While archaic, ISBN doesn't seem a bad system to me.
Short values are more reliable in retail situations. They can be typed in by hand or read with cheap scanners.
You are of course free to publish without an ISBN if you don't care about the legacy ecosystem.
There's nothing stopping anyone from creating or promoting an alternative but I don't think the incentives are there. There's not enough money in it, and I don't think the cost savings are enough to make a switch compelling.
Short values are more reliable in retail situations. They can be typed in by hand or read with cheap scanners.
You are of course free to publish without an ISBN if you don't care about the legacy ecosystem.
There's nothing stopping anyone from creating or promoting an alternative but I don't think the incentives are there. There's not enough money in it, and I don't think the cost savings are enough to make a switch compelling.