Name Your Website by Arabic Numerals, No AlphabetA housewife who does not know may have got a headache trying to remember website domain names, spelled out using English letters.Now in Shanghai, China's industrial and business center, experts have invented a new system, with which people can find the website they want by typing Arabic numerals, "1, 2, 3...," instead of letters "a, b, c..." The new system, according to experts, is application of the coding system used for telephone communication to the cyber world. That means a numeral domain name consists of three parts -- the country code, regional code and terminal code or code of ISPs, which is similar to the procedure of calling someone. Experts say if a user wants to get on a website called "www. eastday.com.cn," he can type "00862152921234." The number "0086" stands for China, "21" for Shanghai, and "52921234" for the website. The local user doesn't need to type "0086" and "21." Experts noted that as Arabic numerals are commonly used in different cultures, the coding system will help the non-English- speaking population use the Internet and its resources more easily and break the monopoly of the English language in cyber space. The coding system will also create an easy way to link with the Internet for mobile phones, palmtop computers and some intellectualized electronic appliances, simply with numeral keys, they added. Numeral domain names can be switched from and to the domain names both in English and Chinese, as well as support the upgrading of IP addresses, which may relieve the shortage of resources for domain names and IP addresses. The coding system has applied for a patent in more than 30 countries and regions and also passed the checkup directed by Shen Changxiang, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Cooperation with partners in Hong Kong and Singapore for applying the new system in the local markets have also produced encouraging results, according to the experts. |
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