First off, there is a whole debate about launching hundreds of new TLDs going at ICANN. It's pretty much the hottest issue there is. They are trying to do exa

First off, there is a whole debate about launching hundreds of new TLDs going at ICANN. It's pretty much the hottest issue there is. They are trying to do exactly what you're suggesting, a registry free for all. Second, yes, food.review is harder to remember than foodreview.com. Trillions of dollars have been spent branding .com into consumer's minds worldwide (also local ccTLDs in some country trump .com because of use/adoption). Wait, did I want food.review or food.guide? or was it...? People do get confused by URLs, having the same TLD (.com/or whatever your country uses) makes it easier to remember for average consumers. The biggest thing I think a lot of people here forget is, YOU'RE NOT NORMAL. Average consumers aren't hanging around at HackerNews, a site for the tech elite, and their behavior doesn't match this audience (you).