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| 5/10/2012 5:06:54 PM |
The Dot-CA Domain Extension, Conceived by Webnames.ca Co-Founder John Demco, Celebrates its 25th Anniversary
Vancouver, BC, May 14th, 2012 - Monday
May 14th marks the 25th anniversary of the dot-CA
domain name for Canada. On this date twenty five years ago the management of the
dot-CA country code domain name was officially delegated by Jon Postel, operator
of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), to Canadian Internet pioneer and
Webnames.ca co-founder John Demco.
The most recognizable symbol of Canadian identity on the
Internet, dot-CA was conceived in 1987 and for 13 years, John Demco, with
the assistance of a group of dedicated volunteers, managed the dot-CA domain
space out of his University of British Columbia office on behalf of all
Canadians, allocating and administering dot-CA domain
names at no charge to users on a voluntary basis. By 2000 an amazing 100,000
dot-CA domain names had been registered under John’s care, exceeding the
capacity of a volunteer undertaking. “In the very early days of .CA, it wasn't
apparent that the registry would grow so quickly,” said John Demco, “However, by
the late 1980's the academic and research networks had begun to grow rapidly,
even though the absolute numbers weren't yet large. With the introduction of the
web and commercialization, things really took off.”
In December 2000, the Canadian Internet Registration
Authority (CIRA), a not-for-profit corporation took over operation of dot-CA.
Since that time CIRA has accredited more than 90 registrars (including
Webnames.ca) to act as retailers of dot-CA domains to the Canadian public.
The dot-CA domain name has become an important symbol of
Canadian identity and presence. “Canadians prefer to do business with fellow
Canadians and support the local economy,” says Webnames.ca President and
Co-Founder, Cybele Negris. “Dot-CA shows website visitors that they are shopping
locally, will pay in Canadian funds and receive product shipped from within the
country. May 14th is a special day and we should all celebrate the success of
the Canadian Internet. I’m proud to have been involved with John and the
transition of dot-CA to CIRA back in 1999/2000 and I look forward to see what
the next 25 years will bring.”
The dot-CA domain name has celebrated many milestones over
the past 25 years including the celebration of one million dot-CA domains
registered in 2008. We are anticipating the two million dot-CA registration some
time in 2012. “One never knows what might happen, especially in an environment
as dynamic as the Internet. However, dot-CA has been performing well since its
inception, and particularly well during the past few years, and we can look
forward to continued strong growth” anticipates John Demco. “There is also
ample room to grow. The dot-CA domain will soon surpass 2 million registrations,
but it should be kept in mind that the dot-COM domain has approximately 100
million. Thus although dot-CA has grown rapidly there are many, many excellent
names available.”
Webnames.ca will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of
dot-CA with a weeklong $9.00 dot-CA domain promotion for new dot-CA
registrations. The promotion will run from Monday, May 14th at
12:00am PT until Friday May 18th at 11:59pm PT. To take advantage of
this promotion and to learn more about web hosting, web design and other
Webnames.ca services, visit http://www.webnames.ca , search for your
domain name and enter code 25YEARCA during checkout.
About Webnames.ca
Webnames.ca Inc. is a leading
Canadian internet solutions company. Webnames.ca's services include web hosting,
email, a full range of domain names, managed and reseller services and website
design. Webnames.ca is committed to supporting its customers with industry
leading systems and exceptional customer service. Visit www.webnames.ca for more
information.
About
CIRA
The
Canadian Internet Registration Authority is the not-for-profit Canadian
corporation responsible for operating Canada's dot-CA Internet country code Top
Level Domain. With over 1,913,650 dot-CA domain names registered to individuals,
companies and government agencies, Canada's dot-CA Internet domain has quickly
become a critical part of Canada's Internet infrastructure. For more
information, visit www.cira.ca. |