olebean

Charlie

If domains are surpassed or become no longer used, they no longer have a usful life.

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Lucky Luke

Telephone numbers are still used many years after their introduction, but they have been through a few changes...dropping the ABC area code dialling (Whitehall 442 kind of thing), then all the expansion problems, eg, London going from 01 to 0171 & 0181 then to 0207 & 0208 (what a farce!), etc

My view is that domain names will be around for ages.

Risks include the dilution of .co.uk by new series of xxx.uk that really work and with restrictions to ownership that make them work more reliably for the users. (like .net.uk)

Another risk is of browsers or other software agents that pick up on typos and shepherd the user to the expected domain rather than the typed domain. (This may be a default setting on a browser than can be switched off but most people won't.)

apd

Imagine this scenario, a company developes a new browser but not just another browser, this one includes a new operating system, a dynamic firewall, spamwall and anti-virus engine that never needs def updates, never crashes and can replace Windows, Linux and all other OS's in one stroke, and it's free.

This browser is so popular that within two years it is the de-facto OS on 99% of the worlds computers.

The company now setup hundred's of servers around the world and this becomes a new internet (Internet2). They then design a new means to search the internet2 not by domain names but by keywords, for example:

Every website, server, mobile phone, fridge, car, vibrator or any other device that accesses the internet will have an IP address, you will then register that IP address with the internet2 and you can choose a number of keywords that relates exactly to that IP address.

So when a user puts in a keyword or any combination of keywords in the browsers keyword bar (old term used to be called url bar in the dark old days of domain names), the closest matches will be shown, i.e. if the user was to input the keywords "domain name, forum, uk" then hopefully Acorndomains will then be in the results, except it won't be "http://www.acorndomains.co.uk/index.php" it will be something like "98.99.100.101/index.php" instead.

And as the browser is standard on every computer people will get used to inputting keywords instead domain names and so a point will be reached where the old internet and domain names are rarely used.

Of course what this means is that domain names will become obsolete and the already established search engines (google, yahoo, msn) will go bankrupt, however one company will then own the Internet which could then present some problems.

As for your question will domains be around in 20 years time, my own view is that they won't be, because with new emerging technology and the fact that every country doesn't want the US to have sole control of the internet means that a rival internet will be created at some point and with the ability to navigate without the use of domain names.

In terms of the history of the internet, it will be seen that domain names were only in use for about 30 years (1985 - 2015), BTW symbolics.com was the first ever domain name registered on 15-Mar-1985.

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Lucky Luke

Question for apd... how will hyperlinks work then?

texidriver

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olebean

apd

I find that scenario extremely odd. Why would any business allow themslves to be dictated to... ie the Dutch sytem.... For sure in theory it would be like moving back 2-300 years to the days of landlords etc..... Sorry guys I can't see it being commercially viable or supported.

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charlie

if you've noticed this happens already

dont type http: etc in the url bar and just type "acorn domains" - the browser reverts to msn search and finds the closest match.

(didn't try with mozzila - i doubt it goes to msn search )

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Lucky Luke

Domain names can be (i) typed in at the address bar or (ii) clicked on as hyperlinks in text, etc. Sure, browsers can start to eliminate the need for the former but how are you going to get around the latter, especially when so many hyperlinks are used everywhere and can be quite long and specific (ie, deep-linking)?

olebean

hmmm Charlie

I tried that, it doesn't work!

willbon

Here's a theory for you....
With all entertainment and communication to go online... wouldn't it be a good idea that when you turn on your TV, you'll go to a URL for your TV channel?.. hence web domain names once established are for ever... or until we get a global EMP!