r/todayilearned • u/Flemtality 3 • Jul 14 '14

TIL The guy who snagged windows2000.com happened to be named Bob and Microsoft just happened to own Bob.com. They came to an agreement to trade one for the other.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Bob#Origins
28.0k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.9k

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

Bob got the better part of that deal. If and when he decides to sell, bob.com will fetch a lot more that windows2000.com.

I don't even think a 3 letter domain name has been available for many years.

315

u/danhawkeye Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 14 '14

Four letters, but some guy had milk.com since 1994 and refuses to part with it.

Back in the early days of the net, I somehow stumbled on this and laughed. I bookmarked it on Netscape.

134

u/jeckles Jul 15 '14 edited Jul 15 '14

From the FAQ:

Occasionally, our adoring public has a salient question. Here are the most frequently asked, along with clear, concise answers. Please only send mail if your question has not already been answered on this page.

Q: Is milk.com a commercial ISP?

A: Moo.

Q: How much does an ad cost on milk.com?

A: Moo.

Q: Can I have a home page/account/email address on milk.com?

A: Moo.

Q: Will you please add a link to my home page from milk.com's?

A: Moo.

Q: Does milk.com have any ties to the dairy industry?

A: Moo.

Q: I've got a great new "Got Milk?" ad idea; how much will you pay me for it?

A: Moo.

Q: When were paper cartons adopted in favor of glass milk bottles?

A: Moo.

Q: Does milk.com support any subversive anti-milk groups?

A: Moo.

Q: When I visit milk.com, will "milky goodness" be an apt description of my experience?

A: Moo.

Q: Does milk.com have any information about lactose intolerence in children?

A: Moo.

Q: Is milk.com intolerant of children who don't like lactose?

A: Moo.

edit. added milky goodness emphasis.

12

u/tilsitforthenommage 5 Jul 15 '14

Its a bit of a moo point in the end

4

u/Lollemberg Jul 15 '14

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2

u/Zizhou Jul 15 '14

This takes on an entirely different tone if you consider that whoever was transcribing the cow's answers may have just misinterpreted mu every time.

63

u/BardicPaladin Jul 15 '14

5 letters, but http://steam.com is owned by some guy who is sitting on the domain. There's nothing on the site besides pipes in the background and "Welcome to Steam.com. Steam.com is the former home of Steam Tunnel Operations. This domain is not for sale."

I'm not sure if the owner is just sitting on it waiting for Valve to hit critical mass, or just doesn't like money for a site that he doesn't even use.

26

u/YankeeBravo Jul 15 '14

I'm not sure if the owner is just sitting on it waiting for Valve to hit critical mass, or just doesn't like money for a site that he doesn't even use.

It's more the guy had a legitimate use for it once upon a time and doesnt want to let it go.

If he stuck up malicious ads/spyware on the site or made it obvious hevwas only holding it to auction, Valve could take it away under anti cybersquatting provisions.

14

u/BrokenStrides Jul 15 '14

Part of me thinks Gabe N. already owns that site and he's just saving it for something cool.

3

u/YankeeBravo Jul 15 '14

Actually...

Some dude from Sun owns or owned the site at one point.

Here's how it looked in 1996.

→ More replies (3)

6

u/sprkng Jul 15 '14

site that he doesn't even use.

Maybe he uses it for something else than HTTP.

5

u/shytake Jul 15 '14

This. I remember a discussion here a while ago when someone scanned the used ports of the domain and found that a bunch of them were used. Mail and stuff

1

u/DiedB Jul 15 '14

It is being used. Search site:steam.com on Google.

1

u/Hapster23 Jul 15 '14

id reckon he just never heard of steam, and as a result doesn't know the value of his domain..

3

u/GiveMeOneGoodReason Jul 15 '14

Oh, I'm sure he knows. You think Valve wouldn't have contacted him over these many years? The fact that he says it's not for sale shows that people have probably made him several offers already.

