Why Midori?

Tag : fashion slipper

Midori crops up in Japanese placenames, and it is a relativelycommon girl's name. Here's where it becomes connotation-laden.Midori is a Japanese violinist, but another Midori is a "prominenthuman sexuality writer" and a third Midori is a porn actress. Thereis a Midori Snyder who writes fantasy novels, and a Midori Matsuowho is an aspirant underwear designer.
And most bizarrely, the codename midori has already apparently beenused in the technology field with a version of Linux and a WebKitbrowser.
It's all a big departure for a company that usually just stickswith placenames.
"Many of the Microsoft ones are named after mountains," says DanGrabham, computing editor of techradar.com. Chip firm Intel alsogoes for American placenames, he notes.
"If they choose a placename it is quite easy to remember, if it wasjust a number that might get confused. I haven't come across whereMidori is from. I would have guessed it was the Japaneseconnection."
Microsoft has had a particular fascination for the ski resort ofWhistler Blackcomb where it held "design retreats".
The project codenamed Whistler became Windows XP, Longhorn, namedafter a bar in Whistler, became Windows Vista, and the nextgeneration of Windows was codenamed Blackcomb, although thatchanged to Vienna and more recently to Windows 7.
Other Whistler-related codenames include Bobcat, Freestyle,Harmony, Cougar, Symphony, Emerald, and Springboard, variously thenames, of ski lifts, ski runs and "alpine bowls".
The codenames can give a hint of the ethos of the people behind theproduct.
Each version of the Ubuntu Linux system carries, as well as anumber, a name. So far they have included Breezy Badger, FeistyFawn and Gutsy Gibbon.
But exactly what Midori is really saying remains unclear.
Send us your comments using the form below.
In Zimbabwe "midori/midhori" is Shona plural for a doll - a child'stoy in the shape of a person or baby. This makes it a very funnyname here.
Martin M, Harare, Zimbabwe
Having spent the recent winter season in Whistler, I can onlywonder if the Microsoft's naming guru's thought of the "negativeconnotations" that the name "Longhorn" would lend to their project.A Sunday night spent at the bar of the same name was the locals'byword for the kind of drunken skiing holiday debauchery that takesplace there.
James Ranger, London, UK
Midori sounds very much similar to the Indian word "madari" whichmeans a monkey trainer.
Sam Albuquerque, London
Could be that the developers are Anime Otakus and love a characternamed Midori.
Alex, Toronto
It's obvious. Midori is a pun on "door" as Microsoft look toreplace Windows with Doors.
Dan Davies, London, UK
Don't forget about the excellent TV show "Ninja Warrior" that isfilmed on Japan's Mount Midoriyama. That ties in the mountain linkyou've noted with Microsoft names, and the show is quite popularwith the G4TV watching internet generation.
Ninja Warrior, Midoriyama, Japan
Maybe the choice of the name of an alcoholic drink comes from thenormal desire to blot out the pain of the first few weeks of a newMicrosoft operating system.
Mike, Exeter, UK
It could be worse - there's a similar liqueur to Midori, but madefrom bananas called Pisang Ambon.
Eddie, Edinburgh