How the Concept of Domain Names Evolved

The concept of domain names evolved to make the Internet easier to use for humans.

The concept of domain names is so prevalent today that many people do not know that a previous state existed. The fact is domains used to be expressed as IP addresses, and some enterprising engineers created domain names to make the Internet easier to use.

IETF

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a worldwide group of engineers with knowledge of networking protocols and software whose simple mission is to make the Internet work better. Its members influence the way the Internet is designed, used and managed.

IP Addresses

Originally, all websites were accessed by typing in their respective Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. This consisted of a set of numbers separated by periods. Numbers, lacking meaning, meant that website addresses were difficult to remember, and usually had to be written down or stored somewhere if you wanted to access them again.

DNS

The IETF introduced the concept of the Domain Name System (DNS) in 1983 to make websites more identifiable and easier to remember. It allowed for friendly naming of Internet addresses to easily locate computers, resources and websites online. Computers still use IP addresses to access information, but humans can now use the domain name without understanding the computer language.

References

• Microsoft TechNet: Domain Name System
• IETF: Getting Started in the IETF