HOW THEY NAMED

 

 

Accenture

Accent on the Future. Greater-than ‘accent’ over the logo’s t points forward towards the future. The name Accenture was proposed by a company employee in Norway’s part of an internal name finding process (Brand Storming). Prior to January 1, 2001 the company was called Andersen Consulting.

 

Adidas

From the name of the founder Adolf (Adi) Dassler.

 

Adobe

Came from name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the houses of founders John Warnock and Chuck Geschke.

 

Amazon.com

Founder Jeff Bezos renamed the company to Amazon (from the earlier name of Cadabra.com) after the world’s most voluminous river, the Amazon. He saw the potential for a larger volume of sales in an online bookstore as opposed to the then prevalent bookstores. (Alternative: It is said that Jeff Bezos named his book store Amazon simply to cash in on the popularity of Yahoo at the time. Yahoo listed entries alphabetically, and thus Amazon would always appear above its competitors in the relevant categories it was listed in.)

 

AMD

Advanced Micro Devices.

 

Apache

The name was chosen from respect for the Native American Indian tribe of Apache (Indé), well-known for their superior skills in warfare strategy and their inexhaustible endurance. Secondarily and more popularly (though incorrectly) accepted, it’s considered a cute name that stuck: its founders got started by applying patches to code written for NCSA’s http daemon. The result was ‘a patchy’ server — thus the name Apache.

 

Apple

For the favorite fruit of co-founder Steve Jobs and/or for the time he worked at an apple orchard. He was three months late in filing a name for the business, and he threatened to call his company Apple Computer if his colleagues didn’t suggest a better name by 5 p.m. Apple’s Macintosh is named after a popular variety of apple sold in the US. Apple also wanted to distance itself from the cold, unapproachable, complicated imagery created by the other computer companies at the time had names like IBM, NEC, DEC, ADPAC, Cincom, Dylakor, Input, Integral Systems, SAP, PSDI, Sync sort and Tesseract. The new company sought to reverse the entrenched view of computers in order to get people to use them at home. They looked for a name that was unlike the names of traditional computer companies, a name that also supported a brand positioning strategy that was to be perceived as simple, warm, human, approachable and different. Note: Apple had to get approval from the Beatle’s Apple Corps to use the name ‘Apple’ and paid a one-time royalty of $100,000 to McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., a maker of high-end audio equipment, to use the derivative name ‘Macintosh’, known now as just ‘Mac’.

 

AT&T

American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation officially changed its name to AT&T in the 1990s.

 

BBC

Stands for British Broadcasting Corporation.

 

BenQ

Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to life

 

Blaupunkt

Blaupunkt (Blue dot) was founded in 1923 under the name Ideal. Their core business was the manufacturing of headphones. If the headphones came through quality tests, the company would give the headphones a blue dot. The headphones quickly became known as the blue dots or blaue Punkte. The quality symbol would become a trademark, and the trademark would become the company name in 1938.

 

BMW

Abbreviation of Bayerische Motored Werke (Bavarian Motor Factories)

 

BP

Formerly British Petroleum, now “BP” (The slogan “Beyond Petroleum” has incorrectly been taken to refer to the company’s new name following its rebranding effort in 2000).

Bridgestone

Named after founder Shojiro Ishibashi. The surname Ishibashi (??) means “stone bridge”, i.e. “bridge of stone”.

 

Bull

Companies’ des machines Bull was founded in Paris to exploit the patents for punched card machines taken out by a Norwegian engineer, Fredrik Rosing Bull.

 

Cadillac

Cadillac was named after the 18th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe , sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, Michigan. Cadillac is a small town in the South of France.

Canon

Originally (1933) Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory the new name (1935) derived from the name of the company’s first camera, the Kwannon, in turn named after the Japanese name of the Buddhist bodhisattva of mercy.

 

Cisco

short for San Francisco. It has also been suggested that it was “CIS-co” — Computer Information Services was the department at StanfordUniversitythat the founders worked in.

 

COBRA

Computadores Brasileiros, “Brazilian Computers”, electronics and services company, was the first state-owned designer and producer of computers in the 1970s, later acquired by the Banco do Brasil.

 

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola’s name is derived from the coca leaves and kola nuts used as flavoring. Coca-Cola creator John S. Pemberton changed the ‘K’ of kola to ‘C’ for the name to look better.

 

Colgate-Palmolive

formed from a merger of soap manufacturers Colgate & Company and Palmolive-Peet. Peet was dropped in 1953. Colgate was named after William Colgate, an English immigrant, who set up a starch, soap and candle business in New York City in 1806. Palmolive was named for the two oils (Palm and Olive) used in its manufacture.

