The best bit of technology branding, ever
Cookies being back in the news recently reminds me of just how clever (albeit inadvertently in this case) the choice of the name “cookies” was in the technology world.
Who can possibly be worried by something named after a scrummy biscuit that frequently features chocolate?
Imagine what people’s attitudes to cookies would be if they had originally been given a name such as “Online tracking ticket” and we were asked questions like “Do you want to block online tracking tickets?”.
Are you sure they aren't named after the American style Chinese fortune cookies that contain a slip of paper containing secret message that is often worrying or confusing.
Ian – possibly, though what I've been able to track down about the origin of the phrase is rather scanty and not well documented, e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie implies you may be right, but if you then go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_cookie it talks about cloakrooms rather than fortune cookies.
My hunch is that your theory is wrong for two reasons though (a) as far back as I can recall the food associated with 'cookies' in IT jokes etc. about computer cookies was of the sort I pictured rather than Chinese ones, and (b) originally cookies were seen as benign and functional, which wouldn't fit with the idea of hiding a worrying or confusing message.
But I wouldn't stake too much money (or too many cookies) on that!
99.9% of cookies still are functional and benign…
Well now as someone who treats all Transatlantic incursions into the English language with more than a degree of suspicion I suppose I was forewarned. Had they called them bickies I'd be none the wiser.