[wibblenut]

It doesn't surprise me that this is the first occasion you've heard about it :)

But all of the complexity is hidden. The API is standardised, so management apps and other services will always work, irrespective of who your domain registrar/TelHosting provider is.

I'm sure the majority of registrants have no idea they're publishing DNS records, or even what DNS is - and they don't need to know. The best technologies are the ones you don't necessarily see.

Non-technical people see a very simple and cost-effective way of establishing a simple online presence. For $10-$20 it's all-in - there's no web hosting or any technical expertise required. Small businesses love this. As such GoDaddy doesn't carry .tel, because it can't up-sell any of its other big-margin crap. But lots of YP publishers around the world are becoming .tel resellers :-)

I see it as a hugely disruptive technology with a good chance of success, but it seems more appealing to non-geeks than it does geeks at the moment. Once it gains popularity then geeks will start to catch on and realise all the cool stuff that's suddenly possible.