 

Compaq

from “comp” for computer, and “pack” to denote a small integral object; or: Compatibility And Quality; or: from the company’s first product, the very compact Compaq Portable.

 

Comsat

an American digital telecommunications and satellite company, founded during the President Kennedy era to develop the technology. Contraction of Communications Satellites.

 

Dell

named after its founder, Michael Dell. The company changed its name from Dell Computer in 2003.

 

DHL

the company was founded by Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom , and Robert Lynn , whose last initials form the company’s moniker.

 

eBay

Pierre Omidyar, who had created the Auction Web trading website, had formed a web consulting concern called Echo Bay Technology Group. ” Echo Bay” didn’t refer to the town in Nevada, the nature area close to Lake Mead, or any real place. “It just sounded cool,” Omidyar reportedly said. When he tried to register EchoBay.com, though, he found that Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company, had gotten it first. So, Omidyar registered what (at the time) he thought was the second best name: eBay.com.

 

Epson

Epson Seiko Corporation, the Japanese printer and peripheral manufacturer, was named from “Son of Electronic Printer”

 

Fanta

Was originally invented by Max Keith in Germany in 1940 when World War II made it difficult to get the Coca-Cola syrup to Nazi Germany. Fanta was originally made from byproducts of cheese and jam production. The name comes from the German word for imagination (Fantasie or Phantasie), because the inventors thought that imagination was needed to taste oranges from the strange mix.

 

Fazer

named after its founder, Karl Fazer.

 

Fiat

acronym of Fabbrica Italiana Automobile Torino (Italian Factory of Cars of Turin).

 

Fuji

from the highest Japanese mountain Mount Fuji.

 

Google

the name is an intentional misspelling of the word googol, reflecting the company’s mission to organize the immense amount of information available online.

 

Haier

Chinese ? “sea” and ? (a transliteration character; also means “you” in Literary Chinese)

 

HP

Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the company they founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett.

 

Hitachi

old place name, literally “sunrise”

 

Honda

from the name of its founder, Soichiro Honda

 

Hotmail

Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail via the web from a computer anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the business plan for the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending in ‘mail’ and finally settled for Hotmail as it included the letters “HTML” - the markup language used to write web pages. It was initially referred to as Hot Mail with selective upper casing. (If you click on Hotmail’s ‘mail’ tab, you will still find “Hot Mail” in the URL.)

 

HSBC

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

 

Hyundai

connotes the sense of “the present age” or “modernity” in Korean.

 

IBM

named by Tom Watson, an ex-employee of National Cash Register. To one-up them in all respects, he called his company International Business Machines.

 

ICL

abbreviation for International Computers Ltd, once the UK’s largest computer company, but now a service arm of Fujitsu, of Japan.

 

IKON

copier company name derived from I Know One Name.

 

Intel

Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore initially incorporated their company as N M Electronics. Someone suggested Moore Noyce Electronics but it sounded too close to “more noise” — not a good choice for an electronics company! Later, Integrated Electronics was proposed but it had been taken by somebody else. Then, using initial syllables from Integrated Electronics, Noyce and Moore came up with Intel. To avoid potential conflicts with other companies of similar names, Intel purchased the name rights for $15,000 from a company called Intelco. (Source: Intel 15 Years Corporate Anniversary Brochure)

 

Interland

a web hosting provider formally known as Micron Computer, Inc. which was named either after InternetLandor the combination of the largest acquisition it performed, Interliant with the word Land.

 

Kawasaki

from the name of its founder, Shozo Kawasaki

 

Kodak

Both the Kodak camera and the name were the invention of founder George Eastman . The letter “K” was a favourite with Eastman; he felt it a strong and incisive letter. He tried out various combinations of words starting and ending with “K”. He saw three advantages in the name. It had the merits of a trademark word, would not be mis-pronounced and the name did not resemble anything in the art. There is a misconception that the name was chosen because of its similarity to the sound produced by the shutter of the camera.

 

Konica

it was earlier known as Konishiroku Kogaku. Konishiroku in turn is the short for Konishiya Rokubeiten which was the first name of the company established by Rokusaburo Sugiura in the 1850s.

LG

Combination of two popular Korean brands Lucky and Gold star. (In Mexico publicists explained the name change to the public as an abbreviation to Línea Gold star Spanish for Gold star Line)

 

L’Oreal(L’Oréal)

In 1907, Eugène Schueller, a young French chemist, developed an innovative hair-color formula. He called his improved hair dye Auréole.

