Titles can be found in many fields. Initially, they were primarily used by military and intelligence agencies, as well as pen names used by authors in literature for a long time.
However, these symbolic names are also widely used in the information technology industry, where projects and products are often given fictional names during the development phase.
Here as well, the purpose may be to keep important new developments secret from competitors and the public. However, if a specific term is used within the company, all involved know exactly what it means.
But IT terms do not always remain within a closed circle of participants – or should not. After all, unambiguous terms are particularly useful when searching the internet for information, products, operating systems, firmware, and much more.
For example, when Microsoft released its first major feature update of the year for the Windows 11 operating system in the spring, it included a unique kilobyte number like any other update.
If you want to know something about the feature update, you have to know the seven-digit KB number. The term “fifth moment” was much faster. And while Microsoft itself did not use it at all, it was clearly assigned to this update in the specialized press and online.
Each version of Android represents a delicious dessert
Sometimes, symbolic names take on a life of their own: when Google introduced its smartphone operating system over 15 years ago, the company gave the first version, Android 1.0, the name “Angel Cake.”
Naming subsequent versions after sweets became so popular that there were always speculations about the next version’s name long before its release. In the end, this was more exciting than a simple numbering system.
After the current version 15 (“Vanilla Ice Cream”), Android 16 will start with the letter W next year, but there is nothing known at the moment. Things will really get interesting with Android 19, as all first letters of the alphabet will have been used already.
Despite the delightful naming of sweets, there are different levels and sub-versions beneath the main Android versions.
Among other things, these considerations are important to provide the smartphone with specific ROM memory. In other words, an unofficial operating system version not released by the device manufacturer must still match the specific smartphone model.
While some unofficial labels initially developed a life of their own over time, the opposite is also true. You only learn the story behind them by chance. This happened to an author with a vague product name at first. We solve this at the end of the article.
Operating system: The code names behind Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Many versions of Windows have been and still are project names, but Microsoft does not have a system similar to Android. Moreover, it is unlikely that anyone cares about the symbols.
The word “Chicago” means Windows 95 operating system, “Memphis” means Windows 98 operating system, “Whistler” means XP operating system, and “Longhorn” means Vista operating system. Whistler is known as a place for skiing competitions since the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The fact that Longhorn refers to the Longhorn Bar in the Whistler ski resort falls under the category of useless knowledge. By the way, Windows 7 was also called “Windows 7” internally – and it wasn’t completely original.
“Redstone” for Windows 10 operating system became known to a wider audience too because the term remained unchanged for years.
The different versions can only be distinguished by four-digit numbers: the first two numbers indicate the year, and the last two numbers indicate the month of the release. For example, version 1709 was from September 2017.
As of 2019, Microsoft changed the naming convention again and gave each version a suffix like 19H1, 19H2, etc. for the first or second half of the year. At the same time, each version was given another unofficial name, this time according to chemical elements.
However, since Chrome follows Titanium and Vanadium in the periodic table, and Google had taken the name for a long time, Microsoft turned to the fictional metal “Vibranium” from Marvel comic stories.
The new codename “Sun Valley” was introduced with the Windows 11 operating system. If you want to shine on the regular gamers’ table: “Hudson Valley” is the name of the next Windows version.
One final note about Windows: While the Apollo American space program will not be forgotten, for reasons not least of which include a successful moon landing over 50 years ago, Windows Phone 8 is a different story, despite the matching codename.
Apple assigns symbolic names to almost all its devices, software, and services, and this also applies to iOS and Mac OS versions.
Wikipedia documents the terms in detail, but one should mention just one here: Mac OS X 10.2 – initially called “Jaguar” internally only – is the latest version of the Mac operating system without an additional official name.
From version 10.3 (“Panther”) to version 10.8 (“Mountain Lion”), predatory cats became an official part of the name.
Since version 10.9, they are now named after landmarks in California.
Ubuntu versions stand out among different Linux distributions.
Each version number comes with a symbolic name composed of an adjective and an animal name with the same initials: currently, version 24.04 LTS has the addition “Noble Numbat.”
As for the Chrome operating system? Since Google releases a new version of its laptop operating system every few weeks, they dispense with any additions and simply number them sequentially.
CPU names from AMD and Intel
You may have already come across the word “Lake” in relation to personal computer processors from Intel. Each of these terms refers to a processor generation and production technology, among other things.
Of course, you can also research this and all other information by assigning the exact model to each central processing unit, for example, Core i5-12600KF.
However, Intel – and the same applies to AMD – offer a range of processors that are almost impossible to keep track of and do not always name individual models logically.
Even experts sometimes find it difficult to keep track of them. The designations for an entire generation of central processing units make things easier. These names have become so common now that it is better to talk about family names rather than codenames.
Even Intel uses them in a vast product database.
These terms are useful for several reasons. Each generation of CPUs meets specific standards and specifications: they include Bluetooth generations, Wi-Fi, PCI Express, HDMI, Thunderbolt, RAM, and more.
As each processor determines a lot more than just computing power, choosing one generation over another is also important when buying a laptop or PC. The same applies when upgrading and replacing the motherboard or processor. And because a Google search for terms like “Tiger Lake” or “Raptor Lake” yields results quickly and more efficiently than searching for numbers and generations, these terms have taken on a life of their own here as well.
Without them, it would also be difficult to recognize the latest generation of processors online.
You can find detailed lists with the code names or family names of common x86 central processing units for personal computers on Wikipedia: here for AMD, and here for Intel. CPU-Z and Hwinfo tools also display hardware specifications.
Surprise model names for the Google Chromecast
We owe you solving an initially unclear product name mentioned at the beginning. After replacing the old Google Chromecast player with the current 4K model after many years, the question arose: What to do with the old model?
Initially, you needed to know the exact model. The model number NC2-6A5 printed on it quickly clarified that it was the second generation of the Chromecast device, released in 2015.
