 TLD operators, even 
if to no avail, or if this matter simply has too many political
ramifications to be treated here, at least some cursory word to
that effect on this list would be useful. 



Cary Karp               Department of Information Technology
mailto:ck@nrm.se        Swedish Museum of Natural History
http://ck.nrm.se/       Svante Arrheniusv. 3
Phone: +46 8 666 4055   Box 50007
Fax:   +46 8 666 4235   104 05 Stockholm, Sweden