Windows XP forum: OpenDSN -Good/Bad

Projects like OpenDNS (not DSN BTW) don't really fall into the good or bad category. There are good and bad aspects about it, and it's a judgment call everyone has to make for themselves.

Personally, I think they're overselling their anti-phishing feature quite a bit. I also don't really think that the DNS layer is the proper place/way to address that problem. However, if it stops a few people from being conned out of their retirement funds or something like that, then it has done some good. Their much vaunted cache of domain names could also work against their anti-phishing efforts. If they cache the domain of a phishing site, it could remain in that cache for a very long time if no one spots it.

Also, while I'm glad to see they're very upfront about how they sell advertisements on placeholder pages for mistyped URLs, I'm not a big fan of that practice in general. It's too easy for some advertiser that hasn't found a line yet they won't cross to get in there. They may make a legitimate effort to try and screen out those sorts of companies, but sooner or later a few will get through.

I'm also curious to see if they'll be able to keep up with demand if it spikes. While DNS queries are hardly bandwidth intensive, they do add up if you're talking a few hundred or thousand requests per second. A caching system will help, but it has its limits like anything else. I don't know that advertising revenue will ever be able to cover the costs of bandwidth and hardware needed to maintain everything.

So if people want to use this service, I think they could do far worse. However, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet.

I'm kind of with on_safari on this one. I'm not a fan of the sponsored search thing either, but like on_safari, am willing to acknowledge that you at least clearly identify what they are. Unlike the many other similar services that are just out to make a quick buck. I get that, as much as we'd all love to live in a utopian world where everything was just magically paid for, that's not the world we live in. It takes money to buy the hardware, bandwidth, support staff, etc. Still doesn't mean that I have to like it.

I will be keeping an eye on your little project, and may end up using it some day, who knows. For right now, I'm choosing to wait and see. I have no real complaints with my ISPs DNS system, surprising since it's MSN, so I have no reason to change. However, that all could change tomorrow, so I hope your project manages to thrive. Even if I never make use of it, having it as a contingency is good for me.