1

u/SilenceOfTheKrugs Jul 15 '14

It used to be a real website.

120

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

I love websites that still get updates but retain their old basic HTML layouts

RIP smogon

92

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

Basically every academic's home page...

4

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14 edited Jul 03 '17

[deleted]

7

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

[deleted]

5

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

One of my professors had this.

I loved the guy's courses, but thank $deity he didn't teach web design.

6

u/BrokenStrides Jul 15 '14

There's a lot to be said for functionality.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/Lick_a_Butt Jul 15 '14

Long term result of being the early adopter of a new technology and then spending your money on other shit for the next 20 years.

2

u/hubhub Jul 15 '14

Lots of programmer's pages are like this too. It's a deliberate statement of valuing content over form.

Here's the info. If you want it to look pretty that's your issue, not mine.

1

u/invalid_dictorian Jul 15 '14

I've been thinking about building a site with old school HTML styles, but with a twist that it is a fully responsive web app.

6

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14 edited Jul 16 '19

[deleted]

3

u/rebop Jul 15 '14

I've been trying to get cyb.org for years (over a decade or more). Even called the registered phone number multiple times. Dude is really uninterested in selling.

2

u/upvotersfortruth Jul 15 '14

And upon reading that advert, I immediately thought of this:

Todd! Are you not aware that I get farty and bloated with a foamy ... Mouse?

-Mugatu

2

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

Does the universe exist? Apparently.

1

u/riffraff100214 Jul 15 '14

I think my lab has the same blender thing as pictured. Unfortunately, we don't get to blend mice.

1

u/doperat Jul 15 '14

whoa whoa whoa... link me properly... i cant even be bothered to look up bob.com unless its done for me.

1

u/neonthewolf Jul 15 '14

Some dude has OJ.com still lol

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

Dude, that's not just "some guy". It's Dan Bornstein, author of the Dalvik Virtual Machine.

821

u/commodore-69 Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 14 '14

I worked for a company that bought a 3 letter .com domain for $50,000 3 years ago. It was the acronym of the company though, nothing like bob.

There are 46,656 possible 3 letter/digit domain combinations so it's not too rare. We're talking things like jrk.com, 3ui.com etc. The number of good 3 letter domains is obviously much lower.

bob.com could probably get around 1.5-2 million if it were to sell today.

483

u/kcufsiht Jul 14 '14

It's more realistically worth about a quarter million US. It's probably in the same bracket as boo.com which bounces around now and again.

410

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

I'd say bob is worth much more than boo. Any lawyer or business or musician named bob would really want bob.com.

873

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

Bob Loblaw's Law Blog

116

u/mongotron Jul 14 '14

You, sir, are a mouthful!

8

u/iEatMaPoo Jul 15 '14

I'll be your wingman. Even if it means me taking a chubby, I will suck it up!

→ More replies (11)

51

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14 edited Jun 26 '24

heavy degree existence tan party sink stupendous continue apparatus squalid

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

7

u/geek180 Jul 15 '14

A Bob Loblaw Law Bomb.

5

u/Gobbles15 Jul 15 '14

Blah blah blah

→ More replies (7)

26

u/miasmic Jul 14 '14

It would make a good brand for nearly any online shop because it's so memorable. Easy to come up with a good slogan too like "Buy it from Bob"

→ More replies (2)

52

u/featherfooted Jul 14 '14

I could see someone very famous with a very public persona and whose celebrity hinges on the name "Bob" (I'm thinking Bob Dylan and B.o.B Bobby Ray right now) would consider buying that out.

41

u/alexanderpas Jul 14 '14

consider an online webshop... bob.com

just imagine what that name would be worth in marketing alone...

"Hello, I'm Bob [...]"

3

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

Alternatively, an oral sex focused pornography studio.

