August 19th, 2008
Submit your best, new Microsoft codenames. Win a prize
As Labor Day approaches, it’s pretty quiet out there on the Microsoft news front. So what better time to launch a contest?
Being one of the keepers of a large and growing database of Microsoft codenames, I thought it might be fun to try to add to my collection. Here are the rules:
1. Submit to me via e-mail a new Microsoft codename that you either know or would like more information about. (You can remain anonymous if you’d like, but you do need a real e-mail address so that I can notify you if you win.) Send submissions to mjf [Shift2] microsofttracker.com.
2. I will post a new codename a day for one week, starting next week, on my blog. I won’t identify the submitter (unless you’d like to be mentioned by name). I’ll include any info I can find on what the codename is and how it fits into the Microsoft universe. Any hints or tips you can provide to guide me will earn you bonus points.
3. Anyone can submit: Softies, Microsoft partners, Microsoft customers, Microsoft rivals. You can submit multiple times if you’re bored and the spirit moves you.
4. Fake codenames will be frowned upon and senders of bogus codenames will be cursed with bad luck and this Microsoft watcher’s wrath for 13 years.
5. The “best” and most unusual codename (as judged by yours truly at the end of next week) will win. The prize? A free, autographed copy of Microsoft 2.0. I will ship it to any mailing address in the world that you designate. If you already have your copy, you can get one for a friend, a loved one or eBay….
I’m looking for new and as-yet undisclosed codenames. If you’re not sure whether something is new, you can always ask….
The first new codename will be posted on my blog on August 25. May the best codename wrangler win!
Update: Thanks for the great submissions that are coming in. Surprisingly, there are more than a few folks submitting codenames that they think Microsoft should consider when they are looking for new ones with which to christen forthcoming products. I don’t consider these wrath-worthy fakes, but they aren’t exactly what I’m looking for. So if you can, please try to tailor your submissions to current Microsoft codenames.
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