[PW] What Happened to gethuman.com?

[John Sleasman]

Peter Macinnis wrote:
> could this be a 
> US-specific ploy to block the site from those most needing it, the USians?
>   
This is one of those things that ends up being a complex answer - if 
anyone wants the details, search for information on Domain Name System 
or Domain Name Servers, Alternate DNS, DNS Roots, etc.

As briefly as possible: when you enter a name, like gethuman.com , into 
your web browser, that has to get translated into a string of numbers 
that gets passed along the network to display the eventual destination 
page. Unfortunately 1) the lookup information can be wrong - sort of 
like using an outdated phone book 2) your local server/ISP/company might 
have a setup which intercepts the request, and displays an outdated page 
out of a cache - which might not get updated, even if you reload the 
page, depending on how the server is set up 3) someone could have 
entered the wrong data - like a contact info address page instead of the 
actual requested page - which might lead you to a related page, not the 
one you requested (perhaps kayak.com instead of gethuman.com).

There is a protocol that is supposed to be followed to assure that 
possible problems are resolved, and that users don't get misdirected. 
Unfortunately, that requires both more connection time on the web - 
which everyone tries to avoid, as it raises costs without increasing 
revenue - and also detailed attention to following the theoretical rules 
on process - which probably hasn't been occurred on the internet since 
the days of ARPANET, when the US Military simply disconnected those few 
civilian points with access if they didn't follow the rules. Add in an 
assortment of sloppy data entry from some of the multiple domain name 
registrars, and you get a bit of chaos.

There is a way of getting around the problem, if you can't get 
satisfaction from your "normal" system or IT department. That involves 
setting up your system to use an alternate DNS server, for which advice 
on selection and instructions on setup abound on the web. It's not a 
difficult procedure, but it does require some technical skills (at least 
changing a few browser or connection property settings), and may violate 
your company policies or ISP terms of service, so it's not to be 
undertaken without some thought, especially if you work for a US 
government agency, which use edited server records (presumably) 
certified as safe for data connection security. If you do choose an 
alternate, recognize that while most of them are as good as or better 
than the default servers, some of them are considerably worse, so browse 
and read some reviews.

Or simply get access to another machine connected to the net through a 
different domain. It may be easier than fighting with the DNS 
powers-that-be.

John