Say hello to .كوم as domain names go truly globalChinese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, and other characters are coming to Internet domain extensions thanks to a vote by ICANN. The organization said that the system has been in "intense" testing for years, and that it will help everyone reach more Internet users.By Jacqui Cheng | Last updated October 30, 2009 11:18 AM CTBefore now, typing http://clinteckergoatbonedbyhisnewbicycle.كوم into a Web browser and actually arriving at a working domain was impossible. But thanks to a vote by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Friday morning, it could become a reality sometime in 2010. The organization approved the "Internationalized Domain Name Fast Track Process," allowing a plethora of non-Latin characters to be used in domain name extensions and opening more doors to Internet users who don't speak Western languages.The Fast Track Process, which begins in November, will enable countries to apply for new domain name extensions (such as .com or .net) in their own national language. This means that full domains will soon be available in Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Hindu, and more. Previously, ICANN allowed the registration of domain names with non-Latin characters—so, for example, http://clintecker他的新自行车骨骼山羊.com—but the extension had to remain in Latin characters. Now, instead of being limited to the Latin alphabet, domain extensions will utilize some 100,000 new characters.ICANN chairman Peter Dengate Thrush described the new system as "the biggest technical change to the Internet since it was created four decades ago." The organization says that fully international domains have been in discussion since before ICANN was even founded, and that the launch has taken years of intense technical testing.To those of us who have been using Latin domains for our entire lives, the change may seem superficial, but many believe that it will be a major step in reaching more Internet users. Though English and other European languages are indeed popular in Asian countries, for example, there are still millions of people who only speak their native language and find themselves limited by the Internet."The first countries that participate will not only be providing valuable information of the operation of IDNs in the domain name system, they are also going to help to bring the first of billions more people online—people who never use Roman characters in their daily lives," said ICANN President and CEO Rod Beckstrom.
