The Internet Doomed?!
Having read a few news articles on the imminent "end" of IPv4 I found myself thinkingn that "normal" people would not understand any of the information given. So all a reader would glean is that the internet is doomed somehow. So here is a laimans guide to how the internet works.
Every internet user is accessing the Internet by using an IP address. This is an address of a webserver somewhere that will "let you onto the internet". Lets imagine it as a door to a room (the IP address is the door and the webserver is the room). Websites are also located on webservers, in other words some of the rooms have got stuff in them. So the internet is basically a load of interconnected rooms. IP addresses currently consist of 4 number chains, seperated by a dot. Now these number chains are almost used up (there just is no number combination left that is not already in use). So people are coming up with a new system called IPv6, where the 4 number chain is replaced by a chain of six elements, that comprise of numbers and letters, therefore giving an almost infinate pool of new addresses. Later this year, when all of the old doors are open and in use, we will need to start using the new doors.
Sounds easy enough, doesn't it......