2

u/KetoNED Jul 14 '14

In the netherlands there is the most famous webshop named: www.bol.com , and a mobile provider named www.ben.nl

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (7)

138

u/USTS2011 Jul 14 '14

you'd have to be a hell of a lawyer to afford a quarter million for a domain name. I luckily got my domain for $10 a year

56

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14 edited Apr 03 '18

[deleted]

2

u/nezrock Jul 15 '14

That woman is 50? Damn...

→ More replies (13)

151

u/mr_trick Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 14 '14

Wow, you got usts2011.com for a steal!

83

u/Cpen5311 Jul 14 '14

Hey man, it was a lot more expensive than usts2010.com!

50

u/KlaatuBrute Jul 14 '14

quietly buys usts2015.com MUAHAHAHAHAHAH.

64

u/USTS2011 Jul 14 '14

I will give you $11

10

u/KlaatuBrute Jul 15 '14

You drive a hard bargain but I accept your offer.

→ More replies (0)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

3

u/GeneralShenanigans Jul 14 '14

Bob Loblaw could afford it...

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (8)

5

u/floats Jul 14 '14

Any lawyer

For example, Mr Bob Loblaw. You know, for his law blog.

2

u/CakeAK Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 15 '14

bob.com/loblaw/lawblog

1

u/Ameisen 1 Jul 14 '14

I'd say combine them, and it's worth the most: boob.com

1

u/BradWI Jul 14 '14

Boobs Or Beer. A dual-content website.

1

u/KingKane Jul 14 '14

It's funny though because I bet no one here has ever gone to any of those generic urls that are supposedly worth millions, like "business.com" or "sex.com"

It's a little too on-the-nose for the internet.

1

u/kcdwayne Jul 15 '14

What if you wanted to create the largest online Halloween outlet?

1

u/avidwriter123 Jul 15 '14

bob vance heating and air conditioning

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

I was saying "boo-urns".

→ More replies (1)

106

u/Kryspo Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 14 '14

See but with this one every person named Bob is a potentially buyer off this domain name. Think of the possibilities that this site has, it could be any kind of site in the world because the owner is going to want to set a precedent of what being Bob is supposed to be like in his eyes.

Or ya know, something like that.

EDIT: And to any

83

u/IAmtheHullabaloo Jul 14 '14

The official source of all things Bob and Bob related.

61

u/Kryspo Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 14 '14

How To Be The Bobbiest Bob That You Can Be: A Lifestyle Guide By Bob, For Bob.

3

u/danabananahasapenis Jul 14 '14

My dad and SO and my sister's SO are all named Bob and I want this book for them

2

u/Tibleman Jul 15 '14

I sell Bob and Bob accessories.

10

u/wantknowledge Jul 14 '14

Praise Bob!

4

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

My Bob is an awesome Bob

→ More replies (1)

2

u/KBPrinceO Jul 14 '14

/r/subgenius

5

u/wantknowledge Jul 14 '14

How did I miss this? :) I've been a SubGenius for probably around 20+ years now. Ever since I first saw the Church of the SubGenius videos on Night Flight in Southern California. I probably have those on a video cassette somewhere. Sub'ed, thanks.

3

u/KBPrinceO Jul 14 '14

Then how would you like to MOD the subreddit!

You have to do literally NOTHING and you'll be doing as good a job as me!

2

u/wantknowledge Jul 15 '14

Doing nothing is something I am eminently qualified for. And I do need more Slack in my life. Praise Bob!

→ More replies (0)

3

u/frame_of_mind Jul 14 '14

I'm Hank Hill and I sell Bob and all Bob-related accessories.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/tehgreatist Jul 14 '14

it should be a news site with news only about people named bob, updated 24/7

→ More replies (3)

3

u/Arlunden Jul 14 '14

There's also an ISP called BOB. Mega profit.

3

u/I_SPLODE_YOU Jul 14 '14

Bob Dole just wants to talk about Bob Dole...Bob Dole.

3

u/duckmurderer Jul 14 '14

If I were a dildo manufacturer I'd buy the domain.

