Originally, you could register third-level domains directly.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49516047
Not just "could" but originally it was the only option.
> When the TLD name was first launched, only third-level registrations and forwarded e-mail addresses were available.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.name
alt Hacker News
Not just "could" but originally it was the only option.
> When the TLD name was first launched, only third-level registrations and forwarded e-mail addresses were available.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.name