I often admire Cringely’s posts, but not so much this one, in which he channels a proposal for replacing DNS:

Domain dispute resolution would be rapid: one week for evidence presentation, 24 hours to decide, and 24 hours for appeals. At which point the Inet DNS system would block the loser. Domain transfers would be fast and low cost. All domain activity would operate through Inet, not be farmed out to resellers, since the system is too important, and has proved to be difficult to police on the Internet. Inet domain holders would be expected to maintain control over the content of their users on sites with Inet domain registrations. Repeated failures to rapidly do so would result in the temporary or permanent loss of their Inet domain.

Just Say No: David Harrison wants to replace your Internet. I, Cringely, February 22, 2007

So, let’s see: wait until the owner of a domain is on a road trip, claim he’s a squatter, run through this kangaroo court’s process, and by the time he’s back, he’s got no domain, because he didn’t respond in 24 hours. Continue reading →