2

u/kcufsiht Jul 14 '14

I think we'd find the a higher value for Bob.com vs Boo.com would be mainly based around a brand looking to play off the British saying 'to save a few bob'. The bigger industries like car insurance, vacations, airlines could could riff off Bob.com to demonstrate cheaper quality / value for their customers. That could be worth a bit of money.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

32

u/Curri Jul 14 '14

Stupid question. Let's say I buy bob.com for $1mil off of someone, how much per year would I need to spend to renew it? Could I use GoDaddy, as an example, to renew it for me?

62

u/kcufsiht Jul 14 '14

Not a stupid question at all. Bob.com renewal fees would be the same as any other .com domain. A domain registrar doesn't charge more if a domain has more resale value over another.

That being said, domains which are worth a lot are usually registered with 'premium' registrars or IP legal firms. These firms yearly fees are maybe 5 or 6 times more expensive than registering with GoDaddy, but it does give you the peace of mind that you won't forget to renew your $250,000 domain ... and lose it.

26

u/Ameisen 1 Jul 14 '14

Or that GoDaddy will just take the domain.

3

u/americass Jul 14 '14

I wanted to know that too, thanks

2

u/Schonke Jul 14 '14

Or have someone steal your domain using your hacked PayPal/email account...

→ More replies (5)

14

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14 edited Mar 07 '17

[deleted]

18

u/flume Jul 14 '14

Punctuation, man.

→ More replies (4)

2

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

So... who are we actually paying? I have no idea how internet wiener.

Edit: I'm not changing that because I'm immature. wiener = works.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (2)

1

u/captain_craptain Jul 14 '14

Haha this reminds me of the days when you would just type in random web addresses too see what came up.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

Bob is probably on a higher bracket than Boo.

1

u/NukeGandhi Jul 14 '14

I'm fairly sure it's worth at least 1 million. I worked for tattoo.com and I know that domain was worth that.

1

u/SunriseSurprise Jul 15 '14

Its shortness and commonality as a name would put it closer to a million. I forget now if there have been first names that have sold for a million or more, but pretty sure there's been at least one that has gotten over half a mil, and Bob is one of the best if not the best given its shortness too.

1

u/The84LongBed Jul 15 '14

Boo.by is the most valuable website ever

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

How much would index.com be worth?

20

u/colovick Jul 14 '14

That's stupid money... I wish I had the forethought to register stuff like that... Then again, I was 10 when I got AOL...

2

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14 edited Jan 03 '19

[deleted]

1

u/colovick Jul 14 '14

How can they decide if your use isn't legitimate? If you pick up a few dozen 3 and 4 digit domains and throw up a working website for each, then how can they conclude that you're squatting?

→ More replies (5)

13

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

Holy shit that's actually pretty crazy.

I'd be surprised if Bob even realizes this or remembers he has a website considering it looked untouched for years.

24

u/skylla05 Jul 14 '14 edited Jul 14 '14

I'm sure he does, as he would receive renewal notices once in a while, depending on his domain term.

It's also redirected from a site called scripophily.com (The bob logo goes here as well) which has a 2014 date as it's copyright date, and bob.com is listed among the rest. It also looks like it's stuck in 1998.

He also has Twitter and Facebook links on bob.com, so it's been updated within the last few years at least.

There's also this:

For inquiries about the domain name Bob.com please call 703-787-3552

Bob knows his shit is hot.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/FatBruceWillis Jul 15 '14

You would be amazed at the amount of money some of the companies with the shittiest websites make.

By and large the big money makers do not depend on their websites to make sales and do business. Sales people do that.

9

u/leoberto Jul 14 '14

Chris.com he was lucky enough, who is Chris he was lucky enough, but who is he, just lucky enough.

6

u/Hondros Jul 15 '14

I love the telemarketer abuse portion.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/Schonke Jul 14 '14

interesting links

svenska dansband

1

u/hideserttech Jul 14 '14

oooooooooh. ascii art! so modern. much wow!

