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How 6 Memorable Tech Companies Got Their Names

Posted by samzenpus on from the what's-in-a-name? dept.

itwbennett writes "If Larry Page and Sergey Brin had stuck with the first name for their search engine, we'd be 'BackRubbing' instead of Googling. But the fun doesn't stop there. The unforgettable Go Daddy was first saddled with the eminently Seussian moniker 'Jomax Technologies.' And as for Yahoo!... its original name just rolled off the tongue: 'Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web.'"

6 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Apple? by Culture20 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sure, I probably need to RTFA, but I think maybe this is in apple.slashdot.org just because a quota needed filling.

  2. Make or break names by CarpetShark · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If Larry Page and Sergey Brin had stuck with the first name for their search engine, we'd be 'BackRubbing' instead of Googling.

    No, we'd be using something else.

    1. Re:Make or break names by pz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If Larry Page and Sergey Brin had stuck with the first name for their search engine, we'd be 'BackRubbing' instead of Googling.

      No, we'd be using something else.

      Quite likely AltaVista.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
  3. Jomax! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The unforgettable Go Daddy was first saddled with the eminently Seussian moniker 'Jomax Technologies.'

    Why didn't they use that? That's a way better name. I can't stand the name "Go Daddy". It's reason enough not to deal with them (although there are plenty of others).

  4. Naming a company today ... by perpenso · · Score: 3, Insightful

    1. Register a domain. The most difficult step.
    2. Check for trademarks yourself.
    3. Pay an attorney to check for trademarks. They will find conflicts that you never imagined and that you disagree with, however they understand the trademark office better than you.
    4. Now create that s-corp, llc, etc.

    and of course it has to be added:

    5. ?
    6. Profit!

  5. Re:Microsoft by AfroTrance · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't believe that for one second. How did he get a girlfriend before Microsoft made him a crapload of cash?