information Handshake TLDs

[Johnny Wu]

I just wanted to share that it's now actually possible for anyone to get TLDs. Instead of the $185k application fee it costs to apply for a TLD to ICANN, there's a blockchain project called Handshake that instead distributes TLDs through auctions. Highest bidder wins the name and only pays the 2nd highest bid, so in an auction where there are no other bidders, the winner wins the name for free!

These TLDs live on the Handshake blockchain, which browsers don't yet support, but it turns out you can still access Handshake domains by using the HNS.to search engine — try using it to search "home.hns" or "github.hns". Emoji domains like "home." are also possible.

For those interested in getting personalized TLDs, the easiest way to bid on Handshake domains is probably through Namebase, which can be reached by searching "home.nb" on HNS.to. You can also visit "learn.nb" to read more about Handshake and Namebase.

Cheers and happy naming!

 

[Jothan Frakes]

I have explored a few of the options like this out there. Handshake is interesting if it gets traction. There are a lot of smart people working on it, but it is still in early phases of usability.

Johnny, who started this thread, is active in that community of hanshake.org developers and works at the 'GoDaddy' equivalent, https://namebase.io were they have made the complexities more simple and accessible.

I am not endorsing handshake or namebase, but I see some potential and am experimenting. The auction is quite different than anything you're likely to have experienced previously, and entertaining to participate in.

 

[Paul]

The problem with this model is that all the good names get scooped up early; that effectively prevents them from ever gaining traction. If someone claims google/ and chrome/ early on, Chrome is never going add support. This applies equally to small companies: if someone claims bobsburgers/ before Bob even knows Handshake exists, Bob isn't going to be a big fan of Handshake.

The counter-argument to this is typically that if Bob really wants bobsburgers/, he can buy it from the current owner for a relatively small fee. The counter-counter-argument is that Bob isn't going to bother if Handshake doesn't gain traction--and it's not going to gain traction as long as this barrier exists.

One way around this is to release names gradually. If I search for paul/, I see "Coming soon - Available on 11/04/20 · Block # 40320". Okay, that's a start, but it's not going to take off by then, and you're just artificially limiting adoption without actually solving the problem; it's a mediocre bandaid at best.

Let's try namepros/:

Reserved
To ensure that Handshake is compatible with legacy DNS, existing top-level domains as well as the top 100,000 Alexa domains are reserved.

Again, a valiant attempt, but it's not enough: now NamePros can't be on Handshake. Neither can Google. Or Facebook. Or... you get the picture.

Someday, someone will manage to solve these problems, and we'll have a pretty amazing DNS replacement. Decentralization and censorship-resistance isn't enough: we also need to solve logistical problems.

That being said, good luck! Innovation is hard.

 

[HotKey]

Cool stuff. Jumped on board a few weeks ago, lots of trial and error with the auctions. They are as cutthroat as the aftermarket auctions we are accustomed to, but with a bit more strategy involved. Lots of fun too.

The opportunity to own your own tld, for life, pretty hard to pass up. Looking beyond the horizon on these. As Keith said, worth the risk for a few dollars. But there are some massive investments being made on some of these handshake tlds, more than just a few dollars that's for sure. In the hundreds of thousands of HNS.

Having a TLD resolve on it's own.. eg. Example/, may be just the nudge needed to eventually turn this into the future of domains. A word or phrase, no dot required!

We do have to start thinking about where the Internet's going, imo, in terms of naming and resolving and control.

The catalyst towards mainstream will be resolving these domains without browser extensions. No idea what kind of value this will hold in the future, certainly keeping an open mind to the possibilities. Lots of people working hard to making it work. Thanks to @Johnny Wu for bringing it here.

So here is a TLD I acquired: bells/
and made a domain called jingle. Hence my first site on the shake;

Jingle.Bells/

Looks pretty neat neat resolving on its own in the url bar, using the Chrome extension. If you take a visit, enjoy!

 

[CraigD]

This world is getting crazier, let me young again!

“I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”

- Douglas Adams

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Yes, I did understand that, but will the general public of users add that? Will Google add that in the search results people use? Will voice search find them? Will people want all of that spelled out on billboards or business cards? I remain sceptical, but perhaps just set in my ways. As flawed as it is, I prefer a centralized and regulated DNS system.
Bob

 

[Paul]

Actually, Namepros being reserved means that Namepros can request its Handshake TLD and it will be transferred over to them. Same with any of the other 100K reserved TLDs.

How does this happen without centralization? It's possible but non-trivial, and these are the problems that decentralized systems need to solve. For example, Keybase has a pretty cool method of validating domain ownership via RFC 5785, but it's revocable, and that's important. It gets a little more complicated with a blockchain-based system, as a naïve solution either lacks revocation or has performance issues.

I don't see a difference between someone snatching up paul/ at an auction than someone snatching up paul.com in the 90s.