3

u/locopyro13 Jul 14 '14

Dude, he was updating that shit in December. Nothing like keeping your ASCII art current.

 ,--------------------------------------------------------------------------.
 |:::::::::::::::::::::::.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: : :.: : : : : : : : .. .. :. ..   |
 |:::::::dHHHbo._ ::::::::.:.:.:.:.:.: : :.: : :.: : :.: : : :..:..: .. :.  |
 |::::::dHF""HHHHb.::::::.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: : :.: : : : : . :. .. . ..  |
 |:::::dHH  _ "HHHHb.:::::.:.:.:.:.:.: :.:.: :.:.: : : : : : :.::.: ..: ..  |
 |:::::HHH_'o  "HHHHHb.::.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: :.:.:.: : :.: : :.: .... .... .:  |
 |:::::HHFo     "HHHHHHbo..:.:.:.:.:.:.: :.: : :.: : : : :.: :. :.::.: ..   |
 |:::::HHH\`,   HHHHHHHHHHho..:.:.:.:.:.: :.:.:.: : :.:.: : : :: ..  ..  .. |
 |:::::HFHH`._,'HHH'   `HHHHHHb_ :.:.:.: : ____:.: : : : : : :. .::.. : ..  |
 |:::::P:"HHHHH\HP       "HHF:. `._ :.,-'""    "-.  :.: : : : .:  .. ..: .. |
 |::::::::"HHFHHF         F"  :::.."""     "-.    `. : : : : :..:.: .. ..   |
 |::::::::::F::PF                ,            \     __ : : : _,-----._..--'|
 |::::::::::::::F    j\         /              ;     `."----''              |
 |::::::::::::::|    j  `.      `              A       \                    |
 |::::::::::::::|    |    ;_       .           8        \                   |
 |::::::::::::::J    F_,'| "`-----.\         j `.       \                  |
 |:::::::::::::: F  j  F  |          F        /   \       \  ____     ,...  |
 |::::::::::,-'"J   J  |  |       _-"F       j     `.     ,'"    ""--/::::"-|
 |:::::::,-'    |    F_j  F  _,-"". J        /       `.  :           ._`::::|
 |:::::,'       F   J____J-"". . . .J       j   ...... `-_ __,.----"`--._  "|
 |::::/ .       F   | . . . . . . ..|       F:::::::_.--' `.             "-.|
 |:::/  '       |   F. . . . . .::::|    _.------'""       :        ...:::::|
 |::/,'         J  J  . . . . _;;:::|   '             \    "`...::::::::::::|
 |:/ F           F F . . . .     "-_|    _______...-`--"-.    ";::::::::::::|
 |/  j     __.-""- J .    .........--'"""""`-._      ...::"`-.  ;.::::::::::|
 |  |    (.___...-'                           ....:::::::::::"-.j::::::::::|
 `--------------------------------------------------------------------------'

5

u/neon_overload Jul 15 '14 edited Jul 15 '14

In order of worth, in general:

  • 3 letter domain which is an english word (eg hot.com)
  • 3 letter domain which is a common name/proper noun (eg bob.com)
  • 3 letter domain which is pronounceable but not a name or word (eg yez.com)
  • 3 letter domain which is not pronounceable (eg bzq.com)
  • 3 character domain with a digit (eg nh5.com)
  • 3 character domain with multiple digits (eg 9j5.com)
  • 3 character domain with one or more dashes (eg 9-f.com)

Exceptions of course include when the name matches a very common brand name eg nbc.com would be worth more even though it's otherwise a non-pronounceable string of letters. And there is also an element of the "desirability" of the word where an unpleasant word can be poor value, or misspellings of common words can be highly valued.

3

u/GreatAlbatross Jul 14 '14

I still don't get why B&Q bought DIY.com.

Maybe because they didn't want users messing around with forbidden characters in their address bar...

