3 ms·

From the top of my head: Linux, Bourne shell...

• adamnemecek 4y ago
  • kbenson 4y ago
    Sometimes things are named after the maker ex post facto because they need a way to distinguish it. The Bourne shell, mentioned here, is likely called that for the same reason the very first shell was called the Thompson shell, in that they were written by a single person originally and not really given a name (the original being from Ken Thompson), since they were just different (or the original) implementations of the system shell. Eventually you're going to need a way to distinguish one from the other though, right? Noting who wrote it is as good (probably better) than any other option. Linux was probably named differently, but also probably doesn't really match whatever criteria you're using to be suspicious. It started as a hobby project to make a free and open source UNIX system, of which there were few (none?), written by one guy. There was no expectation that other people would use it for anything other than something interesting to play around with, and using a portion of your own name for your own little hobby project isn't something I would look askance at, personally, especially in an age where there was no expectation that it might grow to anything, because that was definitely not the norm at the time.
    • ncmncm 4y ago
      "Linux" was forced on him.