Domain names unlock new potential on blockchain
The best ideas emerge from a desire to make things easier. A powerful example of this is the Domain Name System (DNS), which emerged from a need for accessibility across the internet. By creating memorable names for IP addresses and a system that connected the two, the internet became accessible to all, allowing the benefits to be enjoyed by everyone with connectivity.
But that was over 30 years ago now. Despite the recent addition of new gTLDs to the domain name space, very little has changed in how domain names are used in three decades. For all of those of us operating in this industry, we must keep challenging ourselves to consider how the expertise we have acquired can be applied to improve the use and accessibility of new digital technologies.
Registry Minds+Machines (MMX), for whom Nominet provides the back end registry services, is fast proving itself as a leader in this space with a new and exciting re-positioning of .luxe as a means to ‘Let U eXchange Easily’ online. The top-level domain (TLD), which MMX operates, has now become the first open TLD that integrates with the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), enabling a .luxe domain name to be associated with an asset on the Ethereum blockchain and accessible across the internet.
Blockchain is one new technology that is rapidly demanding attention. This open, distributed digital ledger technology is making waves across the world as a new and hierarchy-free means of conducting transactions in the online space. Ethereum, the fastest growing blockchain, has 43 million assets, all of which are identified by 40-character alphanumerical string (or hash).
These strings are randomly-created and entirely unmemorable. While the ENS allows users to register .eth domain names for their assets, these are limited for use within the Ethereum platform and services. MMX is now offering .luxe for use across the ENS and as a means of integrating with the world wide web, applying one of the benefits of DNS to the blockchain space.
This is a significant first step in the innovation around domain name application, and we applaud MMX for applying DNS-thinking more widely than it is currently used. This new application of a TLD unlocks greater potential for blockchain and improves transparency and trust at a time when the technology is beginning to grow in its use across a range of industries.
We’re proud to play a part in supporting MMX’s work. This significant step serves as a reminder to us all that we must keep innovating, using the expertise we have available, to ensure accessibility remains at the centre of our digital future.
The article was originally published here
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