[ih] internet-history Digest, Vol 41, Issue 16

[Elizabeth Feinler]

FYI the Network Information Center (NIC) at SRI International, Menlo Park, CA developed the TLDs of .mil, .org, .gov, .edu, and .com.  These are defined in RFC 1032  which also gives details of the registration procedures used then, and discusses country codes.  I am trying to write a small blurb outlining the history of this, and will submit a copy to this group when I have it finished.  I particularly want to reference what I say, as there is so much conjecture out there and I don't want to add to it, if possible.  :-).  In 1991 SRI lost the NIC contract in a competitive bid.  Network Strategies, Inc (NSI) took over the naming portion of the contract.  It is my understanding that NSI later became Verisign.  (Note: I have been told this last sentence.  I haven't verified it.)

Regards,

Jake Feinler
On Mar 22, 2010, at 12:00 PM, internet-history-request at postel.org wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. Re: early ccTLD registrations (Craig Partridge)
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:40:57 -0400
> From: Craig Partridge <craig at aland.bbn.com>
> Subject: Re: [ih] early ccTLD registrations
> To: el at lisse.na
> Cc: 'Bernard Turcotte' <turcotte57 at sympatico.ca>, craig at aland.bbn.com,
> 	internet-history at postel.org
> Message-ID: <20100322154057.9009428E137 at aland.bbn.com>
> 
> 
> You might also talk with some of the CSNET folks -- as I recall, in
> the mid-1980s, we helped several countries get their TLD (as CSNET
> was providing the primary Internet connectivity to the country).
> I'd suggest Dick Edmiston or Laura Breeden.
> 
> I don't have emails from the time but my recollection is that 
> there ended up being some negotiation with the NIC about how we
> decided who in a country should be allowed to be responsible for that
> country's TLD.  (This was not a simple question and often pitted
> Internet pioneers in some countries against their own governments).
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Craig
> 
> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> I registered .NA in 1991, but have unfortunately lost the
>> emails from that time.  I would love to reconstruct this,
>> not only for my own personal use, but also, because during
>> "work" in the ICANN ccNSO Delegation-, Re-delegation and
>> Deletion Working Group where we are looking at current
>> "policy" and "procedures" we found that we not only have no
>> definitions what TLDs or even "domains" actually are, but we
>> also do not really know how this all came about.
>> 
>> I am looking for two people working at the DDN.MIL
>> Hostmaster around 1990/1991, namely Sue Kirkpatrick, nee
>> Romano and Douglas MacGowan, both of whom handled .ZA a few
>> months before .NA and thus may be able to help (direct) my
>> search.
>> 
>> Thanks to Randy Bush kindly sending me some stuff he had
>> already in 2003 I remember that James Revell who as
>> postsmater at uunet.uu.net forwarded the application to DDN.MIL
>> and set up the name servers.  I was fortunate to be able to
>> make contact with him again and we were wondering if there
>> was someone around who would know whether and how one can
>> find records from UUNET's side.
>> 
>> Anyone else having information about how this was handled
>> before let's say 1994 (when RFC 1591 became prevalent), for
>> any ccTLD is also more than welcome to contact me directly.
>> 
>> Two names I have come up with are
>> 
>> Sue Kirkpatrick nee Romano
>> Douglas MacGowan
>> 
>> who both were hostmasters at DDN.MIL then, and I really
>> would like to get in touch with either or both of them.
>> 
>> Then there was a Mary Stahl mentioned in the monthly Internet
>> Reports reporting for DDN.MIL.
>> 
>> Anyone who registered ccTLDs during that time and is willing
>> to share their email correspondence would be also greatly
>> appreciated.
>> 
>> greetings, el
>> -- 
>> Dr. Eberhard W. Lisse  \        /      Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
>> el at lisse.NA            / *     | Telephone: +264 81 124 6733 (cell)
>> PO Box 8421             \     / Please do NOT email to this address
>> Bachbrecht, Namibia     ;____/      if it is DNS related in ANY way
> ********************
> Craig Partridge
> Chief Scientist, BBN Technologies
> E-mail: craig at aland.bbn.com or craig at bbn.com
> Phone: +1 517 324 3425
> 
> 
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> End of internet-history Digest, Vol 41, Issue 16
> ************************************************