Web Address – Non-Latin Domain Names Approved
IDN Domain Names on its way
The body that regulates Internet, Icann has approved plans to allow non-Latin script based web addresses to be allowed on the Internet. This will completely transform how domain names are registered from about 2010. At its annual meeting in Seoul yesterday, the board voted to allow Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Chinese and other scripts. More than half of the 1.6 billion people who use the Internet speak languages with non-Latin scripts.
This is considered to be the biggest change the Internet will experience since it was founded about 40 years ago. The first non-Latin-Script based domain name is expected to be in your middle of next year. This new domains, called Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) has been long coming as countries with non-Latin based script argued for its creation, the issue threatens to split the Internet governing body in the past as representatives of non-Latin based script countries said they will break away and form their own group if Icann does not approve the IDN domains.
Though Hosting shop has not plans to offer IDN domains just yet but we will keep a close watch on the development of the new domain in the coming year.
If a non-latin writing person is given a domain in English how hard is it for them to even type it? Maybe a few seconds for us but minutes for them and then they have to change the keyboard back into their language if they want to write something
What with the relaxation already planned for extensions next year (eg domain.nyc etc), adding these changes in, the internet is going to be very different in 5 years time! Billions upon billions of domain name options…
Do you think this will in the long run devalue domains names as demand will far outstrip supply?