 

Lotus Software

Mitch Kapor got the name for his company from ‘The Lotus Position’ or ‘Padmasana’. Kapor used to be a teacher of Transcendental Meditation technique as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

 

Mazda Motor

from the company’s first president, Jujiro Matsuda . In Japanese, no syllables are ever stressed and some inner syllables are virtually skipped. Thus, Matsuda is pronounced “Matsda”. To make the name fly better outside of Japan, the spelling was changed to Mazda.

 

McDonald’s

from the name of the brothers Dick McDonald and Mac McDonald, who founded the first McDonald ’s restaurant in 1940.

 

Mercedes

This is the first name of the daughter of Emil Jellinek, who worked for the early Daimler company around 1900.

 

Microsoft

coined by Bill Gates to represent the company that was devoted to MICROcomputer SOFTware. Originally christened Micro-Soft, the ‘-’ was removed later on.

 

Mitsubishi

The name Mitsubishi (??) has two parts: mitsu means three and hishi (changing to bishi in the middle of the word) means water chestnut, and from here rhombus, which is reflected in the company’s logo.

 

Motorola

Founder Paul Galvin came up with this name when his company (at the time, Galvin Manufacturing Company) started manufacturing radios for cars. Many audio equipment makers of the era used the ” ola” ending for their products, most famously the “Victrola” phonograph made by the Victor Talking Machine Company. The name was meant to convey the idea of “sound” and “motion”. The name became so recognized that the company later adopted it as the company name.

 

Mozilla Foundation

from the name of the web-browser that preceded Netscape Navigator. When Marc Andreesen , founder of Netscape, created a browser to replace the Mosaic browser, it was internally named Mozilla (Mosaic-Killer, Godzilla) by Jamie Zawinski.

 

MRF

Madras Rubber Factory, founded by K M Mammen Mappillai in 1946. He started with a toy balloon-manufacturing unit at Tiruvottiyur, Chennai (then called Madras). In 1952, he began manufacturing tread-rubber, and in 1961, tyres.

 

Nero

Nero Burning ROM named after Nero burning Rome.

 

Netscape

named by first marketing employee Greg Sands, in a panic when the University of Illinois threatened to sue the new company for its original name, Mosaic. Netscape then paid Lander $50,000 to design a logo.

 

Nike

named for the Greek goddess of victory.

 

Nikon

the original name was Nippon Kogaku, meaning “Japanese Optical”.

 

Nissan

the company was earlier known by the name Nippon Sangyo which means “Japanese industry”.

 

Nokia

started as a wood-pulp mill, the company expanded into producing rubber products in the Finnish city of Nokia. The company later adopted the city’s name.

 

Nortel

The Nortel Networks name came from Nortel (Northern Telecom) and Bay Networks. The company was originally spun off from the Bell Telephone Company of Canada Ltd in 1895 as Northern Electric and Manufacturing, and traded as Northern Electric from 1914 to 1976.

 

Novartis

after the Latin expression “novae artes” which means something like “new skills”.

 

Oracle

Larry Ellison, Ed Oates and Bob Miner were working on a consulting project for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The code name for the project was Oracle (the CIA saw this as the system to give answers to all questions or some such). The project was designed to help use the newly written SQL database language from IBM. The project eventually was terminated but they decided to finish what they started and bring it to the world. They kept the name Oracle and created the RDBMS engine. Later they changed the name of the company, Relational Technology Inc, to the name of the product.

 

Pepsi

Pepsi derives its name from (treatment of) dyspepsia, an intestinal ailment.

 

Philips

Royal Philips Electronics was founded in 1891, by brothers Gerard (the engineer) and Anton (the entrepreneur) Philips .

 

Qantas

From its original name, Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services.

 

Red Hat

Company founder Marc Ewing was given the Cornell lacrosse team cap (with red and white stripes) while at college by his grandfather. People would turn to him to solve their problems, and he was referred to as ‘that guy in the red hat’. He lost the cap and had to search for it desperately. The manual of the beta version of Red Hat Linux had an appeal to readers to return his Red Hat if found by anyone.

 

Reebok

another spelling of rhebok (Pelea capreolus), an African antelope.

Samsung

meaning three stars in Korean.

 

SAP

“Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing”, formerly “SystemAnalyse und Programmentwicklung” (German for “System analysis and program development”), formed by 4 ex- IBM employees who used to work in the ‘Systems/Applications/Projects’ group of IBM.

 

SEGA

“Service Games of Japan” (SeGa) Founded by Marty Bromley (an American) to import pinball games to Japan for use on American military bases.

 

Sharp

Japanese consumer electronics company named from its first product, an ever-sharp pencil.

