Cyberbaguioboy

More acronyms from the tech world.

Yesterday, I was at the IPv6 Summit, the first of its kind in the country. IPv6, which stands for Internet Protocol version 6, is touted as the next major evolution of the Internet. Vinton Cerf, yes of Google, gave a video message which could be summarized in a few words: “It’s time to move to IPv6.”

Just a quick background: IPv6 is going to be like our very own unique telephone number on the Internet. Today, we’re using IP version 4, which is apparently running out. So the move to IPv6 is inevitable because service providers won’t be able to provide more IP addresses to users and networks wanting to connect to the Internet since they’re going to be depleted. Sounds alarmist? Yes it does because this is going to be a problem.

One expert I spoke with months ago said delaying the move to IPv6 would create problems for future Internet users. They might be connected to the Internet, but they won’t be “talking” to the rest of the growing Internet which will be in IPv6. IPv4 is currently the language that we use to connect to the Internet. So there will be two languages running on the same wire. But both won’t be talking to each other.

Sadly, these things really don’t matter to the rest of the world because it is happening in the background. In short, we only care if we get good service or not. We’re not seeing what’s happening behind the Internet.

But as Vint Cerf stressed during the IPv6 Summit here:

MANILA, Philippines — “IPv6. Its time has come,” Vinton Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google, said on video during the first IPv6 summit here.