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Kickstarter for a JavaScript top level domain (.js TLD)

97 points| jpsirois | 14 years ago |github.com

83 comments

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[+] skrebbel|14 years ago|reply
Why do we even think about this? Custom TLDs are a farce, a way to shake companies and nonprofits out of money without any added value, neither technologically, nor in terms of marketing/communication. Everybody knows that, right? Didn't we all conclude that when the ICANN announced it? Aren't "we", the hacker crowd, supposed to be above this?
[+] ilikepi|14 years ago|reply
I agree. Further, regarding this bit from the "Why?" section of the README:

> Okay, this is kind of a vanity TLD, but we freaking build the web every day... Shouldn't we have a TLD that JS hackers control?

Why are "JS hackers" being targeted specifically? Why not also Ruby, Python, PHP, .NET, and Perl hackers? Why not also HTML and CSS hackers? Why not also designers (.psd perhaps)? Why not dozens of new TLDs so that everyone could have a domain with the file extension of their choosing?

I'll tell you why: because arbitrarily polluting the top-level namespace is something we learn not to do.

[+] backspace|14 years ago|reply
Couldn't agree with you more. I can't even fathom how ludicrous this idea is. What possible reason is there for a language to have a TLD?

Let's make custom TLDs for .py, .java, .c, .h, .php... really? Really?

[+] backspace|14 years ago|reply
This is exactly why I both love and fear the power of Kickstarter. It enables half-thought out ideas (claimed as "projects") to have a way to sucker good people out of their money.
[+] wamatt|13 years ago|reply
You make a great ideological point sir. But let me make a pragmatic one.

The new gTLD's are coming whether we like it or not, so why not take advantage of it?

[+] zeroconf|13 years ago|reply
Does the hacker crowd include the person who started the BH conferences? ICANN hired him and he's the one running the technical side of this farce.
[+] guscost|13 years ago|reply
I'm going to start a tiny country called "Jesss," and then get rich! It's a perfect plan!!!
[+] jensnockert|14 years ago|reply
I tried doing this before the rules were public, the reasons why I stopped

1. Two-letter TLDs are reserved for countries.

2. The $200k isn't the actual cost, it is only what you need to pay for an initial review, you won't get the money back if something is found to be wrong with your application or if they dislike your TLD.

[+] alexis-d|14 years ago|reply
1. Except the .eu I guess (otherwise I agree).
[+] blubbar|14 years ago|reply
This is extremely stupid. would it be mongodb.js? or mongodb.c++ mongodb.oss mongodb.foss mongodb.nosql or mongodb.webtwozeroishstuff ? We don't need more fragmentation.

I guess the next thing they want after .biz is .cool .startup .awesome and .hip . This is not how TLDs (should) work!

[+] jack-r-abbit|14 years ago|reply
I guess it would be mongo.db. But it really should be none of those. How would anyone create/enforce rules that would accurately limit the usage to what they are proposing? What is the validation for whether a project is or is not a JavaScript or NodeJS project?
[+] angrytapir|13 years ago|reply
> I guess the next thing they want after .biz is .cool .startup .awesome and .hip

.hipster

[+] g0su|14 years ago|reply
This is extremely stupid to start a post with "This is extremely stupid". It adds no value and is simply offensive. Only extremely stupid people write that way.
[+] debacle|14 years ago|reply
While it would be cool to have a .js TLD, that 200k would be better spent developing a system that doesn't revolve around a centralized entity to manage DNS.
[+] techiferous|14 years ago|reply
Good point. Or that 200k would be better spent in an X Prize style contest for a better JavaScript web framework.
[+] TazeTSchnitzel|14 years ago|reply
Especially since now the root zone file is just gonna grow and grow with new TLDs.
[+] Camillo|14 years ago|reply
I don't know why people are so eager to shoot this down. I think it's perfectly feasible. So what if two-letter TLDs are reserved for countries? JavaScript has already made the jump from the browser to the server (and, soon, to the kernel): the world map is the logical next step. Yes, I am talking about a real-world JavaScript nation, whose banner shall unite web 2.0 ninjas, wizards and pirates (not the rockstars, though, those use Ruby) from all over the world. And the children of this new utopia shall be taught JavaScript as their native language, fulfilling mankind's age-old ideal of JavaScript Everywhere.
[+] gee_totes|14 years ago|reply
The thought of children speaking their first

  alert();
brings tears of joy to my eyes...
[+] namidark|13 years ago|reply
Where on earth do you see JS jumping to the kernel? If C++ wasn't cut for it what makes you think JS is?
[+] ozten|14 years ago|reply
There are two blockers:

https://github.com/ozten/TLD.js/issues/23

https://github.com/ozten/TLD.js/issues/8

This isn't viable for submission as a Kickstarter w/o resolving those issues.

