VeriSign's rapid DNS updates in .com/.net

Fri Jul 23 00:24:07 UTC 2004

At 7/22/04 10:08 AM, Paul Vixie wrote:

>the primary beneficiaries of this
>new functionality are spammers and other malfeasants

I think you're suggesting that such people will register domain names and 
use them right away (which may be true), and that the lack of a delay 
enables them to do things they couldn't otherwise do (which isn't).

Plenty of spammers register lots of .com domain names and let them sit 
for a little while before using them; if you're a committed spammer, it's 
obviously trivial to just get three days ahead of the game. The policy 
change doesn't allow evildoers to do anything they couldn't already do 
with a tiny amount of forethought (or by registering a .biz, .org, .info 
or .us domain, for that matter).

But the new policy does allow normal people to do something they couldn't 
otherwise do: have a working .com/.net Web site and e-mail in a few 
minutes. That's good for legitimate domain owner happiness.

By far the number one question customers ask my (hosting) company when 
they sign up is "When will it start working?". It's almost embarrassing 
to tell these poor people "ahem... it probably won't work for a day or 
so, and it's a bit random -- your friends might find it works before you 
do, so please don't complain if that happens", etc.

It's certainly true that a day's wait isn't the end of the world, but 
these people are anxious, and it is a source of confusion, bother and 
worry for them.

I welcome the change.

-- 
Robert L Mathews, Tiger Technologies    http://www.tigertech.net/

 "There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the
  neighbours might say."  -- Cyril Connolly