Comments on the proposed naming convention for the Internet
Lee Duncan (Lee@netvoyage.com)
Tue, 16 Sep 1997 10:04:58 -0600
I have been a user of the internet for several years now, and I agree
that there needs to be something to create something other than a flat
structure, however, it seems since the users do not and cannot determine
what criteria the Web site used to classify themselves that it becomes
only a barrier to the users to locate web sites. In a normal LAN
situation, a directory is controlled by someone and because of that
control, it has value. That same scenario is not available on the
internet. With the proposed new categories, what is there to stop
someone from registering their name in each category? I am sure that
an adult organization would be able to make a case to include their
address in each of the new proposed categories. Would we just be
proliferating our current problems. For searching purposes, I would
have to continue to search across all dot categories as I have to today
to find a legitimate address. We have read about the abuses currently
with more than one address such as the Whitehouse and NASA problems.
Now after having said that, I DO agree that a XXX category would make a
lot of sense and could be something that could and should be controlled.
If an adult site registered or used any other category, they could be
shut down. All of the filtering software in the world, cannot keep
adult content off the web and protected from children. However an
"official" location does allow a mechanism to control such sites and
activities. It works for X rated movies and there is no reason that it
could not work on the net. This would give others better rights over
legitimate names such as Whitehouse and NASA. Today, there is very
little that they can do about unscrupulous people who may want to use
those names with a different dot address.
It has to become easier, like it is in the rest of society, to keep
those adult type of activities out of our lives.
Lee Duncan
lee@netvoyage.com