The origins of domain name registration and its unknown and bumpy history

Domain name registration is incredibly popular these days, and many have become overnight riches thanks to owning one or two great domain names. But how much do we know about the history of domain names? Today, I'll discuss domain name history, hoping to provide a comprehensive understanding for those who speculate in domain names.

A domain name (Domain Name) is a name for a computer or group of computers on the Internet, consisting of a series of names separated by periods. It is used to identify the electronic location of a computer during data transmission (sometimes also referred to as a geographical location, or a geographical domain name, referring to a local area with administrative autonomy).

A domain name gives an IP address a "mask." The purpose of a domain name is to serve as an easy-to-remember and easy-to-communicate address for a group of servers (websites, email, FTP, etc.). The world's first registered domain name was in January 1985.

Domain Name History:

In 1985, Symbolics registered the first .com domain name. At the time, domain name registration was just emerging, and applications were few and far between.

With the introduction of the WWW protocol on the Internet in 1993, domain names became increasingly popular.

In 1993, Network Solutions (NSI) signed a five-year contract with the US government to exclusively represent the registration rights for the three international top-level domains: .COM, .ORG, and .NET. At the time, there were only about 7,000 domain names in total.

In 1994, NSI began charging a $100 registration fee for each domain name, and two years later, an annual management fee of $50.

By the beginning of 1998, NSI had registered over 1.2 million domain names, 90% of which used the ".COM" suffix, generating over $60 million in revenue. Some estimate that by mid-1999, the company would generate $200 million in annual revenue from domain name registration fees alone.

On July 1, 1997, as part of the US government's policy to manage a "global electronic commerce system," President Clinton commissioned the US Department of Commerce to privatize the domain name system, introduce competition, and promote international participation. On July 2, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a public invitation for proposals and comments, soliciting feedback on the U.S. government's role in domain name management, the overall structure of the domain name system, the addition of new top-level domains, registry policies, and trademark issues.

On January 30, 1998, the U.S. Department of Commerce officially released the "Draft for Improvements to Domain Name Technical Management (Discussion Draft)" on its website. This "Green Paper," overseen by President Clinton's Internet Policy Advisor, Magerina, stated that the U.S. government would "cautiously and gradually" transfer management of the Internet domain name from the U.S. government to a private organization. The Green Paper outlined four basic principles for domain name management: stability in the transfer process, competition in the domain name system, "thorough" collaboration and a private sector approach, and representation of the needs of all international users. Based on these principles, the "Green Paper" proposed establishing a private, non-profit corporation to take over domain name management, transferring the U.S. government's domain name management functions to this joint venture by September 30, 1998, and completing the transfer of all management roles by September 30, 2000.

In June 1998, the Clinton administration issued a white paper recommending that a non-profit organization take over the government's domain name management functions. The report did not specify the funding source for the organization, but it did provide some guiding principles and recommended the establishment of a non-profit consortium.

On September 30, 1998, the U.S. government terminated its contract with the domain name provider NSI. An existing agreement between the two parties was extended for two years, until September 30, 2000. Under this agreement, NSI would work with other companies to take over the registration of Internet top-level domain names. NSI and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) would begin a phased launch of the shared registration system on March 31, 1999, with full implementation by June 1, 1999.

In October 1998, ICANN, a non-profit Internet governance organization, was established. It signed an agreement with the US government to take over the responsibilities of the former IANA, overseeing policies and protocols related to Internet domain names and addresses, while the US government adopts a hands-off approach.

In 2001, at the ICANN General Assembly in Australia, ICANN, the Internet's international domain name management organization, passed a resolution to select seven new top-level domains (TLDs) from nearly 50 applications to meet domain name market demand. The seven TLDs introduced by the organization's board of directors were: .ero, representing the air transport industry; .biz, for businesses; .coop, for businesses and industry associations; .info, a generic alternative to .com; .museum, for museums; .name, for personal websites; and .pro, for professionals such as accountants, doctors, and lawyers.