Naming your macs

All my macs have names!

BTW, you might want to be specific one what kind of name you want. What kind of feeling do you want to come up in your mind when you look at the machine and say it's name? Something that expresses power? something that makes it knowledgeable?

I generally give my Computers japanese names that give them either power, or along the side of "Flowing water" or Haruna = "Cherry blossom" or something like "gentle river".

it depends also on whether it is a pc or a mac I am naming. My new Machine I am getting doesn't have one yet, but as soon as I boot it up, it speaks it's name to me. That's when I will name it...

i always name mine by the apple codename. ie yosemite, gossamier, omega ect ect

For years now, I've been using Middle-Earth continents (Aman, Valinor, etc.) or buildings (Minas-Ithil, Minas-Anor) or even rivers (Ered-Luin) as names for my machines, and other M-E locations as names for hard drives (Rhovanion, Sirion, Eressëa, etc.), and I just can't seem to run out of names for stuff.

Recently I discovered some other sys admin(s) at the university has been doing something similar with dns... fanghorn and rivendell, for instance, are included in the names of two of the mail servers, and the CS labs used to all be Tolkienized, too (but, alas, I think their using a fruit theme in the labs now (banana, strawberry, etc). I have a feeling this is going on at lots of universities.

I user snooty french words from a cooking books glossary, pick whatever means something to you, that will help make the computer more personal, can't really help with that without knowing you.

You might find this thread helpful. Computer Names

I also name my telescopes and my cars (my 1986 Chevy Celebrity "Enid" has just been written off, by the way...).

Rob

The only computer I have that has a "name" is Stan the Beige G3MT.

All the others get called something like G5, Wallstreet, Yikes, Pismo, Sawtooth, 'book, (The powerbook 180) etc

my main Mac (a 667 DVI TiBook) is called 'scruffy' for obvious reasons (it's quite scruffy in fact.)

Most other Macs get called by something functional (like 'quicksilver' or 'Pismo 400 #2'), mostly because I have so many Macs it would get crazy trying to ID stuff based on an arbitrary name.

edit
Yeah, we did this topic before, but it's always interesting to see if any new thoughts have popped up since. Heh, in my case I see nothing has changed since the last time.
/edit

dan k

When I started naming my computers, they were astronomical (my PS/2 Model 50z with Kingston 486SLC upgrade was "Ganymede", for instance). When I picked up my first Mac (really, an Apple Lisa 2... which I kick myself repeatedly for ever letting go), I named it, err, "Lesa" (after a friend). My first real Mac, a Performa 578, was named "Sophie", simply because it was such a nice, friendly computer. Then my second round of Macs started coming around. The first of that group was my Portable, "Galatea". While this is somewhat astronomical (one of Neptune's moons), I was thinking the Greek myth of Galatea, the statue made by Pygmalion that was brought to life by Aphrodite (later, my first 6100/66 AV). This was appropo, since I received the Portable as a box full of parts. Incidentally, she is still running. Galatea was followed by the first of my AV Macs, my Centris 660AV, "Atalanta", from the legend of the golden apples (don't think too hard, folks).
My PowerBooks were named after characters from the Arthurian cycle; of these, I currently own "Excalibur" (540c), "Morgana" (5300c) and "Gwynyffar" (another 5300c).
My iBook is just "Tang"; I liked it, it's a Tangarine, it's cute. No naming scheme there.
"Sophia" was "Sophie's" replacement, a 5260/100 AV.
The eMates have "e" names; eLaine (the sister of the Lady of the Lake and Lancelot's wife in the Arthurian stories) and eUropa (one of Jupiter's moons).
Finally, we come to my two latest Macs, my twin G3 B&W's. These are named after blue stars in the Pleiades, "Alcyone" and "Maia". Incidentally, as a moving present, I was gifted with an HP Pavilion N5150 laptop, and it too has been named after a star in that cluster, "Taygeta", but it is a replacement for my long lost "Pleione" (Toshiba Satellite).
My naming schemes might not make sense to most, but for me, it is far easier to refer to "Alcyone" in my journals than "G3 B&W #1".

