In this URL the period denotes the subdomain developers. This is another reason to not use periods indiscriminately. Periods are usually used for very specific reasons.
I always use hyphens to fill in spaces unless specifically directed to use underscores. Underscores are better than spaces, but hyphens are better than underscores because Search Engine Optimization (SEO) algorithims perfer hyphens. For that reason, I don't usually use CamelCase and stick to all lower case and hyphens.
Underscores used to be more common before SEO became an issue. I have noticed that php developers will still use underscores for system files that are included in other files. Another situation where a specific character is used in a very specific situation. SQL database names will not allow spaces or a hyphen, only an underscore.