As @jensnockert and @LaRakei have pointed out here.

Creative solution? Please comment on the issues :)

[+] jpsirois|14 years ago|reply
I know about both issues but what I would like to mention is more the initiative of a Kickstarter campaign for this kind of developer’s common concerns.

I really love the idea to ask everyone to solve everyone’s problems.

[+] webXL|14 years ago|reply
I think this would only be worthwhile if you could do this:

  <script src="http://jquery.js"></script>
[+] kevincennis|14 years ago|reply
The WHATWG should just introduce a new <jquery> element that automatically pulls the latest version.
[+] TazeTSchnitzel|14 years ago|reply
You could quite easily make the index page the latest jquery minified version, so yes.
[+] user-id|13 years ago|reply
I'd much prefer this, much the same way http://to/ used to operate:

    <script src="//cdn/jquery"></script>
[+] ozten|14 years ago|reply
Very cool. You could also do:

    <script src="http://jquery.js/latest"></script>
And keep / as an informative website.
[+] debacle|14 years ago|reply
What would the source at js.js/js.js be?
[+] Gravityloss|13 years ago|reply
One more reason it's not a good idea: For example if .html was a top level domain, it would be harder to know if you're looking at a domain or a file. You could still deduce it from the surrounding strings, but why do you want to complicate what's working perfectly as it is?

How about .exe, .app, .txt, .htm... maybe ultimately petition to allow punctuation and forward slash in domain names.

[+] icebraining|13 years ago|reply
The concept of files in URLs is an illusion. A bare '/' may serve JS content and a /test.css may serve a JPG image. The path is just a string with no special meaning.
[+] mikeryan|14 years ago|reply
Every day I send Chrome on a mystery tour looking for a domain called something.js - which it never finds.
[+] lambda|13 years ago|reply
As many others have pointed out, two character gTLDs are not allowed, as they are reserved for countries and super-national entities like .eu.

Also, Kickstarter is a terrible model for something like this. Kickstarter is for funding a single creative project. People are giving money to someone they trust to be able to execute a project, for that specific project. A gTLD needs to be run, constantly, for the forseeable future; and thus needs to be a real business, with real investment, not a one-shot project like Kickstarter is designed to fund.

[+] opendomain|14 years ago|reply
Getting a TLD up and running would cost a LOT more than $200k - you have to create a SRS registrar, billing, email systems, security, Who Is, etc.

You may be able to subcontract these to SrsPlus (like I do) or OpenSRS, but you would still have to go through $50k bond and testing.

I have been thinking of this for quite some time and have some great ideas of how a dot JS should work. Please contact me Ric @ my account dot org

[+] david_shaw|14 years ago|reply
Not totally sure how the fundraising process for a TLD works. Can you buy whatever TLD you want? Can I get david.shaw? That would be awesome.

The problem is that even if you get 'jsfounder' status with your donation, there's no guarantee you'll actually get anything other than your name on a petition.

It's a cool idea, and I support lots and lots of TLDs (as they allow creative domain names other than .com et al), but this seems like it might be a sneaky way to raise some capital without having to do anything.

edit: furthermore, do these passionate individuals plan to not organize the petition if they aren't funded?

[+] gfosco|14 years ago|reply
It costs ~200k to buy a TLD, so if they are not funded they will obviously not be applying for the TLD.
[+] TazeTSchnitzel|14 years ago|reply
You know what would be cooler? Someone registering .onion, and make .onion URLs bring up a message telling people to use a Tor client.
[+] ta12121|14 years ago|reply
200K for what is essentially a custom domain name? Absolutely not worth it.