“.com” – the most popular domain extension has been around since the early days of the Internet. However, the meaning behind its origin has left many internet users “scratching their heads” in search of answers.
Few might realize that the origin of the “.com” domain is somewhat of a mystery to many internet users, despite its existence since the mid-1980s. On January 1, 1985, “.com” was created alongside other initial domains such as edu, gov, mil, net, org, and int.
Initially, “.com” was intended to be reserved for companies operating online, specifically it was used for the subdomains of these companies. However, it later expanded for general use and became the most widely used domain extension today.
The “.com” domain has been around since the mid-1980s. (Image: Wix)
Recently, on the Reddit forum, many users have questioned the popularity of this domain. One user asked: “Explain it to me like I’m a 5-year-old: What does having ‘.com’ in the address bar mean? And is there any difference if we use ‘.edu’, ‘.org’, or ‘.io’, which I see increasingly often?”
According to the Ionos Digital Guide – a website that specializes in providing information about domains and web hosting, “.com” stands for “commercial”. This website also notes: “Everyone is familiar with ‘.com’, but many internet users do not know what this domain stands for”. The RFC 920 document from October 1984 also designated “.com” as “commercial”.
However, Jack Haverty, a former employee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an expert from the early days of the Internet, believes that “.com” may originally have stood for “company”. He stated: “In the 80s and 90s, the Internet ‘was not created to connect businesses’.”
Despite this, after 39 years, “commercial” remains the most commonly associated meaning with “.com”. On Reddit, one user explained: “Each of these extensions is called a domain and is a way to categorize information on the Internet, helping you understand what type of website you are visiting and who operates it. ‘.com’ lets you know that any website you are visiting is run by a company or business, so think of ‘.com’ as a company.”
Each of these extensions is called a domain and is a method to categorize information on the Internet. (Image: Nindohost)
This user further noted: “‘.edu’ stands for ‘education’ and indicates that the website belongs to a college or higher education institution… ‘.org’ refers to an organization, usually non-profit. Nowadays, a domain like ‘.io’ is just a trendy domain and technically has no real purpose. You often see ‘.io’ in startups and indie games”.
Another user shared: “Previously, in the U.S., there were only ‘.gov’ (government websites), ‘.net’ (network or multi-purpose websites), ‘.org’ (organization), ‘.com’ (company), and ‘.edu’ (education, like schools or universities). However, about a year or two ago, that changed when people started being able to put anything at the end of the address. Now, they no longer hold much meaning”.