Peace,
Rob

I name my computers pretty simple, boring, systematic names. Usually they are descriptive of the actual machine, with a few exceptions.

My wife and I both have iBooks, so to keep them straight on our home network, they're named "Donna's iBook" and "CW's iBook," respectively. My old iBook was renamed "iBook 700" after I set up the new one.

Others on my network carry such innovative names as:

• PowerBook G3
• Yikes G4
• BlueWhite 1
• BlueWhite 2
• PowerMac 6500
• Tangerine iMac
• Strawberry iMac
• Pbook 5300ce
• Pbook 5300cs
• Beige G3
• Basement PC (the only Windoze machine in my network)

Probably the most imaginitive computer name on my network is that of an iMac I pieced together from parts of a Bondi, a Strawberry, a Blueberry, and a Lime: I call it "Frankenberry."

"Loathrom"

For some reason, this just sounds like a kick-@** name. It just screamed to me in my head and said "PowerBook G4" in it's own way

***-***-***
**EDIT: An even cooler sounding name would be "Loathorn"**
***-***-***

It certainly is! My Powerbook is named Vertussi, my Mac Mini is named Glenda, my Treo 700 is named Mu-Tron, and my Newton is named Pinot. I'll have to start thinking up names for a Macbook Pro... I liked Vertussi so much that my Powerbook G4 stole the name from my old Powerbook G3, but it's not really fair to do that again.

I name my devices after dictators. My PC is Fidel Castro, my dead 3G iPod was Lenin, my Nano that replaced it is Lenin Deux, my two thumb drives are Stalin, and Mussolini. The only rebel is my PB 1400c, who's name is Spinner.

o.O Naming your things after dictators? That sounds almost like a bad thing. I also wouldn't name ANYTHING Apple after a dictator above all things. Especially when we are supposed to be the underdog!

I dunno...it just seems fitting. I got the idea off a guy here, who named his systems after Russian cities...

*drum roll please*..........
"Maki Tsukira"

And that's it for tonights show, thank you for coming...

i names my Beige G3 AIO

TALON AIO

My daughter is named after a fairly neutral Alpine city...

It certainly is! My Powerbook is named Vertussi, my Mac Mini is named Glenda, my Treo 700 is named Mu-Tron...(snipped)

My PDA's are named as well... my Palm IIIxe is Xerxes, my Palm Professional is Darius (historically, the father of Xerxes). But my ex-wife was named Glenda as well. Tell me... is your Mini prone to sleeping in late, not cleaning up after itself, moody behavior and surfing to Osmond Family related websites for hours on end? Curious minds and all...

I dunno...it just seems fitting. I got the idea off a guy here, who named his systems after Russian cities...

Guilty as charged.

It confuses the hell out of anyone who tries to get onto my Wireless network when a) the SSID is in Cyrillic, and b) so is the password.

Just for fun, here's my list:
Quicksilver G4: Chernobyl (cause that thing gets HOT!)
iBook G4: Czarskoe Selo
iPod Mini 4GB: Kremlin
Compaq Athlon 64: Novogorod
HP Kayak XU: Moscow
Dell Dimension PIII (dumpster Dell): Perm

The drives within each machine are named after famous streets within each city (Kremlinsky Prospekt, Leningradsky Prospekt, etc.).

Cheers,

The Czar

Nope, the worst it throws at me is the wireless mouse randomly not working. That's what I get for buying a Kensington ultra desktop package thing instead of a good wired keyboard and Logitech MX1000, though.

As silly as it sounds, I base my computer's names on movies and TV. My iBooks never really had names (they didn't really speak to me enough for me to give them one), but my other machines have in recent years. My aluminum PowerBook G4 was Ace Rimmer (this machine started out life as a 15" 1.0 ghz, and was upped to a 1.5 ghz through a new logic board), and my current MacBook is called, quite simply "The Doctor" (in a feeble attempt to compare a dual core chip to a binary vascular system). My fiancee's iBook is called Elvis, and my backup server/bittorrent box is "K-9". So far, we're coming up on K-9 Mk. IV, as I-III have come and gone (thorugh selling and upgrading), so it may be time to find a new name for the bittorrent/backup box.

