% host -- -brainfreeze-.blogspot.com -brainfreeze-.blogspot.com is an alias for blogspot.l.google.com. blogspot.l.google.com has address 72.14.219.191 -brainfreeze-.blogspot.com is an alias for blogspot.l.google.com. -brainfreeze-.blogspot.com is an alias for blogspot.l.google.com. % ping -- -brainfreeze-.blogspot.com ping: unknown host -brainfreeze-.blogspot.com % ping 72.14.219.191 PING 72.14.219.191 (72.14.219.191) 56(84) bytes of data. 64 bytes from 72.14.219.191: icmp_seq=1 ttl=241 time=115 ms 64 bytes from 72.14.219.191: icmp_seq=2 ttl=241 time=116 ms ... Firefox also cannot see -brainfreeze-.blogspot.com, which is how I originally noticed the problem, but it has nothing to do with firefox. According to the discussion at the url <http://www.netalive.org/topics/32153>, hostnames like this are not valid according to the relevant standard; however, they do seem to be out there (the url gives another, which I haven't tested), and MS Windows allows them, so probably linux has to allow them too. The discussion there also suggests glibc where the check is being done, and gives a workaround (putting the site in question in /etc/hosts) which seems to work.
These hostnames break RFCs and are not valid -> the only bug is with people using them.
As I implied in my original message, I think that's a short sighted attitude. But, whatever, I tried.
