Re: [idn] The layers and character handling in DNS

[Erik Nordmark <Erik.Nordmark@eng.sun.com>]

> if you want an interface to look up addresses from IDNs - whether it be 
> in native format, UTF-8, or whatever - you need a different function.
> don't overload gethostbyname.
> 
> but don't try to retroactively change an existing interface.

I agree fully.

I think some of the experience in dealing with this for IPv6 can
be useful, since it had much of the same issues - unmodified applications
can't in general cope with gethostbyname returning an IPv6
address just as unmodified applications can't cope with gethostbyADDR
returning an IDN (in your favorite character set) name.

*If* (and this isn't obvious to me) there is a need for APIs 
that encapsulte ace encoding (or ace + nameprep) together with
the IP address lookups I think it would make sense to look
at getaddrinfo() and getnameinfo().
Those APIs are recommended for IPv6 address lookups *and* they
have flags fields that it easy to extended the e.g. for IDN purposes.

My 2 cents,
  Erik