![june-23-1983-first-successful-test-of-the-domain-name-system-[geek-history] photo 1](http://tipsgeneral.com/images/no-images.jpg "June 23, 1983: First Successful Test of the Domain Name System [Geek History] photo 1")
Nearly 30 years ago the first Domain Name System (DNS) was tested and it changed the way we interacted with the internet. Nearly impossible to remember number addresses became easy to remember names.
Without DNS you’d be browsing a web where numbered addresses pointed to numbered addresses. Google, for example, would look like http://209.85.148.105/ in your browser window. That’s assuming, of course, that a numbers-based web every gained enough traction to be popular enough to spawn a search giant like Google. How did this shift occur and what did we have before DNS? From Wikipedia:
The practice of using a name as a simpler, more memorable abstraction of a host’s numerical address on a network dates back to the ARPANET era. Before the DNS was invented in 1983, each computer on the network retrieved a file called HOSTS.TXT from a computer at SRI. The HOSTS.TXT file mapped names to numerical addresses. A hosts file still exists on most modern operating systems by default and generally contains a mapping of the IP address 127.0.0.1 to “localhost”. Many operating systems use name resolution logic that allows the administrator to configure selection priorities for available name resolution methods.
The rapid growth of the network made a centrally maintained, hand-crafted HOSTS.TXT file unsustainable; it became necessary to implement a more scalable system capable of automatically disseminating the requisite information.
At the request of Jon Postel, Paul Mockapetris invented the Domain Name System in 1983 and wrote the first implementation. The original specifications were published by the Internet Engineering Task Force in RFC 882 and RFC 883, which were superseded in November 1987 by RFC 1034 and RFC 1035.Several additional Request for Comments have proposed various extensions to the core DNS protocols.
Over the years it has been refined but the core of the system is essentially the same. When you type “google.com” into your web browser a DNS server is used to resolve that host name to the IP address of 209.85.148.105–making the web human-friendly in the process.
Domain Name System History [Wikipedia via Wired]
We’ve already shown you some great ways to get your keyboard clean. For geeks that aren’t faint of heart, check out how to make your keyboard dishwasher safe and clean it with half the work and in half the time.
Live Linux USB drives are often the go-to tool for virus removal and file recovery, but what if you want to install software on your drive without rebooting? Here’s how with the LinuxLive (LiLi) USB Creator.
This week we learned how to setup network bootable utility discs using PXE, stream video to both iOS and Android devices with Plex, “check Android OS version numbers, enable headphone jacks for simultaneous speaker/headphone output, & load files on an iPad”, found some great Geek Deals, had fun with
Rainbows are a beautiful sight to behold when they appear and can inspire a sense of awe within us. Brighten up your desktop and day by adding a natural burst of color from the first in our series of Rainbows Wallpaper collections.
It’s Friday and time to turn down the volume, scope out the cubicle landscape for the boss, and fire up some classic games right in your web browser.
Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite tools and tricks for encrypting your data. Now we’re back to highlight the most popular tools and how you use them.
For those of you behind a YouTube unfriendly firewall, the basis of the trick is this: you use a pen or other pointed object to press inwards on the zipper of a suitcase. The pressure causes the teeth of the zipper to separat...
After a long week at work why not take a few minutes to relax and have some fun? In this week’s game your mission is to help a wee lad named Simon defend the treasure he found at the beach from the evil pirates who want to steal it.
There are plenty of alternative web browsers on iOS – Opera Mini, Atomic, and Skyfire, to name a few. Without being able to change the default browser none of them feel “at home,” but there’s a fix if you’re jailbroken.
Every week we round up the tips you’ve submitted to [email protected] and showcase them here. This week we’re looking at a simple trick to split your speaker output, finding your headphone and charging ports in the dark, and workplace friendly earplugs.
![june-23-1983-first-successful-test-of-the-domain-name-system-[geek-history] photo 1](http://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/gg/up/sshot4e03506a2ed1d.jpg "June 23, 1983: First Successful Test of the Domain Name System [Geek History] photo 1")
Nearly 30 years ago the first Domain Name System (DNS) was tested and it changed the way we interacted with the internet. Nearly impossible to remember number addresses became easy to remember names.