Course Technology--InfoWeb: Domain Names

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Domain Names

If you set up your own Internet site, you'll want your own domain name. How will you know if the name you want is available? At the site www.checkdomain.com, you can enter a domain name such as "neuromancer.com" to see if it has already been reserved. Could you select a generic domain name such as www.government.com? For information on restricted domain names, tips on creating a valid domain name, and instructions on how to register a domain name, connect to the InterNIC server at www.internic.net. You can find additional information about Internet domain names by connecting to www.nic.us/overview.html (formerly, www.isi.edu/in-notes/usdnr/usdom-overview.html).

Additional Links

Domain Naming System Will Be Overhauled This Year Plans have been in the works for a couple of years to modify the current domain name system, and two formal proposals are on the table. This article from PC Week describes the two proposals, an international proposal and one favored by the U.S. government. Each proposal aims to open the domain name registration process to competition and expand the number of top level domain names.

Court: Domain Fees Appear Illegal Network Solutions is the company that registers domain names--until March 1998--and they have always charged a fee for the service that exceeds their costs for the service. The extra fees (about 30 percent of the total) were set aside in an "intellectual infrastructure fund" that supports improving the Internet. Now the courts have ruled that the extra fees constitute an illegal tax.

Whitehouse Plots to Oust Old Guard This article will fill you in on some of the U.S. government's proposals for changing how the Internet is administered. It also summarizes why many "netizens" object to and disapprove of the plan.