The difference is that the web wasn't popular back then. There was no real competition, aside from maybe AOL Keywords. Anything new that's released has to compete with something that's already gained a lot of traction--that's harder and has different requirements. Creating a decentralized system isn't that hard, even without blockchains; Tor manages just fine without blockchains. That hard part is solving the logistical issues.

 

[Johnny Wu]

I haven't studied their mechanism yet, kinda curious what if I created .trump in HNS and then I bankrupted can not affording it anymore...would all the websites that under my .trump suspended?...or maybe just to lead to auction automatically...

So the cost of running the Handshake ".trump" TLD is pretty negligible — it's one mining transaction fee every 2 years, which currently costs about a penny. However indeed if you are unable to process that transaction fee, the name would go back into the auction pile. Namebase sends these renewal fees automatically for you so anyone using our platform (I work at Namebase) wouldn't need to worry about this step

 

[Bob Hawkes]

which browsers don't yet support,

<<<< THIS
.....yes with certain search work arounds or add-ons on some browsers, I know.. but most people will want and need a domain name that just works, in my opinion.

Maybe a different, and chaotic, alternative domain name world will take hold, and know various working in the area for some time, but it is not yet here (for the vast majority of users) in my opinion. And that is good for domainers.

Bob

 

[Keith]

These will eventually stand alone. For example, I bought “bots”. In the near future I could build AI.bots, VR.bots or whatever.

Not something I’d spend a bunch of money on but worth risking a few dollars imo.

 

[Lox]

AlterNIC 1995, RealNames 1997, .... Bex DNS ... what's next?

 

[Johnny Wu]

You can’t type tieshun in your browser and go directly to a page. That’s the problem and why it’s necessary for these to work via something like me.tieshun

Ah right, Handshake TLDs can be used as standalone domain names by adding a "/" at the end. So in this case, searching "tieshun/" let's your browser know it's a Handshake domain instead of an ICANN TLD. Note that this is for those who have either downloaded a browser extension or changed their DNS settings to resolve Handshake domains — the "/" isn't necessary when HNS.to is used since that search bar assumes everything is a Handshake domain.

 

[Jimmysun]

So the cost of running the Handshake ".trump" TLD is pretty negligible — it's one mining transaction fee every 2 years, which currently costs about a penny. However indeed if you are unable to process that transaction fee, the name would go back into the auction pile. Namebase sends these renewal fees automatically for you so anyone using our platform (I work at Namebase) wouldn't need to worry about this step

Thank you for reply.
I guess this is still many things to work on, I am just curious if adopting a personal tld is that cheap how can HNS make sure its value persistency (no pain no value), or they only considered the benefits for end users?
At least .eth .crypto locked up/tag the prices for dictionary, trending, trademark words very cautiously, what’s the mechanism insuring it’s value?
Look at the big picture no matter how awesome is it, the values of HNS domains is all depend on how much likelihood that people are willing build dapps or defi programs on this blockchain right? I think for now the majorities they’ve only heard of ETH, EOS etc. since they’re so famous on the social media.
I mean this is a great idea and it seems inevitably will come out such business model while no one others did, but it’s way too early for general domainers, but I get it it’s the timing to ambush to gain their awareness though.

 

[jim h]

I understand what you said, and I don't think it can be accepted by the existing vested interests. So, who will pay to support it?

 

[newdawndomains]

The problem with this model is that all the good names get scooped up early; that effectively prevents them from ever gaining traction. If someone claims google/ and chrome/ early on, Chrome is never going add support. This applies equally to small companies: if someone claims bobsburgers/ before Bob even knows Handshake exists, Bob isn't going to be a big fan of Handshake.

The counter-argument to this is typically that if Bob really wants bobsburgers/, he can buy it from the current owner for a relatively small fee. The counter-counter-argument is that Bob isn't going to bother if Handshake doesn't gain traction--and it's not going to gain traction as long as this barrier exists.

One way around this is to release names gradually. If I search for paul/, I see "Coming soon - Available on 11/04/20 · Block # 40320". Okay, that's a start, but it's not going to take off by then, and you're just artificially limiting adoption without actually solving the problem; it's a mediocre bandaid at best.

Let's try namepros/:

Reserved
To ensure that Handshake is compatible with legacy DNS, existing top-level domains as well as the top 100,000 Alexa domains are reserved.

Again, a valiant attempt, but it's not enough: now NamePros can't be on Handshake. Neither can Google. Or Facebook. Or... you get the picture.

Someday, someone will manage to solve these problems, and we'll have a pretty amazing DNS replacement. Decentralization and censorship-resistance isn't enough: we also need to solve logistical problems.

That being said, good luck! Innovation is hard.

Actually, Namepros being reserved means that Namepros can request its Handshake TLD and it will be transferred over to them. Same with any of the other 100K reserved TLDs.

I don't see a difference between someone snatching up paul/ at an auction than someone snatching up paul.com in the 90s. I know it's a domain vs. a TLD, but I think the comparison is similar enough since regular folk like you and I can register domains but there are massive barriers to registering a TLD (not to mention the exorbitant price).

