Microsoft has started using .MS domains to power their web platforms! Luckily for you, .MS isn't just for Microsoft and you can get your own .ms domain today - if you have $180 to spare!
Yep, that's right. Microsoft has gone Web 2.0 and is now using "their own" gTLD to push Microsoft-powered web platforms to the next level. While browsing the new Popfly project (which doesn't run on Linux), we were interested to find ourselves being redirected to "http://popfly.ms/" leading us to wonder. Microsoft isn't breaking any laws or circumventing any of the usual steps: .MS domain names are officially assigned to one of the last overseas British territories, Montserrat, named by Christopher Columbus back in 1493; but the .ms domain name is open to the public regardless of region or political affiliation.
Just like some people are using .IT (intended for Italy and Italy alone) to power IT-related websites (as in Information Technology, and not anything to do with Italy), Microsoft is using Montserrat's TLD (and paying 180 USD a domain) to power their Web 2.0 creations.
You can purchase your own .MS domain name here; and just for kicks, check out http://google.ms/ :D
Funnily enough, Microsoft.ms doesn't load, and MSN.ms doesn't even exist. Interesting...
How long before Microsoft sues to own the .MS tld and everything on it? (all your base are belong to us, anyone?)
On what grounds would Microsoft sue? Surely not trademark rights, as Montserrat isn't the United States. And country-code domains, as codified and recognized by ICANN from the ISO-1366 list, fall outside of most of the established rules for generic top-level domains.
Then again, if you were being sarcastic, then it's my fault for missing it - I'm silly that way :-)
It was sarcasm, referring to this post here: http://neosmart.net/blog/2007/microsoft-linux-patent-violations/
Nice!
I see neosmart.ms doesn't yet exist either :P
What about all the other things that can go wrong when to many other things can also go wrong.
Fabric of space and time anyone?
Is there something funny about google.ms?
I think the point is that while Microsoft.ms is unavailable, Google.ms isn't.
How about having www.yahoo.ms ???
http://www.dizyn.com
And the brilliant minds at MSFT apparently didn't consider that quite a few will block email from .MS domains because they block many foreign TLDs as they are unlikely to receive legit email from Montserrat.