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• 09/11/2007 - Running LightTPD and PHP on Windows
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Neil Edwards, the general manager from www.mtld.mobi stopped by my blog the other day, to respond to my shooting down of their solution to improve the Mobile Web. His response, and the original post can be found here: http://www.gideonmarken.com/index.cfm/a/9/blog/714/v/1#c

Since my reply to his reply ended up being fairly long, I selected to just make a new posting. So... without any further delays... let me now switch into... FULL ON RANT MODE!

Oh - and the subject was just for fun - but the idea is, .mobi is a new pain on the horizon, and, it's a pain to type in, try it, and the first thing you'll think is,

"why did they add the 'i' - why not just .mob?" OR - "why not just leave it alone and use what we have?"

Why?

>> Neil: dotMobi was created because the PC-based Internet did not work well on the Internet readily available on the mobile phone for the last several years.

But this is a problem that has a solution. People/companies that have not been developing good mobile sites or URLs is their own issue to work out. The same holds true on the Web.

Plus, it didn't work too well because:

1. phone manufactures created specification hell with the 100's of variations in phones
2. most mobile browsers have been terrible
3. here in the US, it costs too much to use the Mobile Web - so the uptake has been slow
4. mobile search hasn't solidified - which helps stimulate growth
   

>>> Neil: The industry (dotMobi's investors and several credible associations) joined forces to create an internet address based upon open standards that provided a better consumer experience.

We have standards - the Web has always had standards, but, the browsers and the developers have rarely followed the true standards. Although, today, more than ever before, a movement towards having 100% standards based xHTML is growing. Once more developers embrace 100% clompliant development, the move towards developing great mobile site's is much easier.

I just don't see selling more domain names with a set of specs in hand will create the standards world you and your team believe in.

>>> Neil: dotMobi is the first internet address that enforces the set of open source standards created by the W3C. No other internet address -- whether dotcom or your local country code -- accomplishes this objective.

There's part of the issue, you have this assumption that the mobile Web will be a better place because of this. We'll have to see, my bet, is that it is only the companies that are already developing mobile sites that are functional will make the dive, the others will simply buy the domain names out of fear that someone else may buy their variation... but they still won't have a mobile site. Some may take the step and develop one, but most will sit on their .mobi names - as they won't know what to mobilize from their site just as they do not know what to mobilize today. While your objective is enforcement, I believe you will only achieve selling more domains, and adding MORE confusion to the pool of Web names.

The speed limit is a standard, we even have reminders of those standards all over the road, yet no matter how much effort people put into enforcing those standards, people still continue to ignore them. The only way you'll achieve your objective of a consistent mobile Web, is to enforce on an extreme level, and to me, that doesn't deserve the name "Web" - it would be more akin to an AOL experience.

>>> Neil: The end result is a consistent and good experience for the consumer.

If people want to offer a mobile site, there are resources to learn how to do so - just as there are for the Web. Now unless you are going to have people who decide what 'is' or 'is not' going to be a .mobi site, you will find there will be little consistency, and the experience will vary.

>>> Neil: A more tangible result is that a consumer can always enter "myname.mobi" into their device and always get a consistent reponse.

I'm sorry, but that is a HUGE assumption. You are expecting everyone in the whole world that has or wants to have a mobile site to adopt this horrible domian extension: .mobi, and you are expecting everyone to suddenly become hip to the idea of typing in .mobi.

If you are seeking consistency... do not put the responsibility on the user to have to type one domain in their computer and one on their phone. A consistent solution is, one name - all locations.

>>> Neil: Try your five favorite, local websites and see the results for yourself. dotMobi is all about providing a consumer driven solution based upon open standards of the W3C and other noted standards bodies.

The mobile Web is about providing a platform for all forms of communication - consumerism is but one slice of the pie.

Unfortunately, If your marketing campaign is heavily funded, I'll have to buy a .mobi name too - but, mine will forward to ArtistServer.com

>>> Neil: An elegant, self-detecting technical solution is not in reach of the everyday small business owner or individual.

Did your team consider providing that as a solution - as in, providing the detection for sites? Or even giving them that technology so they didn't have to figure it out on their own?

Sounds like I'll have to open source my code that provides this solution. Next, I'll have to find others who have the similar solutions in each of the various Web scripting languages, and I'll put up a site that helps educate people on how to use the code... which is basically, cut-n-paste! I own MobileFaq.com and Mobile-Developers.com, so I'll most likely use one of those names for the site.

Or... I could develop and launch a new service that provides this type of device detecting as an included file - thus allowing everyone to have elegance.

Or... someone else on the Web will do the right thing and provide the right kind of solution.

>>> Neil: Hence, fierece industry competitors created dotMobi to solve a common problem.

I just don't see it that way. From the information I've looked over, you are adding to the problem, calling it a solution, and selling it to people with a guide book.

And really, who wants to have people defined as "fierce industry competitors," as the ones who define a solution, especially when many of them helped create the problem.

>>> Neil: The dotMobi team is always happy to address any comments directly regarding the internet address and the technologies behind the internet address. dotMobi also has an advisory group that any individual or company can join to help shape the future direction of the product.

I suggest that people pull together and unite to point out how bad this solution is. Joining your advisory group won't do anything to fix it, unless the group will entertain the idea of not launching .mobi as a TLD.

• .mobi is a bad choice for a top level domain
  
• the benefits are assumptions
• the problem is being addressed from the wrong angle
  

On the flipside, Moby (the artist) will have a cool domain: Moby.mobi :)