 

[Jimmysun]

I just wanted to share that it's now actually possible for anyone to get TLDs. Instead of the $185k application fee it costs to apply for a TLD to ICANN, there's a blockchain project called Handshake that instead distributes TLDs through auctions. Highest bidder wins the name and only pays the 2nd highest bid, so in an auction where there are no other bidders, the winner wins the name for free!

These TLDs live on the Handshake blockchain, which browsers don't yet support, but it turns out you can still access Handshake domains by using the HNS.to search engine — try using it to search "home.hns" or "github.hns". Emoji domains like "home." are also possible.

For those interested in getting personalized TLDs, the easiest way to bid on Handshake domains is probably through Namebase, which can be reached by searching "home.nb" on HNS.to. You can also visit "learn.nb" to read more about Handshake and Namebase.

Cheers and happy naming!

I can’t believe you invented this crazy idea, it’s a chaos for domain industry, you’re totally neglecting the art of monopolization possibilities, I dislike u.

 

[blogspotter]

This world is getting crazier, let me young again!

Ah, to be 20 and foolish again,. I think I would waste it even harder..... hahaha

 

[Johnny Wu]

<<<< THIS
.....yes with certain search work arounds or add-ons on some browsers, I know.. but most people will want and need a domain name that just works, in my opinion.

Maybe a different, and chaotic, alternative domain name world will take hold, and know various working in the area for some time, but it is not yet here (for the vast majority of users) in my opinion. And that is good for domainers.

Bob

These domains in fact already work by adding "hns.to" in front. For example, try visiting "hns.to/home.nb", "hns.to/linkedin.johnnywu" or even "hns.to/home." directly in your browser — they resolve.

 

[Johnny Wu]

Yes, I did understand that, but will the general public of users add that? Will Google add that in the search results people use? Will voice search find them? Will people want all of that spelled out on billboards or business cards? I remain sceptical, but perhaps just set in my ways. As flawed as it is, I prefer a centralized and regulated DNS system.
Bob

Skepticism is understandable! I would like to point out that Handshake is just decentralizing the root layer of the DNS system, which is currently monopolized by ICANN. It still depends on the existing DNS system, which in fact is pretty decentralized itself.

 

[Johnny Wu]

These will eventually stand alone. For example, I bought “bots”. In the near future I could build AI.bots, VR.bots or whatever.

Not something I’d spend a bunch of money on but worth risking a few dollars imo.

Indeed I strongly believe that Handshake TLDs will eventually standalone! This does require adoption by browsers, which could be the make-or-break point, but even without browsers these TLDs still work.

Speaking of "standalone", it's also possible to use Handshake TLDs as standalone domain names without subdomains. For example, our CEO has his home page set as just "tieshun" — try searching that on HNS.to or via hns.to/tieshun

 

[newdawndomains]

Handshake TLDs is how I recently got into buying and selling domains on the 'old' internet as I call it. The new web will be decentralized and built on the blockchain, this I am quite sure of. This is especially going to increasingly be the case and more apparent over the next 5-10 years. As the Ethereum blockchain becomes more upgraded as it currently is in the process of, it will be able to process theoretically millions of transactions per second, which is more than what the major credit card processors can do.

TLDs like Handshake ones will probably be most popular at first within the tech industry, and then branch out from there. I have already picked up 170 TLDS and am bidding on more every day. I figure some of them will be worth something, and in fact I've sold Handshake TLDs for BIN prices already, ussing that money to bid on and buy more Handshake TLDs.

Eventually, I hope to be a registrar of sorts for some of the best TLDs I have and rent out domains people register under them for an annual feel like is done on the old internet.

It's all still in its infancy, but it could be worth getting in on it, as a first mover advantage sort of thing.

 

[newdawndomains]

I understand what you said, and I don't think it can be accepted by the existing vested interests. So, who will pay to support it?

That's the beauty of trustless nodes and decentralized blockchains. You don't need the permission of any centralized authority to do anything. TLDs and domains can't get taken down or charged for if the owners of those particular TLDs and domains don't want to. Currently, any time there is a transaction on the Ethereum blockchain, a transaction fee occurs. Millions of these occur, leading to securing the blockchain and paying for things to keep going.

The 'vested interests' really have no say in the matter of what happened in the decentralized world. That's why they're so scared of DeFi (decentralized finance) and people being their own banks. The times are a changin' and I believe we are seeing a global movement back toward people being able to be more sovereign and outside of the control of systems of the Fed Reserve, ICANN, utility companies, etc. If it's an asset, in any class, it can have a smart contract developed for processed for it.

 

[griff]

They're doing a free airdrop for those with an eligible github account for ~4662 HNS (worth around $700 now):

https://www.namebase.io/airdrop

 

[Mr Wash]

Alt roots are a waste of time. Borderline scam.

 

[blogspotter]

I can’t believe you invented this crazy idea, it’s a chaos for domain industry, you’re totally neglecting the art of monopolization possibilities, I dislike u.

haha

Is he the founder?