What is domain name

[papia]

A domain name is a unique, human friendly, identifier for a computing device on the internet. A domain name keeps us from having to learn complicated IP addresses which are understood by computers so that we can easily remember the address of some domain on the internet.

[Flabos]

Well, that's neat, because i was asked to define a domain name one day. I ended up saying pretty much like a name which looked up in the DNS for other purposes.
Anyway, i don't think we should get that deep, are there any philosophers here, how would you define it ?

[zach]

Flabos Wrote:are there any philosophers here, how would you define it ?

A single streak of twilight blue across the wide abyss of Hegel, Locke and Hobbes.

[hokeshel]

Well, if you are looking for philosophy then I would have to say, The more domains change, the more they remain the same. Or how about, the journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single domain.

[scalamedia]

well that clears it up for me. Always wondered why they called it that but just never took the time to investigate. For some reason it always makes me think of Star Trek and "space the final frontier" . I can't really explain it philosophically but I envision a domain as a destination in cyberspace.

[LyricB]

Leave it to you guys to come up with a dictionary definition AND a philsophical one too.

[Dave Zan]

scalamedia Wrote:I can't really explain it philosophically but I envision a domain as a destination in cyberspace.

And that's all it really is: an online address. Nothing more.

Just that domain names are so valuable nowadays people even fight tooth
and nail for them.

[penguinmama]

Which is fascinating, actually, Dave. It's kind of an intellectual ownership, as it were. How can someone "own" a word, an address? Yet, people do. Or think they do. It's really more of a Micro$oft type thing, actually, in that people don't really *own* it, they just *rent* it. Otherwise we wouldn't have to keep paying every year!!

[berlinlife06]

penguinmama Wrote:Which is fascinating, actually, Dave. It's kind of an intellectual ownership, as it were. How can someone "own" a word, an address? Yet, people do. Or think they do. It's really more of a Micro$oft type thing, actually, in that people don't really *own* it, they just *rent* it. Otherwise we wouldn't have to keep paying every year!!

This is absolutely true! You don't really "own" something you have to keep paying and renewing every year! I cannot imagine doing that with my apartment!
To me the domain name, just to keep it in a kinda philosophical yet romantic definition, is your special and unique shade of color in the spectrum of the rainbow that is the internet. And there are millions ans millions to choose from!

[Darkneoboi]

It would be nice if we did own domains names. But the most we can do is rent them.I hate how people think you own domain names. Domain names can be taken away also if you use them illegally in some places.