In the dark early days of the Internet, a hard-working man came up with the idea that .com should not be the only commercial option.
It was 1995, and programmer Christopher “Chris” Ambler, conceived the idea for the .Web TLD, eventually applying for it.
According to Ambler:
“I was writing a check for $3,000 to Network Solutions for 30 domain names (in those days, it was $100 each for 2 years) and I thought, wait a minute, this is silly – I can run a zone server just as easy as NSI can!”
Ambler’s company, IOD, applied for the delegation of .Web and launched it as a new unrestricted TLD after receiving permission from IANA.
For several years, IOD tried to get .Web into the official DNS root. When ICANN accepted applications for new TLDs in 2000, IOD’s .Web application was not approved, nor was it officially rejected.
Like many other ventures launched before their time, the concept failed. And now Verisign – allegedly – gets to keep .Web to the tune of $130 million dollars.
DomainIncite journalist, Kevin Murphy, wants us all to acknowledge this unfair twist of things.
Kevin’s started a crowdfunding campaign, to buy Chris Ambler as many beers as possible.
Whether this is an attempt to make Chris get drunk and forget his pain over the final loss of .Web, or simply to get him drunk, remains to be seen.
Buy Chris Ambler a beer for his .Web idea, per Kevin Murphy’s suggestion.
Christopher Ambler is an acknowledged internet pioneer who in 1996 first introduced the generic top-level domain “.web” to the internet.
Sadly, like Leonardo’s rudimentary notions of human flight, like Babbage’s Difference Engine, like Vanilla Ice’s foray into white rap, Ambler’s .web was an idea of earth-shattering genius that came tragically before its time.
Nobody wanted to buy .web names. Nobody could even use them.
But the genius of the idea was there!
Twenty years and a lawsuit or two later, evil internet overlord ICANN has now sold off .web to goodness knows who — likely a bunch of opportunistic ne’er-do-wells — for the kingly sum of $135 MEEEEELLION DOLLARS.
And our young Chris, sadly, will not see a penny of the proceeds.
He’s a true internet hero who has been royally screwed by The Man, so let’s all buy Chris a pint to cheer him up!
The suggested donation is $10 (USD) which I reckon is probably what a pint of foaming, nut-brown ale costs nowadays in Ambler’s increasingly gentrified Northern California home-town.
Our target is 500 pints, which should keep him in blissful, belching carefreeness until whoever bought .web files Chapter 11 and he can return to peace, safe in the knowledge that it wasn’t such a great idea after all.
So there you have it, spend some cash for a good cause and buy Chris Ambler a beer.
Because .Web domains will probably be more expensive once they roll out. 😀
ICANN did not exist in 1996.
Kevin – Chris’s idea did though.
It was IANA at the time.
Sucks for Chris. ICANN executives are scammers.
I’ve committed – if the campaign hits 300 pounds, I’ll buy myself a ticket to England and spend it there – anyone who wants to meet up for pints is welcome!
Might as well have a little fun with this, right? 😉
Maybe I should lower the target to £299.
It would be an effective way to keep me out of your country…