Namecoin is just a name/value store system. That's it. It might not be perfect for DNS but it's being used for other things like https://onename.io right now.
The public can choose to use it in it's current implementation or build a better way of dealing with domain hijacking should they so choose.
Sure, it has a wide variety of niches which it fits greatly, and where it can be successfully used - but if anybody considers it as a solution to obsolete ICANN, as the original article proposes, then it's an entirely different ballpark than being just a name/value store; and rather different criteria for success.
That's how Namecoin works.
Namecoin is just a name/value store system. That's it. It might not be perfect for DNS but it's being used for other things like https://onename.io right now.
The public can choose to use it in it's current implementation or build a better way of dealing with domain hijacking should they so choose.