IPv4 addresses have been "running out" for a long time now, and current predictions are around July this year when there'll be no more IPv4 addresses available.

I just watched an interesting video (taken from the linux.conf.au conference here in Brisbane a few days ago which I cbf attending) about this person's dismal outlook on the future of IPv6.
http://linuxconfau.blip.tv/file/4692762/


For those unaware of the IPv4 problem and cbf watching the video, basically, this problem has been known for quite some time (like around since 1990) and IPv6 was developed as a response.  IPv6 uses 128-bit addressing, so will pretty much never run out of space, unlike 32-bit IPv4.  Although things such as NAT and HTTP 1.1 (supporting multiple hosts on a single IP) have mitigated the issue a bit, other factors, such as the dramatic rise in popularity of internet enabled mobiles have caused us to arrive to the current situation of practically no IPv4 addresses remaining.
Although wee've had like 20 years to migrate to IPv6, it doesn't seem to be happening.  There's probably only about 5 consumer network products (ie routers) which actually support v6 addressing, and practically no-one uses it (stats are like 0.3% of users right now; though I'm surprised there's even that).  ISPs, similarly, don't support IPv6.  And switching over isn't simple, especially considering the amount of infrastructure assuming IPv4.
So wee've got a problem of no addresses, and no seemingly viable quick fix to a problem which is coming in only a few months.  What does this mean to you, the average user?  Basically, the cost of internet is sure to rise.  IPv4 addresses will become a rarity and thus have a higher value attached.  Meaning that you, who needs an address to go online, will effectively be paying for this.  And the price of this address will just keep going up as time goes by...
Google, and some others, are trying out an IPv6 day to try to encourage adoption, but I'm doubting it'll do anything at all at this stage really.



So what do you think of IPv6 and the future of the internet?  Are you one of the 0.3% that run IPv6?

(This post was last modified: 31/01/2011 04:26 AM by ZiNgA BuRgA.)