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Internationalized Domain Names
Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)
are domain names represented by local
language characters. Such domain names
could contain letters or characters from
non-ASCII scripts (for example, Arabic
or Chinese). Many efforts are ongoing
in the Internet community to make domain
names available in character sets other
than ASCII. The IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process
will enable countries and territories
that use languages based on scripts other
than Latin to offer their users domain
names in non-Latin characters. These IDN
ccTLDs will be available only to the governments
and administrations of countries and territories
listed in the ISO 3166-1 standard, or
their designated representatives or operators.
There is a number of string requirements
for IDN ccTLDs to be delegated through
the process, one of which is demonstration
that the IDN ccTLD constitute a meaningful
representation of the corresponding country
or territory name.
Applicants Sought from Internet User Community
for Seat on Board of Directors
The ICANN group representing individual
Internet users is calling for applications
from those who may be interested in helping
to develop policy while serving on the
organization's Board of Directors. www.icann.org
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What is the Domain Name System?
The
Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to
find their way around the Internet. Every
computer on the Internet has a unique address
– just like a telephone number – which is
a rather complicated string of numbers.
It is called its "IP address"
(IP stands for "Internet Protocol").But
it is hard to remember everyone's IP address.
The DNS makes it easier by allowing a familiar
string of letters (the "domain name")
to be used instead of the arcane IP address.
So instead of typing 192.0.34.65, you can
type www.icann.org. It is a "mnemonic"
device that makes addresses easier to remember.
Translating the name into the IP address
is called "resolving the domain name."
The goal of the DNS is for any Internet
user any place in the world to reach a specific
website IP address by entering its domain
name. Domain names are also used for reaching
e-mail addresses and for other Internet
applications.
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