Chris sends a number of links.
1. Zen and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner’s Guide to the Internet, First Edition, January 1992
From the “Domains” section:
The proper terminology for a site’s domain name (somewhere.domain above) is its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). It is usually selected to give a clear indication of the site’s organization or sponsoring agent. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s FQDN is mit.edu; similarly, Apple Computer’s domain name is apple.com. While such obvious names are usually the norm, there are the occasional exceptions that are ambiguous enough to mislead—like vt.edu, which on first impulse one might surmise is an educational institution of some sort in Vermont; not so. It’s actually the domain name for Virginia Tech. In most cases it’s relatively easy to glean the meaning of a domain name—such confusion is far from the norm.
2. Vint Cerf: Twas the night before start-up (December 1985)
Startup nightmares as early as 1985. I can definitely relate.
3. Choosing a Name for Your Computer (August 1990), Must read!.
Thanks Chris!
Sahar
I had the pleasure of first meeting Chris at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Party in New York’s Times Square this year and again in Miami where we spoke together on a panel. He is one of the more genuine, courteous and engaging people I have met. Chris is an internet pioneer and someone that will take the time to speak with you one on one.
Does anyone know of an earlier domain registration than Think.com ?
Domain name: THINK.COM
Oracle Corporation
Record created on 24-May-1985
The “Choosing a Name for Your Computer” article is fantastic. I could almost hear the hum and click of an old movie projector in the background while the ominous, ubiquitous voice of the educational video narrator plodded through text.
Worth repeating: “You might feel it is safe to use the name “jose” just because no one is named that in your group, but you will have a problem if you should happen to hire Jose. A name like “sphinx” will be less likely to conflict with new hires.”
To Michael:
Here is a list of the first domains ever registered:
http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first71.html
To answer your question, Symbolics.com was the first domain ever registered, followed by BBN.com and then Think.com