I'm going to be getting an all original, unmolested 8600/300 from work in the next few days, and am debating on whether to upgrade it with firewire/usb cards, and make it my dedicated bittorrent box (cpu, ram, video, and usb/fw card upgrades will be in order to get OS X on it via Xpostfacto). Perhaps that machine will be a better fit for the K-9 name than any of the iMacs that the name has graced in the past.

(updated sorta since the previous thread:)

My Blue and White G3 Server: Leviathan
My WinXP box (shudder:) RagnarokXP
My PowerBook 1400c/G3: Rusty Dragon (used to be Dragonbook, until I started using a desktop picture featuring a, you guessed it, rusty dragon)
The Omnibook that replaced it: (Died in the Great Tea Spillage Incident of 2006 without ever having gotten named)
The Old 533 Celery I Used to Use w/Win2K: Methos (which became Methos GT when I overclocked it, stuck some more RAM in and slapped the "GT" emblem from my old Celica on the front of it)

Absolutely.

I guess I tend to pick names more situationally, and not use any real scheme. This iBook G4 is "madhatter" just because. My bittorrent/ workbench box (dual amd server) is "mainframe." My old P4 laptop (fast when I bought it) is "Apollo." My honkin' big IBM xServer 250 is "little laura" (as my network is called lauranet). The rest of my macs, as the question was about Macs, are not on the network- and so not named yet. As they make it into the fold, they'll get a name. So the se/30 will probably be something that sounds old and crusty but still friendly, like "Columbo." What to name my DEC 4000 AXP?

A 17" G4 Powerbook? Hmmmmm. Davros?

mike

I think you're all crazy

i just use model numbers
like M5343: my lombard

Well Mac people think Different. So you might apply"I think your all crazy" to Mac people in general. However that is my humble opinion and for all I know it might apply intirely to me
Macsane

I name all my hard drives. They're all named after AIs from Bungie games. My iMac is named Cortana, my iBook is Durandal, I've got a thumb drive named Tycho, and my two external hard drives are named 343 Guilty Spark and 2401 Penitent Tangent. When I get a new Intel iMac, it'll probably be named Leela. (I'll be keeping my iMac G4, so I can't just recycle its name.)

My friend Mo's G4 cube is named Wilson (after Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys). My former roommates' Macs were named InsomniMac and... um, I forget the other one.

So yeah, we "still" do that to our Macs!

LOL
I'm sorry, but I just had to get in on this. I have been sitting here reading about all the names that folks have been using for their computers, when it dawned on me that I have never named one before.

I have named each one of my vehicles when I bought them, but never on of my computers.

You all have inspired me. I just bought a brand new, still in the original box, never been opened PowerBook 5300cs and I have figured out what I'll call it...

"Doctor Detroit"

Steven

You know, for years I named all my Macs after Wombles, and when I ran out of them, Muppets and occasionally Fraggles. Considering the naming ritual in the Womble stories involves Great Uncle Bulgaria randomly stabbing at an atlas, they're all named after geographical features anyway, so it's a bit recursive.

My MacBook Pro is called "Powermacintoshinbook" and my iBook clamshell is called "Powerbookintosh". The 12" Powerbook is called WeeBook and my iPod is called "StuPod". Aside from those, the rest are referred to by what they are.

I've never officially named my computers, but on many occasions I have called them names, but nothing repeatable here.

Number one rule: Let the mood take over and it will name itself. When I got my new imac g4 it was just so cool (and white) that it was "Ice" it was soon joined by "Snow" the eMac.

When the graphite clam shell came in the house, I could tell right away it was "Blacktop"

When my pair of g3 AIO's came out of the boxes I knew they could be no other than Pinky (233 with just a little memory) and Brain (now with RAID, G4, DVD and as much memory has it can hold)

All my *nix machines have been rockers -- AcidQueen, BabaORiely, UncleEarnie, Boris, DrJimmy.

And once, when I worked for a man named Dodge, I had to setup a computer lab on the frontier of interactive television. So out of the west came "Dodge City" consisting of paired servers Jessie/Frank, Cole/Jim and Bob/Charlie.

Number two rule: Unlike with people, don't show disrespect to your old friends by using the same name twice.