Microsoft big Deal!

[Shane]

Hi,
In school today I found out something that I had never heard of before.. I dont know if you have already but..

Back in I think 2000, Microsoft swapped Bob.com for Windows2000.com!

Surely this must be their worse sale ever?!?!?!

Wish I could have a swap like that lol

 

[owntype]

I have read it somewhere at NP a few months ago.

I wish you the very best of luck! :kickass:

 

[Shane]

Ah didnt know it had already been posted.

LOL @ the luck

 

[htmlindex]

I didn't know about that either, why can't this ever happen to me?

 

[raghav_romil]

I am sure that microsoft was happy but i am just wondering who made that trade with bob.com ..bet windows2000.com could have been in $$ xx,xxx . .

lucky microsoft.

 

[-REECE-]

Nowadays you'd be lucky to find yourself not sued for owning something along the lines of Windows2000.com!

I heard about this sale years ago, but I never have heard the reason why Microsoft registered Bob.com :?

 

[accent]

You are right - and I had not thought of that. Why on earth would they have Bob? Bill, yes, Paul even - but Bob?

As for Windows2000, if it was regged before windows 95 came out - or if it was in use for a house window company it would be hard to take away.

Along similar lines is the tale of the young man who just happened to be named Mike Rowe. He registered MikeRoweSoft.com - I think MS gave him an X-box for it ----- but that is now not the end of the story -----

Last week I saw an ad for Hewett Packard computers ---- Starring Mike Rowe!!!!! His name was featured, I think it was something like "What does Mike Rowe like?" It was a flash or Gif with him holding up chalkboards with stuff written on them. I guess the story is well known enough for HP to think people would recognize him.

 

[-REECE-]

The Mike Rowe story actually made it's way all the way up to Winnipeg, Canada where it was printed in our major newspaper - The Winnipeg Free Press awhile back -- pretty neat

If memory serves me correctly, he ended up with a free ride to an Ivy League uni largely thanks to his legal battle with Microsoft?

Microsoft has so many interesting stories...

I'd really love to know why they regged Bob.com.

You are right - and I had not thought of that. Why on earth would they have Bob? Bill, yes, Paul even - but Bob?

As for Windows2000, if it was regged before windows 95 came out - or if it was in use for a house window company it would be hard to take away.

Along similar lines is the tale of the young man who just happened to be named Mike Rowe. He registered MikeRoweSoft.com - I think MS gave him an X-box for it ----- but that is now not the end of the story -----

Last week I saw an ad for Hewett Packard computers ---- Starring Mike Rowe!!!!! His name was featured, I think it was something like "What does Mike Rowe like?" It was a flash or Gif with him holding up chalkboards with stuff written on them. I guess the story is well known enough for HP to think people would recognize him.

 

[athletec64]

lol @ microsoft. Even though it was a bad deal, it probably is negligible to them.

 

[Earthian]

don't know why Microsoft regged bob.com , but Bob (Kerstein) is the name of the person that owned Windows2000.com




since there is the usage of real "windows" or "windows of the future" (windows 2000) maybe it wasn't easy for Microoft to sue for the domain ... also the trade happened many years ago and the high value of short domains or first name domains was not known




the person who owns bob.com has tons of other nice domains as well as a business at scripophily.com




he tried to auction bob.com on eBay about a year ago ... it went up to about a million but I think it did not sell at the end


​

 

[Michael]

I'm sure they were better off owning Windows2000.com than they would have been owning a mid $xxx,xxx domain not related to their business. If they sold an extra 1,000 copies of Windows because they owned that domain then it was totally worth it. Not to mention at the time Bob.com was probably worth low $x,xxx.

 

[Kate]

m$ owns quite a lot of domain names like do.com but they don't DO anything with them

 

[BorderPatrol]

Nowadays you'd be lucky to find yourself not sued for owning something along the lines of Windows2000.com!

I heard about this sale years ago, but I never have heard the reason why Microsoft registered Bob.com :?

Why it was for the best operating system ever created, Microsoft Bob!
Learn about this glorious operating system here!
http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html




.

 

[cache]

ibob.com was auction only $5k at tdnam not long ago.

 

[accent]

Give the guy an Xbox or a college education = Good PR
Sue a teenager over his own name = Terrible PR

Microsoft understood this.

 

[Hurley4540]

These are both good names but Microsoft wanted their own company name over a LLL.com

I heard about this sale years ago, but I never have heard the reason why Microsoft registered Bob.com :?

What reason would you have for registering Bob.com other than making money.... Microsoft knew this was a great domain and thats why they registered/bought it.... :sold:

 

[namenut]

LOL .... could it be we were going to see BOB the OS?

Actually I might think this was the asking price by the previous owner of windows2000. The guy may have said He wanted bob[]com and MS procured it to trade.

I wonder how long MS had bob before trading it?

 

[rocka]

I don't get the latest two posts...
haven't you read the whole thread? BorderPatrol posted a link as to why MS had the domain Bob.com.

Well, in early 1995 Microsoft released a software program called "Bob" designed to replace the desktop of Windows 3.1 and 95 with an interface designed mainly for novice users.

Here's the link again:

http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html

 

[Shane]

Microsoft Bob was the program used before Microsoft Agent.