Time is Running Out

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/03/ipv6_analysis/

Rating: BAD

Explanation:

There have been predictions that IPv4 numbers will be completely used in as little as two years. This means the implementation of the long awaited IPV6 is closer than most would like to believe. So what is IPv6? IPv6 is a new method of assigning addresses to networks which allows communication between computers. IPv6 has a much larger address space than IPv4. This results from the use of a 128-bit addresses instead of IPv4 which only uses 32 bit addresses. The larger addresses provide flexibility in allocating addresses and routing traffic and eliminate the need for network address translation (NAT). Ipsec is also incorporated by default into Ipv6 which allows for much more secure data transmission than IPv4.

IPv6 needs to be implemented before the Internet can no longer function properly. Unfortunately I fear the transition will be hard for the average person. Sure, the techies of the world should have no problem switching over and it will be a relative simple process. I am concerned for Grandma who likes to check her email from her grandchildren. Although this is always an issue with new technology, this has the potential to have a larger effect. This is due to the magnitude of the change. New routers will be needed and older machines which still don't use Windows XP or newer, are no longer going to be used for just email. Because a potential cyber chaos could be caused by such a switch, I give IPv6 a BAD rating.