VXML Solutions

So what shall we call this “big event” that the media is now starting to hype around “the end of IPv4 addresses”?

(Cue soundtrack… “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” – pick your artist).

Mashable yesterday was pointing to the aptly named “ARPageddon” Twitter account @IPv4countdown who uses the term:

IPcalypse

And a quick search on Twitter shows that term being significantly retweeted and used in other posts .

I admit, though, that the linguist in me would much prefer:

IPocalypse

It just sounds much better to me… it rolls off the tongue better than “IPcalypse”. Something about that “o” sound makes it sound so much more menacing. Ipocalypse, too, is getting some good play on Twitter.

So what do you think? What should we collectively use?

And yes, I do realize the best choice is probably “neither” and to not engage in the hype… to those out there who wish that the Internet would just go away and that YouTube, Facebook and Twitter would all disappear, I’m sorry to tell you that the Internet will NOT end with the end of IPv4 address allocations. This Internet thing will have a little bit more staying power than that… The existing Internet will continue to function perfectly fine… and NAT will help in many areas… and there’s this IPv6 thing that many folks have been working on for many years now!

However, while the Internet won’t end with the end of IPv4 address availability, there will be challenges for new services to grow and new devices to be deployed if we don’t move to IPv6 addressing. (Now, the good news may be that if your refrigerator can’t get an IP address, it won’t report back to Facebook on how you’ve been snacking when you shouldn’t be! Hmm… although the fridge will probably be on a NAT’d home LAN, so it’s probably okay…)

Still, the media loves a good story and a good bit of over-the-top hype… so whether we like it or not, we’re all going to be going along for the ride…

“IPcalypse” or “IPocalypse”… what’s your choice?

Image credit: pagedooley

Originally from Voxeo Blogs<