> Again: namespacing isn't the problem (or a totalizing solution) here.

The current system works better for impersonators and squatters than it does for me as a legitimate participant, so, in my opinion, that's at least part of the problem. Domain validated namespaces go a long way towards solving that.

> it effectively gatekeeps the entire packaging ecosystem on the ability to purchase and maintain a domain name

There's no reason there can't be a default namespace similar to what Bluesky did. By default you get @example.bsky.social and can optionally switch to a custom domain. The main thing that Bluesky got wrong is they recycle your original handle when you switch to a custom domain and I think it should be (optionally) kept as an alias to prevent impersonation.

> assumes trust in a namespace (DNS) that was never really designed to be authenticated

It's trusted enough for MS365, Google Workspace, ACME (protocol), and basically everything on the internet at this point. PyPI.org is using a domain validated SSL certificate and (AFAIK) distributes unsigned packages. I view that as about the same amount of risk as using domain validation for namespaces.

> or a source of stable, permanent identifiers (domains change hands all the times, including for hostile reasons).

Domains changing ownership can be handled reasonably well by treating the domain as a mutable pointer to an immutable namespace. The immutable namespace would be the source of truth that would be trusted by clients and would point back to the domain so they reference each other. If either pointer changes the client can warn the user and let them decide how to handle it. By using the immutable namespace after following the mutable (domain) pointer once, you eliminate a lot of the value of stealing a domain to take over a namespace. If you flag domains that have recently started pointing to a different immutable namespace (ie: a new domain or owner), it acts as a cautionary warning so users know they shouldn't be blindly trusting the namespace.

Dealing with banned domains would likely be a pain point, but I don't think banning an account changes much in terms of human factors involved. On the domain side of things I'd probably maintain a public list of permanently banned domains, at least to start with, and see what problems that creates before trying to find solutions. Non-negotiable, permanent banning might even be ok.

For me personally, domain validated namespaces would be a huge improvement. I'm sick of the gold rush and having to chase my handle on every platform. Even if I get it, I'm still indistinguishable from a bad actor on most platforms because I have very little activity and nothing popular.

At least with domain verified namespaces someone who doesn't know me can go from pypi.org/@example.com to github.com/@example.com or example.com and be nearly guaranteed it's me (ignoring domain hijacking). That makes it easier to make a judgment call on whether or not to trust me because most of my activity will show up at, or be linked to from, those places.

Plus, as a package becomes more popular, the recognizably of the owner's handle also grows. With a single, domain validated namespace, that's only one definitive thing for people to have to recognize which cuts down on the cognitive load of trying to figure out if mismatched namespaces are legitimate or someone trying to engineer an attack.

I think the current system for namespaces is a big chunk of the problem because it's non-authoritative in the context of knowing who owns a namespace. By switching to domain validated namespaces a lot of that ambiguity disappears because you know that example.com, pypi.org/@example.com, github.com/@example.com, twitter.com/@example.com, etc. are all the same person or organization. That means that as soon as you know you can trust them on one of those platforms, you can trust them everywhere else because, as long as the UI flags new domain pointers to combat domain hijacking, you've basically removed impersonation and squatting as a potential threat.

So, maybe it's not perfect, but, in my opinion, it adds enough value that it's worth considering as an option. I think it's great on Bluesky because I find it so much easier to determine whether or not people are legitimately who they say they are and not some prankster or impersonator. For example, I'm following @tailscale.com on Bluesky and I know it's them.