> Maybe we need to help make it easy to GET assignments of blocks of addresses
> for individuals/small businesses/etc. Part of the problem is the obvious:
> IPv4 addresses are running short. Part is the "K-Mart" level of product
> understanding I've experienced with many vendors of Internet connectivity.
right. but for folks with a K-Mart level of understanding you need a
K-Mart interface. buy your "internet interface box" at the K-Mart,
take it home, plug it in to your phone line or whatever, and get
instant internet for all of the computers in your home.
(almost just like NATs today except that you get static IP addresses).
> The first is an engineering problem, and we're working on that one (IPv6),
> right? :-) The second is a market problem, and I don't think it's going to
> go away until either telcos realize that they need to make a commitment to
> being in the IP business (and train their staff), or we have meaningful
> alternatives to the telcos for individual connectivity.
I don't think it's just a marketing problem. User interfaces are also
an engineering issue. Seems like there's a gap between the things we
produce in IETF and what is needed to actually make things work well
for K-Mart-level customers. If the specifications defined by IETF
and implemented by ISPs aren't sufficient to allow plug-and-ping,
it's hardly surprising when NAT vendors fill in the gaps - and given
that the network didn't provide the level of service that was needed,
it's hardly surprising that the gaps are filled in a technically dubious
manner.
Keith
