When trying to register, the registration tool returned an error, appearently it can not handle UTF-8 characters. It returns the characters in Ӓ style. I tried the Punycode and got an error again.
I then looked up the domain at a whois website and again got an error. The site also could not handle UTF-8 input.
A search on Google for domains containing Chinese characters returns not one site with a Punycode domain name, only domain names with english words in them.
Are IDNs still not widely supported? Should I better not use an IDN?
Are IDNs still not widely supported?
Yes, they are not. The are confusing at best in Western domain use, and are often used as a way to register "look-alike" domains. A check of eBay will find short IDN domain names selling for -$1.00 (US)... if they sell at all.
Should I better not use an IDN?
Yes, you should not.
You may want to go with a Pinyin version of the name, (and secure both the .COM and .CI domains).
I think I'll better go with the Pinyin version as the primary domain, and use the version in Hanzi with a 301 redirect.
Are IDNs still not widely supported? Should I better not use an IDN?
Not sure where you tried to register but you should have no problems here:
[dynadot.com...]
[moniker.com...]
[godaddy.com...]
You will understand it is going to drastically change in 2009 if you read the latest from ICANN.
You should definitely secure the Chinese domain you want today.
Why? The info on the ICANN site is more a cry for compliance from browser developers to better support multi-lingual and in-turn ccTLD's and IDN's.
I doubt very much it will pressure anyone into doing anything. The example of how "paypal" can be registered in one language to look like Latin is enough of a scare to make anyone want to steer clear of IDN's.
What's next, required installation of language packs for Latin character browsers to interpret Chinese and other non-latin characters? Why? Even if the browser can resolve the chinese characters, "I" can not read or write chinese and would not click a link or enter a url with a Chinese IDN domain...
In fact, without implementing Chinese at the OS level, having the browser be able to resolve the characters in a URL is useless.
For such an "important" issue as ICANN makes it appear, the blog post on their website has exactly (1) reply.. Not much interest I'd say.
[blog.icann.org...]
Other than giving the registrars (and ICANN) a way to sell more domains in more TLDs, what's the point ?
If China, Russia, etc, want to implemement IDN / DNS translation within their borders for their users, fine -- but tell me how having Kanji and Cyrilic domain names will do anything for the majority of the web?
Air-traffic controllers around the world communicate in English... Why? Because if they needed a translator at every airport for every language someone "wanted to" speak from the flight deck, you would have accidents and/or delays all day... ("Sorry Captain, the Swahili to Portuguese interpreter is in the bathroom, can you hold that flight pattern for another 15 minutes).
No, I'm not saying it needs to be "English", it just needs to be standardized, and since it's been developed as English/Latin for the most part it will probably just stay that way.
