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RIPE NCC, which handles the complicated business of internet registry for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, is down to its last packet of IP4 internet addresses. It’s time to start panic-buying strings of numbers.
The internet managers have literally run out of numbers. The familiar IP address ranges we see today are nearing exhaustion, with the longer IPv6 versions so far failing to gain much traction, as ISPs and other internet bodies simply can’t be particularly arsed about updating their legacy systems to support the newer protocol.
Axel Pawlik, the Managing Director of the RIPE NCC said, “When the Internet was first designed it seemed highly unlikely that IP address space would ever be an issue. However, the limitations of the pool of IPv4 address space became clear over time, and in the last few years we have been monitoring supplies closely, preparing ourselves and all stakeholders for the next stage of the Internet. Reaching the last /8 underlines the importance of IPv6 deployment, which is vital to the future growth of the Internet.”
We’re running out of internet. This might be a good time to force through a ban on cat photographs. [RIPE via Techradar]
Image credit: EU from Shutterstock
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How Very Dare You Gary!! Ban cat photos? For shame! You’re officially off my christmas card list now.
If you take away Cat Photos and Porn, what is left?!
Nothing worth mentioning.
iPhone articles?
Close call, but Cats & Porn win out, Unless its Articles about cats using the iphone. we wont think about cat porn, oops, too late.
Dog adoption sites.
Thats an all together too serious answer! More silly please!
‘your mother’ jokes?
Only if ones mother was a Cat.
OK ..erm …lets see
…pistachio shells that look like former prime ministers?
Picture or it didn’t happen! Anyway, cats dont have prime ministers silly, they have Presidents.
surely you mean ‘Prrrresidents’?
You know what, i think you may just be right!
Purrresident Mittens, i have the Forrrrrreign Secretary of Grrrrreat Brrrrrrritain on the phone for you about the Cuban Wool crisis…..
“I’m not just going to sit here and get chat on …If I have to go to war for yarn, god damn it, I will!”
I should probably refrain from awarding anyone 1000 internets for their comments if we’re running out….
And who gave you the right to do that in the first place?? HUH?
Oh, i’ve been watching you, Mr Elf, Dishing out the Internets willy nilly, just today i’m sure i’ve seen you splashing the internets around like a drunken hairdresser.
It’s your damned fault we’re in this situation and now Gary is going to ban Cat pics and i just dont know what i’m going to do about it.
I’m at my wits end here Printer.
I’d better start dishing out IPv6 internets from now on!
I suggest that you make amends for your previous exuberances and have an IPv4 Amnesty where you offer 2xIPv6 in exchange for each returned IPv4 internets you have handed out in the past, by my hazy calculations it should earn me at least 15 more months of Maru pics and Vids before i have to take a more aggressive reclamation program.
Given the number of IPv6 internets available I might as well offer 1000000:1 as an incentive!
And it’s exactly that kind of excessive eccentricity thats got us into this situation in the first place.
Please, Mr Elf, stick to the plan.
2:1 it is then!
What do you plan to do with your 4.8×10^28 internets?
This comments section is easily the best part of Giz today
Well, i intend to donate the first 4/9 to the Hawthorn Cat Hotel at 61 Reigate Road Hookwood, Horley. the next 3/9 will be used to garner support for Purrrrrak Obama’s re-election for Feline Prrrrrresident and the last 2/9 will be put into a heavily guarded vault in the Swiss Alps for my private and personal use.