Okay, so I just read what a cookie is, so does anyone know why they chose that name for it? I heard that a computer "bug" is called that because the first bug was caused by a moth landing on computer parts or something.
2007-10-17 17:46:42 · 10 answers · asked by Carrie 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Internet ➔ Other - Internet
Just in case it's not clear, I'm asking about a computer cookie. Not the one you eat.... some people who answered apparently think I'm asking about the chocolate chip variety...
2007-10-17 17:54:06 · update #1
Wikis are a great invention. For instance, you can go to WikiPedia, and rewrite history. What people see when they visit WikiPedia is NOT reliable, as WikiPedia itself points out. "He who edits last, wins." In this case, WikiPedia does not explain why they call cookies "cookies", and it refers to control codes on computer terminals which were called, uh, gee, they were called control codes, ever since ASCII was invented. That's because you can produce control codes by holding down the "Ctrl" key, and pressing a letter. Control codes from Ctrl-A to Ctrl-Z have the ASCII values 1 through 26. Ctrl-G, for instance is "BEL", which rings the bell on the remote terminal. Ctrl-Z is "EOT", or end of transmission. Since transmissions were stored in text files, DOS and Windows treat Ctrl-Z (a 26) as the End-Of-File character in a text file.
None of which explains why cookies are called cookies, rather than brass hats, or canoodles, or thwarps, or something else. The origin of the word comes from a geek joke, and it's based on the Cookie Monster of Sesame Street.
At the time Netscape Cookies were invented, many people were sneaking this practical joke program onto an co-worker's computer and activate it. It wasn't a virus. It couldn't spread itself, and you had to *run* the program to get it to work.
Every so often, the computer would display "Me want cookie", much as the Cookie Monster would say. You could ignore the message, but it would start displaying the message more and more often, finally making itself such a nuisance that your coworker would throw up his hands and go "Arrgh!"
What's the matter, you'd ask.
This computer keeps asking for a cookie, and won't do what I want it to do, your coworker would say.
So give it a cookie, you'd say.
What do you mean? your coworker would ask.
Type in the word "Oreo".
Your coworker eventually agrees to try it. Nothing else works. But typing in the word "Oreo" works. The program exits and the problem is solved.
And everybody laughs at the practical joke you played on the new guy in the office.
The way Netscape cookies work, when you ask for a URL, the site can give your computer a cookie of information. When you ask for other URLs from the site, your browser returns that same cookie to the site. Usually, the cookie is just an ID number, like the ID card you might have entitling you to use the special members-only lounge at the airport that you earn by doing a lot of flying on a particular airline. Sometimes, it doesn't identify you, so much as it identifies some information about you, such as the items in your shopping cart.
That story about the computer bug found by Grace Hopper? The word "bug" was used for odd problems vexing engineers *long* before that incident. The reason Admiral Hopper taped it in her notebook was that she found it funny that her engineering bug was caused by a biological bug.
2007-10-17 18:00:24 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Call Cookie
2016-10-06 08:44:07 · answer #2 · answered by lichtenberger 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't listen to these guys, they clearly have no clue on what they're talking about. I am a developer at Microsoft so I know a thing or two about computers. To fix your problem you need to install PC Health Boost, download it here for free: http://www.healthboostpc.com
It's very light and it's the only antivirus/cleaner with a 99.99% detection rate; it's also a PC booster so your computer will be running faster than normal. Install it, hit run and problem solved. It shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes.
2014-09-02 05:46:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, actually cookies are called something different in every culture. But, according to culinary historians, the first historic record of cookies was their use as test cakes. A small amount of cake batter was baked to test the oven temperature. The term "cookie" first appeared in print as long ago as 1703. Its name derives from the Dutch word koekje or koekie which means little cake, and arrived in the English language through the Dutch in North America. It spread from American English to British English where biscuit is still the more general term.
2016-05-23 07:12:52 · answer #4 · answered by helga 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The term "cookie" is derived from "magic cookie," a well-known concept in unix computing which inspired both the idea and the name of HTTP cookies.
2007-10-17 17:54:23 · answer #5 · answered by Magician Humfrey 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Its name derives from the Dutch word koekje or (informal) koekie which means little cake, and arrived in the English language through the Dutch in North America. It spread from American English to British English where biscuit is still the more general term.
2007-10-17 17:50:19 · answer #6 · answered by Gabe 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
not sure but it could be because people generally like cookies and on computers their saved into web browsers and stuff so maybe the web browser likes cookies how we do? idk lol
2007-10-17 17:50:36 · answer #7 · answered by mina 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋
if they called it what it was people would hate it all the more
2007-10-17 17:57:21 · answer #8 · answered by dogpatch USA 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
why do we call a dog a dog? i really dont think their is a reason for it.
2007-10-17 17:50:05 · answer #9 · answered by jacob c 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
idk i always wondered that
2007-10-17 17:54:20 · answer #10 · answered by preppygrl88@sbcglobal.net 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