[cnity]

Domain registration is the most fascinating interaction between multiple outlooks. There's the true hacker spirit of DNS resolution as a technology. There's the lawful bureaucracy of ICANN shoe-horning the technology into a legal framework. Then there's the capitalism of registry "operators" who appear to exist almost solely to navigate ICANN.

It really feels like there ought to be a better system.

[riffic]

domains are almost as Lindy (a concept that explains the longevity of things like ideas or technology) as circuit switched telephone numbers. We're not going to shake the concept away for a very long time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_number

[quickthrower2]

AOL almost did it.

But a domain is now a virtual signal. Most adverts are "search X" or advertising online already so there is a link. There are plenty of cool non-english but pronounceable words out there you can .com let alone cute things .so, .be, .co, .io, .ai, .gg, .dev, etc.

[cnity]

This is kind of what I mean. You're talking about the DNS part alone here. I can encourage all of my friends to pass `/etc/hosts` around, just like those in Stanford originally did with HOSTS.txt, and I have domains.