Until a few years ago, chosing a domain name was quite simple. You’d take your brand, such as silicon, and apply for a ‘.com’, ‘.net’, ‘.org’ registration, or a country-specific one such as ‘.co.uk’.
But then ICANN thought it would be a good idea to open the floodgates and allow just about any word to become a generic Top Level Domain (gTLD).
There are even more localised suffixes such as ‘.london’, extensions for certain inudstries like ‘.travel’, and ones that help distinguish government services on ‘.gov’.
However there’s more to the history of domain names than just gTLDs.
Court cases have been fought over the most valuable web addresses, while companies of all sizes have stockpiled some interesting domains – possibly as a result of boredom or a marketing manager’s whim, but most likely because of fear of domain squatters.
Perhaps we should be grateful. After all, a minor typo could result in us being directed to a very different website, although this could be a thing of the past with the ‘.xxx’ suffix.
What do you know about the web addresses we type into our browser daily without a second thought? Do you know your ‘.biz’ from your ‘.info’?
Google clashes with US Justice Department in closing arguments as government argues Google used illegal…
Prominent Stanford University AI scientist Fei-Fei Li reportedly completes funding round for start-up based on…
Apple shares surge on optimism that new AI-focused hardware launches will drive renewed sales, starting…
Biden vetoes Republican-backed measure amidst dispute over 'joint employer' status for contract workers, affecting tech…
Lawyers in US social media addiction action say strict controls on Douyin in China show…
More than 10,000 London black cab drivers sue Uber claiming company acted illegally to obtain…