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SO FAR†we have unearthed the secrets on how some of the coolest gadgets and how our can’t-do-without PC operating systems got their names. †This time let’s sample some of the most popular services on the Web — a Browser, a Social Network, and an Online Encyclopedia.
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This is how these Geek Pets got their names:
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Firefox: Second Time’s a Charm†
Choosing a name that evokes a product’s essence and is available can be quite complicated, as the Mozillafolks found out. The early version of Mozilla’s browser was called Firebird, but due to another open-source project with the same name, the Mozilla elders renamed their browser Firefox, which is another name for red panda. Why? “It’s easy to remember. It sounds good. It’s unique. We like it,” they said. Best of all? Nobody else was using it.
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Twitter: Connecting the Digital Flock 140 Characters at a Time
When cofounder Biz Stone saw the application that Jack Dorsey created in 2006 he was reminded of the way birds communicate: “Short bursts of information…Everyone is chirping, having a good time.” In response, Stone came up with “twttr,” and the group eventually added some vowels. It’s hard to think of a more evocative name in the tech world than twitter, but what began as what Stone described as “trivial” bursts of communication developed into a powerful means of networking, breaking news, and forum for the 44th U.S. president’s campaign.
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Wikipedia: Just What It Sounds Like
According to Wikipedia, the name Wikipedia is aportmanteau of wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites) and encyclopedia (you remember, those large books that, as kids, we ruthlessly plagiarized for school book reports). FYI: a portmanteau is a fancy way of saying that we’re going to take two words, jam them together and (hopefully) create a new concept that people will love. So far, so good. In an illustration of the axiom “the more things change the more they stay the same”: Today, kids and adults now ruthlessly plagiarize Wikipedia instead of encyclopedias.
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Source:††CIO – Famous Tech Names
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The comic strip is funny. LOL! I love Twitter and it has such a nice ring to it. Nice trivia.
I noticed you are using Plurk instead of Twitter. How did Plurk got its name?
Almost right on the Firefox one. We were originally called “Phoenix” and then Firebird and then Firefox.