This thread sparked my curiosity, so I did a quick google search. http://www.google.com/search?q=magic+cookie+origin Here's what I found: http://www.sls.lib.il.us/reference/por/features/97/cookies.html#cookieorig The leading theory seems to be that Netscape borrowed the term from the Unix "magic cookie", which is a type of authentication token for X windows. Netscape apparently says there was no real reason for it. I also found something called the "Cookie Monster", also a Unix cretin. This one was called the first computer virus and it replicated itself on magnetic tape which was then transfered between computers manually. http://www.lilli.com/cookie.html Then there's http://www.cookiecentral.com/ for all cookie related things. ME WANT COOKIE! -Bruce Judah wrote: > > > The thread about cookie files on thelist brought an old question to > mind. Why were the files called cookies? If I recall correctly, cookies > (originally called Magic Cookie?) were another Netscape invention, but I > can't find anything on their site about the origin of the term. Anybody > happen to know? > > Judah >