[ppml] Proposed Policy: IPv4 Countdown

[Edward Lewis]

At 9:53 -0700 3/15/07, Tony Hain wrote:

>The crisis has not occurred yet, so why would you expect any significant
>level of activity?

I have no expectation that there would be activity.  That only means 
I am not in a state of frustration as I wonder what needs to be done 
at this point.

>Until then there will be resistance because as you note, change has a cost.

I used to feel that the resistance was the problem but I've learned 
through experience that the resistance is "right."  The world doesn't 
live for the Internet, the Internet serves the world.

I don't have a plan, I don't even care to see IPv6 come into being. 
But I am concerned that the global Internet, one well-connected and 
global data communications system, is about to hit a wall because of 
the shortage of addresses in IPv4.  The question is what is the 
proper way to get IPv4 retired and something (IPv6 seems convenient) 
in to replace it.

The resistance isn't a problem.  It's a design parameter.

>The feedback mechanism that will drive business decisions is cost/benefit,

(Standard analogy disclaimer...analogies don't always hold to all 
points.  And maybe the analogy doesn't apply or is misapplied.)

There was a time when a bunch of us felt that the price of gasoline 
should reflect the cost of the pollution it engendered.  If so, it 
would discourage it's consumption and encourage mass transit or other 
forms of transportation.  The big problem is "what does pollution 
cost" and if you did collect the money, who would be empowered to 
spend it and how would they on big air scrubbers.

Today though we have been making progress in fuel efficiency and 
cleaning up the atmosphere.  Not that we are done, etc., but, 
something has bappened even though gas is still cheap, it is still 
cheaper to drive into the city than take the metro.  What has been 
used is "regulation" - something that we don't use in the Internet.

It's an ugly word and something we fight all the time, but maybe it 
there is something that can be done to move us off the still 
functioning IPv4 network to prevent any bifurcation of the network?

'Course, maybe after all this debate the will is to let well enough 
alone and deal with any upcoming crisis.  Perhaps that isn't a bad 
strategy, but, can there seems to be energy (like what's behind the 
countdown proposal) that says we can do better.
-- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Edward Lewis                                                +1-571-434-5468
NeuStar

Sarcasm doesn't scale.