zlacker

>>fanf2+(OP)
It's bit curious that traditionally UNIX systems did not run local DNS resolver daemons and instead the resolv.conf (and nsswitch.conf) persisted for so long. In addition to potentially simplifying configuration, having a daemon would allow system-wide dns caching, something I'd imagine would have been especially valuable back in the days of slow networks. Unix has daemons for everything else so that's why it feels odd that name resolution got baked into libc

>>zokier+xB7
The model in which the DNS was developed (back in the mid-80s) was CPU/memory was a more expensive resource than sending/receiving a small datagram to a centralized location within a campus over a local LAN (external connectivity off campus was also considered expensive but necessary).

The fact that this model is still largely assumed is due to inertia.