Here’s a good comparison that shows why I like short, friendly URLs.
HP Quality Centre
URL: https://h10078.www1.hp.com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content.jsp?zn=bto&cp=1-11-127-24_4000_100__
Length: Poor: 98 Characters
Friendliness: Poor: There’s no mention of Quality Centre or what it is. Lots of meaningless numbers and codes. Also, does a product page really require a secure page?
Google Search Blurb: Poor: “HP Quality Center is designed to address the wide-ranging challenges that…”
Google search for HP Quality Centre
Atlassian JIRA
URL: http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/
Length: Very good: 39 characters
Friendliness: Excellent: Includes both JIRA and software, so you know what it is. No unneccessary numbers or codes.
Google Search Blurb: Excellent: “Browser-based bug, issue, task and defect tracking system, and project management software solution used for open source and enterprise projects.”
Google search for Atlassian JIRA
It’s easy to see which one is better.
