Domain names were created as a solution to a problem that existed in the early days of the Internet. The IP addressing system worked just fine but it wasn't very practical for humans to work with. One would have to remember an Internet host's IP address--a set of numbers that was easy to forget--in order to reach that host on the Internet. Network Information Center (NIC) managed the early naming system; it's job was to maintain a master host file and assign names to each and every valid, reachable hosts on the Internet. These were the days of pre-DNS when every host would have to download an updated copy of the master host file on a regular basis in order to have an up-to-date "address book" and function properly on the Internet.

Back in 1984, Dr. Paul Mockapetris (PhD in Computer Science) came up with a better way of managing domain names: The Domain Name System (DNS.) With DNS system, individual hosts no longer needed to download the updated master list. With DNS, the master host files are distributed between a select group of DNS computers which synchronize themselves on a regular basis. The result is that you can now access the Internet without having to download a master list of all the domain names out there! Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) synchronizes it's master list with the DNS system so you don't have to.