In defence of the second-level domain name

In Stephen Fry's latest blog post he argue's against the use of the second-level domain name in the UK (e.g., co.uk, gov.uk, plc.uk...), but whilst he may write elloquently on numerous geeky subjects, on this point he is talking absolute rubbish. It should also be noted that whilst he supports his arguement with reference to other domains which don't utilise second-level domain names, he simply chooses to ignore those others that do (e.g., New Zealand).

The utilisation of second-level domains has many benefits:
- It allows for a far larger number of meaningful URLs.
- It provides an indication of the type of site.
- It can provide an indication of the trustworthiness of a site's information, and the legitimacy of the site.

Most importantly it also formed the backbone of my PhD research into Triple Helix relationships...without which the world would be a much poorer place!