This paper was strange. I know DNS, and this paper actually made me a little more confused. I expect it was mostly terminology. Zones, for instance, are a strange name for administrative domains.
The paper itself was great, as it dealt heavily with an issue very close to my heart; technology adoption. As I work in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) getting users of my technology is of paramount importance.
The HOSTS.TXT file was a perfect example of "good enough" technology, which is the biggest obstacle to adoption. It's just not worth it to the users unless the benefits of the new technology outweigh the losses from adoption. This is why it's nearly impossible to get new networking technology adopted. The advantages are too small compared to the risks.
The DNS folks lamented a great deal over this fact. The users who did not switch caused tons of problems, and the users who only partially transitioned caused the most. I think that Berkeley TCP implementations were probably the definitive reason that TCP is so widely adopted.
I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to say. I just want a more involved discussion on how to push network technology. Right now you have to implement it at user level, that way people don't need to monkey with their systems to use it.
I'm rambling. I'l bring this up in class.
1 comment:
Adoption is a worthy topic.
I think people are willing to monkey with systems if it makes them go faster -- if I offer to make your TCP performance 30% faster, you'll install a patch. If i offer to everybody's performance 30% faster if we all install it, no chance.
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