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Haven't followed this issuse in a while, but it strikes me that if we each had our own IP address (guess we'd buy one?) we really wouldn't need an ISP. Could we connect right to the internet?
Also, are current routers equipped for the extended IP addresses?

hmm the current routers are not compatible with ipv6...so basically it's all junk ;)

there might be a converter but you'll prolly only be able to go one way or need a series of them...either way it's not worth saving your 50 dollar linksys ;)

As for the ISP question, I dunno. But i'd say yes. You still need a central location to route all the traffic which is all the Internet is...A giant routing mechanism that is sending traffic where it needs to go. The ISP won't need to break the ip address down as much and they could be more lazy with the management of IP address. Right now in No. VA you have to have a commerical account for verizon dsl to give you a static IP, basically cause there isn't a whole lot of them to give away for free...with ipv6...it'd be like hording dirt...it could feasibly run out, but not likely

You are going to need some device to connect to the ISP's network. They are presumably going to provide the same functionality they provide now (why wouldn't they?)

If you are knowledgable enough to build your own, then you could do that... but you could do that today, and you could buy your own block of IPv4 addresses if you wanted to, and ask the ISP to route traffic to your own homemade router, and allow whatever lack of security you felt like having. I've already got 5 IP addresses because I bought 5 from my ISP. With IPv6 I could probably buy something more like a few thousand, but it's the same principle.

The only real difference in IPv6 is that the hack that maps one set of IP addresses to another set of IP addresses isn't necessary (note that you're still allowed, if you want, to do some sort of NAT mapping, if you want to... but it's unlikely that anyone will bother.) Everything else is the same as it used to be.

I guess my point is, IPv6 is going to be a good thing because it will remove a lot of complexity involved in the current set of hacks, and will also make Internet access a lot more possible for other countries, and we don't need people generating panic where it's totally unjustified. Next thing you know we will have Congressional hearings and a bunch of Democratic congressman demogoguing it and passing legislation regulating how engineers are allowed to design networking software.