Date:        Wed, 30 Jun 1999 17:38:15 +0930
    From:        ShaunLeCornu <apache&#167;box.net.au>
    Message-ID:  <3779D06F.F2A21002&#167;box.net.au>

  | In an article I read last week it stated that approximately 70%to80% of
  | all internet purchases in Australia are done overseas even though there
  | are local competitors on the net competing with the same products.

This probably partially relates to prices overseas being lower, often much
lower.   Since shipping takes longer, and costs more, I doubt it would take
people long to find alternative AU retailers if they were cheaper.  For
many products (especially books, cds etc) the product is identical from
wherever it is acquired, price & delay are the only factors that matter.

  | If Australia is to compete on even ground with the rest of the world as the
  | internet is a global medium then we must deregulate and run on the same
  | rules as the rest of the world,

As far as domain names go, you have exactly the same rules as the rest of the
world - anyone can register a .com name and many in AU have.   Further, if your
hope is to be found by browsers when people attempt to do searches by just
typing random words into the URL box, then you really need a .com, as the 
browsers append ".com" they don't append ".com.au" (or .co.jp or anything
else like that).

  |              George stated that the DNS isn't a search engine but I
  | would rather leave that issue up to the consumer .

The DNS isn't a search engine.  It is woefully hopeless at that.   It's
about as good as someone with a phone with letters on it typing in nnnPIZZA
for every value of nnn they can think of until they end up at a pizza shop.
Useless...

However that doesn't stop people doing it.   What will stop it is when the
browsers start doing real directory lookups when people type random words
instead of URLs.  It isn't the user who wants to do DNS style directory
searches, that is just what the browser happens to do.  The browsers will
start doing better when there are real directories with data in them that
they can use.  The browser authors know that doing random DNS lookups is a
stupid idea, they just don't have anything better yet.   Better is coming
however (or it looks as if it hopefully is).

If you really want the regulation of com.au names to go, that would
(logically) also mean that those US types you don't like would be able to
register com.au names as well, and since many of them have lots more $'s
then you do (I assume), they will likely end up with all the names that
you'd wish to keep.

My personal belief is that domain names ought to be preserved and used
carefully, in just the same way as other resources that we have, not all
splurged on the current generation to make as much from as they can on, leaving
nothing worthwhile for those who will come in future years.   In the early
stages of anything it always looks as if there is "plenty" of resource
available.   That tends not to last forever.   I wouldn't be surprised if
you don't want a .com name (this is a story I have heard many times) because
there are no good ones still available ... they've already all been registered.
If com.au had had an open registration policy forever (instead of just for a 
couple of months 4 years ago) then I expect that all the good com.au names
would be gone as well, you still wouldn't be able to get the name you want,
but you'd be worse off, because someone else would have them, instead of
no-one.

kre