inamers blog

You’ve gone to 2idi to register a 50-year iname only to discover that the one you want isn’t available: it’s an unclaimed “XNS Reserved” name. The message there says they’ll be available when “EGS ends” but that’s kind of cryptic.

So: when will these names be available?

The answer: all unclaimed XNS names will be available (on a first come first served basis) at the upcoming global launch scheduled for May 1. This date may slip as there’s still a lot of stuff to get done, however we’ll be sure provide any updates to the schedule as they become known.

So, you registered more than one iname and later realized they were all in the same account. Only thing is, one (or more) of ‘em was for a friend/spouse/colleague. So whadda ya do?

You transfer it!

(note: these instructions are for 2idi.com only)

1] Go to the iname page: https://secure.2idi.com/account/inames.php (you’ll need to login)

2] Click “Transfer”

3] Enter the email address (or iname) of the person you want to transfer the i-name to. If you want to create a second account for yourself, just send the transfer to your own email address.

4] The person who receives the transfer clicks the link in the email to create the new account (if you sent it to yourself, make sure to logout *before* you click the link!)

If you’ve registered an iname with 2idi and want your contact page enabled, we recommend that you test it to be sure it’s working. Why? The copy on the 2idi site tells new registrants that the contact page is enabled, however, it turns out that they are not. If you haven’t verified that it’s working then most likely it isn’t.

To test, simply type the address for your contact page into a web browser. If your iname is:

=inamers

Then the address of the contact page is:

http://xri.net/=inamers

If your iname is working, you’ll see a form that let’s someone send you a message. If it’s not working you’ll have some a message in red text saying something like “this iname can’t be found or doesn’t exist”.

To fix this problem, login and enable your contact page here:

https://secure.2idi.com/pcg/configure.php

Questions? Ask ‘em here.

If you have a global iname, then you also have a contact page with it’s own unique web link (URL to you techies). The link consists of a public address followed by your iname. Folks who sign up at 2idi.com are (still) told that their link is:

old: http://public.xdi.org/=inamers

This is out of date (but still works).

As announced on the Identity Commons community list in December, a new address has been created for these links and it is highly recommended that all inamers update their links to:

new: http://xri.net/=inamers

The old form of the link continues to work, but the new domain xri.net is preferable (not to mention shorter and easier to type!).

When the iname global launch happens, iname prices will be changing. Here’s what inamers can expect.

Community inames will continue to be free (or whatever the community offering them wants to charge). Think of these like email addresses - if you register a domain you can crank out as many as you want. The same with inames; if you have one (especially a global one), you’ll be able to create as many community inames as you want.

Global inames (inames that start with an = or @) which are top-level names, will not be free. Global inames will be sold through ibrokers who purchase the names at wholesale rates and mark them up as they choose. Estimates of street prices to register an =name for a single year vary between $10 and $20 dollars (USD).

Contrast the single year price above with the ongoing special deal still available at 2idi.com: a 50-year iname registration for only $25 (USD).

The special price on 50-year names will end with the global launch so if you’re tempted to get a global iname you might want to act now: better deals are highly unlikely.

50-year names will continue to be available after global launch until the Identity Commons supply is exhausted, however the price will definitely go higher. How much higher is still being negotiated but prices as high as $100 (or more) have been discussed.

The official iname global launch (aka Global Resolution Services or GRS) is scheduled for May 1, 2006, less than 2 months away and coming up fast. This is big news for all inamers.

It’s bit funny to be “launching” a product that has been available for over a year, but terminology aside, the upcoming “global launch” milestone is significant in a couple of important ways to current and future iname users.

First, while it has been possible to register inames at 2idi.com (and still is!) for over a year, the iname infrastructure has been in ongoing and constant development during that time. In fact, about the only thing that hasn’t changed is the format of the inames themselves; most everything else “under the hood” has been constantly evolving; it’s been a major time suck for all the innovators. Thus, the upcoming global launch represents a major milestone in the stability of the underlying technology. With a stable platform in place, developers can turn their attention towards building iname services that benefit us inamers.

Second, with global launch the capability for multiple i-brokers will finally exist. This means that 2idi.com will have other i-brokers competing to provide inames and competition for inamers’ business will help stimulate the creation of more services.

We’ll post more details on the upcoming launch as they become available. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them on the wiki or mailing list at inamers.org.

Inamers.org, a users group for inames, is now up and running.

Vist the wiki, subscribe to the blog, join the maillist and learn all there is to know about inames from other iname users.

Since inames are still brand new, us users can do alot to help each other figure out what they can do and advocate for what they should to better.

Whether you are a current or future inamer, we hope you’ll check us out.