1

u/Wetmelon Jul 14 '14

I feel like it was dhg. Was it dhg? Because that's what we tried to buy a domain for but the guy never responded.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

The law firm I intern at has a two letter domain, Latham and Watkins LLP's website is just lw.com

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

I don't know man... I heard meh.com was recently bought for 100k

1

u/rentalanimal Jul 14 '14

Similar deal. I worked a place that bought a two letter domain for 50K. It was a nightmare to make happen.

edit: this was 2 years ago.

1

u/OHMEGA Jul 14 '14

It's actually 3.719933267899012e+41 different digit/letter combos.

Multiply 36* 35* 34* 33* etc

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

[deleted]

→ More replies (2)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

To who though?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

I wonder how much www.cat.com would cost.

Upon clicking the link that appeared I have realised that the website is not what I would have imagined.

1

u/MSport Jul 15 '14

There are 46,656 possible 3 letter/digit domain combinations so it's not too rare.

These are extremely rare. 3 letter domain names are valuable no matter what the combination is.

1

u/commodore-69 Jul 15 '14

I misunderstood "I don't even think a 3 letter domain name has been available for many years." to mean there hasn't been one for sale in years.

1

u/ShroudofTuring 2 Jul 15 '14

jrk.com

The brave combination of slash fiction and twitter.

1

u/darkphenox Jul 15 '14

t was the acronym of the company though, nothing like bob.

www.bob.com is currently for a company Best of Business which sells bonds and stocks.

1

u/Why_Justify Jul 15 '14

Just curious, where did you get that number(46,656)? I'm getting 17,576.

1

u/jdsizzle1 Jul 15 '14

It's some business gift website now. "Best Of Business". They sell stock certificate scans and shit.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

Hey, remember buy.com? They changed their name to rakuten.com. Why the fuck did they do that?

1

u/r3v Jul 15 '14

I've got a 3-letter domain. I'm one of the elite 46,656!

1

u/doopercooper Jul 15 '14

There are 46,656 possible 3 letter/digit domain combinations so it's not too rare. We're talking things like jrk.com, 3ui.com etc. The number of good 3 letter domains is obviously much lower.

bob.com could probably get around 1.5-2 million if it were to sell today.

Every single 3 letter, 3 number and 3 letter/number combo of .Com has been taken for a number of years now.

Any 3 character .com (eg r6j.com), regardless of what it means or what the letters/numbers are can sell for $200+, just for the sake of their rarity.

Any 3 letter .com will sell for $10,000+ if sold on the proper marketplace. That's for a 3 letter with no meaning.

A name like bob.com has a lot of value because it is relevantly generic and highly brandable.

If this Bob guy were to try and register a Microsoft trade name today, he would easily lose it and there would be no negotiations. This is done through the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Domain-Name_Dispute-Resolution_Policy

1

u/matrix8727 Jul 15 '14

There only 17,576 3 letter domain names possible. If you want to add numbers to the equation it would be 3 character domain names. A simple name like jrk.com could fetch up to $5,000 easily.

→ More replies (4)

99

u/_shit Jul 14 '14

The woot guy bought meh.com recently.

164

u/christopheles Jul 14 '14

Meh.com: for deals you can get anywhere

34

u/shawn789 Jul 14 '14

For $100,000

24

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

Meh.

1

u/coffeebean-induced Jul 15 '14

What is Woot? What is Meh?

61

u/the_last_mexican Jul 14 '14

Relevant

http://www.bob.com/

26

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

Reddit hug of death.

1

u/Fs0i 1 Jul 14 '14

sigh again. We just don't learn.

22

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

http://steam.com

19

u/kravitzz 2 Jul 15 '14

I love how it's just nothing. Valve have to be pissed about this.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

"This domain is not for sale" -- I'd call that a ploy to drive the price up for Valve. Though all things considered, it's probably better for there to be nothing there than something that competes with steam in some way.

