X.org is maybe not in the same bucket as X.com. x.org is very tech oriented and the people who visit that site are much more likely to appreciate the unusual domain.

It doesn't change the fact that it looks a bit weird.

I think any domain that is shorter than it's tld looks a bit funky and requires a second look to process that it is real.

> I don't know that it is self-evident.

> The open source implementation of the X Window System is provided by the x.org foundation. https://x.org/wiki/

I know way more about the inner mechanics of X11 than the average Linux user (which is saying something), but if you had asked me in a different context what x.org pointed to, I would have had no idea. (And then would have said, "oh, right" as soon as you told me the answer).

That's the tell-tale sign of a bad branding decision. I'm not going to fault X too much for that since they literally predate the Web[0], and because they're targeting a very specialized audience, but any mainstream company that makes the same mistake in 2023 deserves whatever criticism they get for it.

[0] The foundation itself doesn't, but the underlying projects do, and the foundation was formed as a merger so it depends on where you choose to start the clock.

I mean, "X" is also a bad brand name. X11 is much better.