Telnic Invites Developers to .tel 'Webless Web' Platform

Telnic, provider of the "Webless Web" platform, made a splash with developers on Oct. 15 by releasing resources and open source code for developers, enabling them to create new applications and services on the .tel platform that is slated to launch in December.

.tel is a service that allows users to store and manage all their contact information and keywords directly in the DNS (Domain Name System) without the need to build, host or manage a Web site. Indeed, Telnic officials said .tel is a new communications hub for individuals and businesses that bypasses the need for Web sites when publishing live information to the Internet. Moreover, .tel will enable secure sharing of contact information and personalization of online services under a .tel domain owner’s control, which has never before been possible.

According to a Telnic Web page focusing on developers:

"From a developer's perspective, the .tel is a personal encryptable data store for contact information, geolocation and identity publishing, fully owned by the .tel registrant, with simple read and write APIs."

Resource Library:

Developers can access the Telnic Developer Web site here. On the site, developers can download applications for mobile devices and desktops, and browse API documentation, forums, wiki and source code.

In addition to code, tool kits and the .tel management console, Telnic has also released beta versions of applications that can be used on BlackBerry devices, iPhones and Windows-based PCs. These applications integrate with the address book and make them dynamically updated with information stored in a .tel owner’s domain, Telnic officials said.

The applications are free to download, under an open-source license, and can be used as models for new types of applications around communications, directory services, location-based services, search and social networking, designed to exploit the DNS-based .tel service.

“Now is the right time to get the ball rolling to energize the developer community and deliver something long anticipated--a platform that an individual has complete control over that will change the way they can manage information and services online,” said Henri Asseily,  chief strategist and chief technology officer at Telnic.  “.tel owners will now be able to experience total control over the services they subscribe to, having an online identity under their own domain name which they own, and which acts as a hub where all kinds of services and people can interact with them, securely and efficiently.”

Moreover, “With the new services that developers can deliver for customers, the bad old days of manually updating contact information and the outdated and fragmented information available within yellow page directories online will finally be a thing of the past,” said Asseily.

In a blog post from September, Asseily discusses the potential relationship between .tel and social graphs:

"Is .tel of any interest in the social graph space? Absolutely! As starters, .tel provides the person with an actual presence on the Internet, in a standardized (and therefore automation-friendly) manner. Owning your .tel means that you have a single point of contact for life, a distribution point for all your means of communications. In effect, you're telling a social application, ‘You can always find me here, and here are all the means to contact me.’ So .tel solves the communications discoverability problem in a big way."

Asseily also posted a video of a .tel demo.

In addition, Telnic officials say the company is planning a competition that will award developers for building innovative applications that tap the .tel service.