• To: Joshua Allen <joshuaa@m...>
• Subject: Re: Google as Big Brother
• From: Paul Prescod <paul@p...>
• Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 15:24:20 -0800
• Cc: "Bullard, Claude L \(Len\)" <clbullar@i...>, xml-dev@l...
• In-reply-to: <4F4182C71C1FDD4BA0937A7EB7B8B4C107DAC333@r...>
• References: <4F4182C71C1FDD4BA0937A7EB7B8B4C107DAC333@r...>
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Joshua Allen wrote:
>...
> That wasn't the question, though -- the question was about why you would
> characterize DNS as "centralized" and Google as "decentralized".  I
> don't think that's a defensible characterization, and in fact is
> backwards in spirit.

Okay, let me be more precise: Google is the most popular index over the 
World Wide Web, which is a decentralized system, without any central 
runtime control. Google's implementation is centralized but it holds no 
central position in the Web architecture and can be ignored by any web 
user at any time without systemic breakage.

DNS is the _only_ index  over the "Domain Name System" system which is a 
federated implementation of a database controlled by a single 
organization: ICANN. The implementation is federated but it has an 
official, central role in the Internet architecture. It cannot be 
ignored without serious client-software breakage.

  Paul Prescod

• Follow-Ups:
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