Re: [mif] [DNSOP] [dnsext] 2nd Last Call for MIF DNS server selection document

[Alex Bligh <[e-mail]>]

--On 24 October 2011 06:53:05 -0400 Keith Moore 
<[e-mail]> wrote:

> I'm just pointing out that for the vast majority of the contexts in which
> domain names are used, the expectation is that a domain name that
> contains a "." is fully-qualified.

This is sampling bias.

In the vast majority of contexts where domain names (term used
loosely) are used, those domain names contain at least one dot.

In the vast majority of contexts where domain names (term used
loosely) are used, those domain names are fully qualified.

It is therefore statistically unsurprising that in the vast
majority of contexts where domain with a dot in them, are used
they are fully qualified.

The question here should be "where search lists are used, are
they frequently used in combination with domain names that
are not fully qualified". I would suggest the answer to this
question is "yes". If so, then to the extent that search lists
are supported, you need to make them interwork names with
dots in them. Moreover, with a search list of "example.com",
having "mail" work, but not "mail.dev" is going to be a
pretty surprising outcome.

I think the two options are either deprecating search lists
(or not supporting them), or supporting them properly, in
which case they must be used whatever domain name is
specified, and the way to avoid using a search list
is the same old hack as before (i.e. putting a dot on the
end).

-- 
Alex Bligh