A proposal about hostcount and DNS

Magnus
      thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.  They
are worthy of discussion in other lists too, but you're
probably right to start with the experts in the DNS
WG, of which I am not one.

I don't think that at any time the DNS host count has
ever pretended to give even an approximate measure of
the number of Internet hosts, let alone the number of
Internet users.  For example, there are some hostmasters
who use DNS as a database for all systems in their
jurisdiction, whether such systems have Internet access
or not; this has been going on for a long time.  More
recently, there are many Internetters using machines hidden
behind application firewalls and filter lists which do not
appear in the host count.

Perhaps the main use for the host count has been its
recording of growth in individual countries (and gTLDs),
in regions and in the world.  It's really the change and
the rate of change that we get from the host count; the
absolute numbers are not that meaningful.

There are many factors causing the increase in the host
count.  These include more desk-top computers (and less
multi-user systems), more ISPs, more connectivity, etc.
These factors and others seem so far to have outweighed
the advent of firewalls, as the curve continues inexorably
upwards.  Of course it would be nice to know the number
of 'hidden' hosts, and this could only be done on a 
trusted basis and with full cooperation from people at
all levels - not an easy task.

If this could be done, do you think there should be two
separate hostcounts - visible and hidden?  If we combine
both in a single figure, we lose important information and
also change the meaning of historic data - there will be
a discontinuity in the curve.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing views from the experts
as to whether this can be done.

Regards.

Mike