Hi, These are some comments that HEAnet would like to submit on the "Future of the RIPE Hostcount" Document presented at RIPE 49. - perhaps the paper should refer to the current distributed nature of the host count; this is something which might or might not be possible with the alternatives suggested - the current host count also gathers the numbers of SOAs, also a measure of the size and growth of the Internet - and the host count also generates an error file per TLD; this could be useful in maintaining the integrity of the DNS - in #2.1, I think attribution should be made to the author of the host program, the late Erik Wassenaar. - in #2.2, it should be said that the RIPE host count is used as a metric of Internet size, and an index of its growth. Certainly, we use it in HEAnet. - it might be argued that the host count also could provide some KPIs (key performance indicators) for RIPE NCC, its members, and other bodies - in #2.3, it mentions used addresses not entered in the DNS. The converse also occurs i.e. A records for hosts which are not reachable. We know that some people use the DNS as a database and that it often includes firewalled machines and even rfc-1918 addresses - in #3, another possibility to estimate the size of the Internet is to measure the number of domains. This might be done by the CC TLDs in Europe, for example Regards, Brian. -- Brian Nisbet, HEAnet, Brooklawn Hse, Crampton Ave, Shelbourne rd, Dublin 4. Tel:+35316609040/Fax:+35316603666 email:brian.nisbet@heanet.ie