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Why ISOC sold .ORG to VCs

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Re: Why ISOC sold .ORG to VCs

#101

Post by mlyle »

simias wrote: post #11

Honestly if that analysis is correct then on one hand I concede that it does make the decision appear less like pure bribery than I initially thought but on the other it's even worse for .org users. Maybe I'm wrong to consider this a zero-sum game, but surely if ISOC made a good deal selling .org that means that Ethos Capital got the short end of the stick. That means that eventually they'll realize that they can't m…

I think the deal isn't good for the internet and ICANN shouldn't allow it to proceed. But...

> Maybe I'm wrong to consider this a zero-sum game, but surely if ISOC made a good deal selling .org that means that Ethos Capital got the short end of the stick

Lots of transactions like this aren't zero sum. ISOC gets everything they want to continue their mission forever and escapes a major source of uncertainty/risk. Ethos Capital gets an asset for less than its expected value and tries to leverage the risk to make it worth more.

Re: Why ISOC sold .ORG to VCs

#102

Post by mlyle »

m12k wrote: post #33
BinaryIdiot wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm convinced that TLDs will slowly fade away. They're not very intuitive, especially if they're not a .com and the user is not very technical. I know Google would love for search to basically replace the need for them but I doubt that'll entirely happen. But I don't think they are long for this world.

I agree with your analysis that TLDs are mostly useless. But I doubt that's enough reason to believe they'll go away - if history is any indication, IP will seldom go away, whether useful or not, since whole industries tend to spring up around it.

Tell that to Telex, AOL keywords, fax, long distance telephone networks, cassette tapes, pager numbers, the BBS, film developing, etc. There are whole areas of IP and technical ecosystems that --- while they have not completely disappeared --- have become obsolete and their daily use and commercial value has plummeted.

Re: Why ISOC sold .ORG to VCs

#104

Post by bad_user »

jl6 wrote: post #38
bad_user wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I notice domains. And I don't trust domains that don't end in .com, .org or a recognizable national TLD. Besides, the point is irrelevant. When you build an online brand, you build it by having links distributed on the web, to get the Google juice going, on social media, on forums, etc. Even in business emails you add your domain there for easy reference later. Then if you have to change the domain, all of those link…

The sale of .org brings us one step closer to the web apocalypse where that URI is forced to change.

Well, shit happens, but I don't believe in apocalypses.

I just renewed and I've got another 10 years. Things will be sorted out by then.

Re: Why ISOC sold .ORG to VCs

#105

Post by MaxBarraclough »

simias wrote: post #11

Honestly if that analysis is correct then on one hand I concede that it does make the decision appear less like pure bribery than I initially thought but on the other it's even worse for .org users. Maybe I'm wrong to consider this a zero-sum game, but surely if ISOC made a good deal selling .org that means that Ethos Capital got the short end of the stick. That means that eventually they'll realize that they can't m…

> eventually they'll realize that they can't make as much money out of it as they had hoped. And then what will they do? Agree to continue operating the TLD at a loss? ell oh ell. It's more likely that they'll either attempt to extort more money from people who can't actually afford to migrate or "strip" the TLD for parts somehow.

If they have the option of 'stripping' the TLD for cash, do you think they'd ever decline to do this?

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