Will the dot-com go the way of the Dodo in the light of ICANN’s decision to open up top-level domain names? Not likely, but it would be entertaining to own ".enquiro".

FYI, there are currently 21 top level domains (TLDs) that we’re all used to seeing, including .com, .ca, .gov and .edu.
Important highlights of the ICANN decision:

• Applications will be accepted starting in April 2009 and likely cost ~$100,000 to register to help offset ICANN’s cost
   
• Top level domains will be available in non-Latin languages such as Arabic and Cyrillic
   
• Applicants must “demonstrate their technical capability to run a registry operation for the purpose that the applicant sets out.”
   
• ICANN will approve or restrict applications based on “generally accepted legal norms relating to morality and public order” (#6 on page 20 of the GNSO report), decided by an international arbitration panel.
• Disputes over TLDs will be auctioned or subject to intellectual property law.

The biggest impact will likely to be the increased use of search. It’s already mildly annoying to end up at an unexpected site when you type in the wrong TLD at the end of an address. Opening it up like this will cause more frustration and drive users to search instead of type.