Statements against new.net?

Mailman List Mirror (Read Only)
1

Its not really the "will of the web page designers." If this becomes
popular, I suspect most web page designers will start using dotted-quad
addresses inside their HTML URLs on their web pages. So clicking on a
link on a web page will go to were the web page designer directs you.
Except for NAT strangeness, IP Address are mostly globally unique.

The issue is really one of user expectations. Some class of users
have developed the expectation if they type some words resembling
what they are looking for in the "address" prompt of their web
browser, they will get taken to someplace they want. Web browser
companies (e.g. Netscape, Microsoft) have reinforced this perception
by automagically transforming the user's input into something else.

Type "white house" into Internet Explorer 5.5's address prompt, and
watch what happens. Netscape's browser has transformed any single
word "XXXXXX" into http://www.XXXXXXX.com/ for a while.

2

Except of course you can't bookmark the damned things, because the
bookmark breaks if the website recables. One machine in my office has
had the same hostname for 8 years now, but at least 3 MAC addresses
due to upgrades and either 3 or 4 IP addresses. Hostnames exist for a
reason. (For bonus points - how long after the first IMP install did a
host change its NCP network address because of an IMP port change? :wink:

I have to ask if any of these people who advocate the new.net approach
have been in the business long enough to have diagnosed problems caused
by "I've got the Sep 1 hosts.txt, but you've go the July 15 and they've
got the Sep 22" version.

I *thought* we learned our lesson. Apparently not.