Lakshan Perera

.app TLD for Web Applications

Web applications have become the next trend of the internet and it seems the day it'll replace traditional desktop apps are not that far. But still web applications aren't the easiest to use for average users one of the major barriers is accessing the application itself. As I mentioned in my previous post most of the web applications have got confusing domain names.

This is mainly due to the unavailability of top level domain extensions for simpler and common terms. So how about introducing a separate TLD for web applications ? I feel .app would be the most suitable extension. It will make web application stand-out from the information only web sites. This would be a similar concept to .mobi extension which was intended to serve only Mobile Content.

What do you think about this idea ?

UPDATE #1

Fast-forward to 2011, this idea is on the verge becoming a reality. Since ICANN opened the doors for registration of custom gTLDs, there are several non-commercial initiatives such as http://dotappapp.com/ trying to secure the rights for .app gTLD. They are currently in the phase of raising the necessary funds for ICANN consideration.

UPDATE #2

In 2017, we will see this idea is finally coming to fruition. Google is the official registar for .app TLD and have announced they will open it for registration soon.