> >OIDs. And trying to do so would make DNS URIs far more complex than > >they need to be - for no real benefit. For instance, how do you > >assign names to the alternate roots? > >By specifying the root name as a prefix? That does nothing more than define a (new) single root, on top of the set of alternate DNS naming systems. Hence, it violates the model that the alternate root efforts claim to support, namely one of independence. >I agree that alternate roots are not part of DNS as long as you >contrain your universe to be the ICANN/USG published set of DNS That is like saying that mars is not part of earth, as long as you constrain your reference to this planet. The DNS has some definitions associated with it. One of them is a single root and administration of that root has been handled by IANA/ICANN since its inception. The alternate root activities chose to work independently of the established DNS. They were free to do that and are free to continue to do that. What they are NOT free to do is claim that, somehow, there is any obligation to impose a coordination effort between them and the IANA/ICANN DNS. Laying a naming and registration system on top of the set of different DNS-like services would constitute such an imposition. It would, in reality, be defining a new root. One that brings the set of alternate roots under a single, coordinated naming and registration scheme. Independence of naming is independence of naming. If they want a URI, they should define one. For themselves. They should not insist on post hoc integration with the IANA/ICANN root. d/ ---------- Dave Crocker <mailto:dave@tribalwise.com> TribalWise, Inc. <http://www.tribalwise.com> tel +1.408.246.8253; fax +1.408.850.1850