ICANN: Non-latin characters for top-level domains

They're hereeeeeee

[weeks]

Non-Latin characters are being used for top-level domains
[icann.org...]

I did a simple cut and paste from the link above and got this:

For the first time in the history of the Internet, non-Latin characters are being used for top-level domains. The first IDN country-code top-level domains were inserted in the DNS root zone earlier today. The associated countries and their respective IDN ccTLDs are:

Egypt: مصر (Egypt)

Saudi Arabia: السعودية (AlSaudiah)

United Arab Emirates: امارات (Emarat)

[g1smd]

Oh #*$!.

It will be interesting to see how many existing web tools fall over when presented with these.

[plumsauce]

Well isn't that just frickin' wonderful.

First, signed roots May 11, and now this.

The signed root in and of itself is no problem. The fun starts when ISP's turn on EDNS using buggy software.

[brotherhood of LAN]

when presented with these.

yep! and IPv6 before too long for good measure.

[walkman]

On one hand it's their language and people do get touchy about not being allowed to use it.

On the other hand hand, what a %^#%$#@^%%*^&()(_)*&^@#$%^ mess

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Time to throw down some gang symbols.

(.)(.)n&ZZ

oi.

[dusky]

Well, Arabs taught us modern Mathematics and Algebra in addition to many other sciences and passed them on to us here, we built upon that and got the Internet, time to give something back in recognition!
Imagine if the Internet started in Arabic, you'll be glad we've got it also in English / Latin based languages this week, they did not complain much for the last 20+- years, I bet we would've hit the roof if we didn't get our way!

[walkman]

Dusky, what Arabs gave us, or brought to us from India is irrelevant, we're talking mostly about the consequences to us.

On the other hand, I can easily say "look at what we gave them," from penicillin to oil tech to computers was invented by non-Arabs :)

[dusky]

Anyway, let's just say them and us and other races got this world where it is now and should share its wealth and technology together. I suppose, we have to live with the consequences. IPv6 is going to be more of challenge, it's like the millennium bug except some of the fears are likely to be real.

[OnlineConnect]

hey dusky said like a coder "is like the millennium bug but real" brilliant !

[dreamcatcher]

'Historic' day as first non-latin web addresses go live
[webmasterworld.com...]

[dusky]

OnlineConnect, thanks, I am not used to compliments, but I can seriously see the practical hurdles, unlike the millennium bug where it was all based on exaggerated theories.

Staying on the TLD subject, while this is welcome, they should've waited until all other major languages could be included, it does not sound fair for Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese etc. Maybe what powers Internet webservers is not just IIS, Apache and others, but also Gulf oil!