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Topic: Networking

Google promises faster Web with launch of Public DNS

Summary: As part of its ongoing work to make the Web run faster, Google today launched Google Public DNS and is inviting users to change their network settings and give it a test run.

Sam Diaz

By Sam Diaz for Between the Lines |

Google is taking control of the Internet's equivalent of the telephone switchboard, called the Domain Name System, or DNS. In a blog post this morning, Google announced the release of a public DNS resolver called Google Public DNS, one of the things that the company is doing as part of its ongoing effort to make the web faster.

As Google explains in its post, the DNS is like the switchboard operator that takes easy-to-remember Web address - such as Google.com or ZDNet.com - and links them to their more complex IP addresses that come as a series of numbers. In its blog post, Google writes:

The average Internet user ends up performing hundreds of DNS lookups each day, and some complex pages require multiple DNS lookups before they start loading. This can slow down the browsing experience. Our research has shown that speed matters to Internet users, so over the past several months our engineers have been working to make improvements to our public DNS resolver to make users' web-surfing experiences faster, safer and more reliable. You can read about the specific technical improvements we've made in our product documentation and get installation instructions from our product website.

If you're Web savvy and comfortable changing your network settings, Google is offering detailed instructions on its code blog of how to give Google Public DNS a test-run.

I know a lot about tech and can do my fair share of network troubleshooting but I think I'll leave this one to the truly savvy. If you decide to give it a run, be sure to chime in on the talkbacks to share your experiences. I'd be interested in knowing if speed difference will really be that noticeabe.

Topics: Networking, Browser, Google

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Talkback

44 comments
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  • Google DNS? LMAO!

    So Google wants yet another way to track users to sell that information to advertisers and whomever they call "partners" (which includes the groups that purchase ad space and flood their ad network with malware links)? No thanks. After witnessing OpenDNS's tracking information being sold through Yahoo's ad network, and hijacking incorrect DNS results to a Yahoo search, nay, ad results, I've sworn off anything but locally-provided unhijacked DNS, thank you very much!

    This is like having an encyclopedia index with article references saying something like "Aardvark, volume 1, page 1, brought to you by BeastialDating.com. Ads by Google."

    Joe_Raby
    Reply Vote

    • Bingo, J.R.!

      Everything--I repeat--EVERYTHING that Google does is a means
      to one end: gathing data about you so they can feed premium-
      priced targeted ads to you.

      What better way to track your surfing than to be your DNS?
      I'll sign up for this the day after they open the ice skating rink in
      hell.
      Userama
      Reply Vote

      • Yep!

        Google is greedy and evil far beyond anything MS or its critics ever could have imagined.
        Vokar
        Reply Vote

        • Well intentioned evil

          As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
          tim@...
          Reply Vote

    • BestialDating, Joe?

      Makes me wonder what's in YOUR porn collection. ]:)
      mgp3
      Reply Vote

  • What next!?

    We have Google search, Google apps, Google browser, Google toolbar, Google mail, Google OS, Google SPDY and now Google DNS. How long before we get Google network cards, Google routers, Google ADSL, Google wireless, Google TCP/IP, Google mindprobe....
    planruse
    Reply Vote

    • You forgot...

      Google Voice. :)
      Userama
      Reply Vote

      • and also

        Google Satan.

        That would go against their tag line "Do no evil", but the Devil's biggest trick is to convince you that he's not real.
        Joe_Raby
        Reply Vote

        • Google Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks?

          I presume you are not one of those little people we used to feed to the lions.
          B.O.F.H.
          Reply Vote

          • Re: Racist remark

            You mean Romans that fed slave Jews to the lions?
            Joe_Raby
            Reply Vote

          • This is not the forum for your theoloigical beliefs.

            In tech, SATAN is a auditing tool that caused a scare to no-technical people who did not understand security auditing. As per ancient Roman entertainment, your theological beliefs (be you Christian, Jewish or Muslim) are not relevant here. Besides, not everyone buys into that particular fear/control/cult construct.
            B.O.F.H.
            Reply Vote

          • LOL!

            I had no idea that Google actually named something that. Figures though.

            Still, your comment was unwarranted.
            Joe_Raby
            Reply Vote

          • Equal opportunity

            Romans fed slaves of any race, creed, or color to the lions; if you weren't Roman, you were less than nothing. Jews and Christians were just two groups among many. The only difference is their religions survived the Romans.
            NickNielsen
            Reply Vote

        • This from folk...

          ...that probably use entire stacks of software
          from one company...and proudly let us know about
          it too.
          storm14k
          Reply Vote

          • And?

            I would easily put up Microsoft, Apple, Red Hat, or Novell's privacy policy against Google's ANY DAY.

            All you have to do is read Google's Terms of Service for accounts. Section 11 has the real meat of the topic.

            http://www.google.com/accounts/tos
            Joe_Raby
            Reply Vote

          • Licence??.. you have got to be kidding

            Did they really misspell license throughout section 11?
            samirj
            Reply Vote

          • Licence or License...

            Both are acceptable spellings per the American Heritage? Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Although license is preferred in the US.
            Harry.Hiles@...
            Reply Vote

          • And? you've got to be kidding me.

            Wait a min. I know it sounds stupid to agree to something or sign a document without reading it but after reading something like what's outlined in section 11 of google policy, what does this do for user rights or privacy? I mean, they clearly state by using their service, they can do what they want with the information you post, publish or distribute via their service. What about confidentiality of business information, intellectual information or trade secrets? Does this mean companies shouldn't use google? Far less google dns? Mind you, after feedback of opendns, I'll stick with my ISP's 'private' DNS.
            sherlonb
            Reply Vote

      • Google-Life? Google-Wife? n/t

        n/t
        pupkin_z
        Reply Vote

    • already have wireless

      check out the special google has at a few airports. they're setting up free wireless access points at a couple of major airports as a xmas gift
      privatejarhead
      Reply Vote
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