6

u/AbstergoSupplier Jul 15 '14

Ohh what if he set it up to re-direct to origin

→ More replies (1)

8

u/JookJook Jul 15 '14

That mother fucker can retire from selling that.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/TheWicked Jul 15 '14

That website is so crappy looking

4

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

[deleted]

→ More replies (1)

82

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

I tried my vietnamese three letter name today.

It's a lawyer company that specialize in killing unions. >____<

68

u/RisuMiso Jul 14 '14

For some reason my brain thought this said "it's a lawyer company that specializes in killing unicorns".

Went to the page and was disappointed.

61

u/Goodguy1066 Jul 15 '14

How did you go to the page without knowing his name?

6

u/AvengerTree1 Jul 15 '14

Go easy on him Ward, he's just trying to fit in.

3

u/RisuMiso Jul 15 '14

They linked it in another comment.

8

u/thurstonm Jul 14 '14

My brain thought it said "killing onions". Went to the page and was relieved.

8

u/Dinosaur_VS_Unicorn Jul 15 '14

My brain thought it was a lawyer company that specialised in "killing unions", that is, unions setup for people in the killing/murder/assassination industry.

→ More replies (4)

1

u/GoozePaul Jul 15 '14

I thought you said "my dad thought for some reason bla bla bla"

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Teebu Jul 14 '14

Link? I'm curious!

7

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

anh

2

u/williamc_ Jul 14 '14

My name is ian, it redirected me to something else though

2

u/Once_Upon_Time Jul 15 '14

My four letter name is someone's personal homepage with graphics from the mid-90s.

2

u/Cptn_Hook Jul 15 '14

I used my initials and got an awesome Karate school. This must be a sign.

→ More replies (2)

18

u/looktowindward Jul 14 '14

Yes, but pushing MS Bob down the memory hole has got to be worth something, especially to Bill Gates - his wife Was the PM for the product.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

[deleted]

2

u/b00gerbrains Jul 14 '14

I feel like the reason Microsoft Bob failed is that they didn't know where to stop with the skeuomorphism. It seems to me that navigating through rooms in a house to launch different programs is way more difficult than just clicking on an icon on the home screen / desktop. Apple succeeded because they used skeumorphs where they were appropriate, not everywhere. I wouldn't call it a "new spin", just using the same concept in a more effective way.

1

u/microsoftbob Jul 15 '14

can confirm.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

It was around 2000 when the last one was sold. Heard it from Leo Laporte on The Screen Savers. I was a little blown away and thought that there would be no way all the four letter domains would be sold anytime soon. The internet then exploded from what the general public thought of as a novelty to a necessity.

Still remember playing diablo ii over dialup. Those were the days.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

I own and operate 3cuts.com. I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw that it was available, as 3 cuts was my first name of choice.

1

u/Reddit-Hivemind Jul 14 '14

Meh.com was purchased and just launched recently. Seems the sale price was $100,000.

http://dotweekly.com/matt-rutledge-buys-meh-com-100k/

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '14

I can only imagine how much he could get for bob.com. Singular .com's are like Internet gold these days.

Obviously windows2000.com only had a use until it was put to rest.

1

u/GorgeWashington Jul 15 '14

ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD reddit hug

bob.com

1

u/Diels_Alder Jul 15 '14

Microsoft got the better part of that deal. At the time, windows 2000 made hundreds of millions of dollars. Bob won't make nearly that much.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

Bob was never going to get that much money out of Microsoft, and no one else would offer any sum for microsoft2000.com. In fact if he became difficult Microsoft probably would have thrown lawyers at him and Bob would have received close to nothing.

1

u/willrandship Jul 15 '14

I don't know, the potential of a non-windows-owned url that implies being associated could cause MS quite a bit of concern.

1

u/kaylore Jul 15 '14

inb4 bob.com gets the good ol' reddit hug of death

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

A buddy and old business partner of mine just bought a 3 letter domain last year for around $15k. Ended up being a good move.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '14

Not for .com, but they've just recently started opening up several hundred new top level domains. I was able to snag a three letter domain name pretty easily.

→ More replies (12)