 

Shell

Royal Dutch Shell was established in 1907, when the Royal Netherlands Petrol Society Plc. and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd. merged. The Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd. had been established at the end of the 19th century, by commercial firm Samuel & Co (founded in 1830). Samuel & Co were already successfully importing Japanese shells when they set up an oil company, so the oil company was named after the shells Samuel & Co were importing.

 

Siemens

founded in 1847 by Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske: the company was originally called Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske.

 

Sprint

from its parent company, Southern Pacific Railroad Internal Communications. Back in the day, pipelines and railroad tracks were the cheapest place to lay communications lines, as the right-of-way was already leased or owned.

 

Sun Microsystems

its founders designed their first workstation in their dorm at Stanford University, and chose the name Stanford University Network for their product, hoping to sell it to the college. They didn’t.

 

Suzuki

from the name of its founder, Michio Suzuki

 

Tesco

Founder Jack Cohen, who from 1919 sold groceries in the markets of the London East End, acquired a large shipment of tea from T. E. Stock well and made new labels by using the first three letters of the supplier’s name and the first two letters of his surname forming the word “TESCO”.

 

Toshiba

was founded by the merger of consumer goods company Tokyo Denki (Tokyo Electric Co) and electrical firm Shibaura Seisaku-sho (Shibaura Engineering Works).

 

Toyota

from the founder’s name Sakichi Toyoda. Initially called Toyeda, it was changed after a contest for a better-sounding name. The new name was written in katakana with eight strokes, a number that is considered lucky in Japan.

 

Unisys

made-up name for the company that resulted from the combination of two old mainframe computer companies, Burroughs and Sperry [Sperry Univac/Sperry Rand]. It “united” two incompatible ranges. Unisys was briefly the world’s second-largest computer company, after IBM.

 

Verizon

A portmanteau of veritas (Latin for truth) and horizon.

 

Vodafone

is a multinational mobile phone operator with headquarters in the United Kingdom. Its name is made up of VOice, DAta, TeleFONE. Vodafone made the UK’s first mobile call at a few minutes past midnight on the 1 January 1985.

 

Volvo

From the Latin word “Volvo”, which means “I roll”. It was originally a name for a ball bearing being developed by SKF.

 

Xerox

The inventor, Chestor Carlson, named his product trying to say `dry’ (as it was dry copying, markedly different from the then prevailing wet copying). The Greek root `xer’ means dry.

 

Yahoo!

a “backronym” for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle. The word Yahoo was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book Gulliver’s Travels. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance action and is barely human. Yahoo! founders David Filo and Jerry Yang selected the name because they jokingly considered themselves yahoos

And he gave her "INFOSYS"

 

"How INFOSYS Was Born" 

- by Sudha Murthy *

 

This is written by Sudha Murthy, wife of Infosys Chairman Narayanamurthy, in Ananda Vikatan newsletter), about her life and the story of how Infosys was born... its goes like this from the proverbial horse's mouth... It was in Pune that I met Narayan Murty through my friend Prasanna who is now the Wipro chief, who was also training in Telco. Most of the books that Prasanna lent me had Murty's name on them, which meant that I had a preconceived image of the man. Contrary to expectations, Murty was shy, bespectacled and an introvert. When he invited us for dinner, I was a bit taken aback as I thought the young man was making a very fast move. I refused since I was the only girl in the group. But Murty was relentless and we all decided to meet for dinner the next day at 7.30p.m.At Green Fields hotel on the Main Road, Pune. The next day I went there at 7 o'clocksince I had to go to the tailor near the hotel. And what do I see? Mr. Murty waiting in front of the hotel and it was only seven. Till today, Murty maintains that I had mentioned (consciously!) that I would be going to the tailor at 7 so that I could meet him... And I maintain that I did not say any such thing consciously or unconsciously because I did not think of Murty as anything other than a friend at that stage. We have agreed to disagree on this matter. Soon, we became friends. Our conversations were filled with Murty's experiences abroad and the books that he has read. My friends insisted that Murty was trying to impress me because he was interested in me. I kept denying it till one fine day, after dinner Murty said I want to tell you something. I knew this was it. It was coming. He said, "I am 5'4" tall. I come from a lower middle class family. I can never become rich in my life and I can never give you any riches. You are beautiful, bright, and intelligent and you can get anyone you want. But will you marry me?" I asked Murty to give me some time for an answer. My father didn't want me to marry a wannabe politician, (a communist at that) who didn't have a steady job and wanted to build an orphanage... When I went to Hubli I told my parents about Murty and his proposal. My mother was positive since Murty was also from Karnataka, seemed intelligent and came from a good family. But my father asked: What's his job, his salary, his Qualifications etc? Murty was working as a research assistant and was earning less than me. He was willing to go Dutch with me on our outings. My parents agreed to meet Murty in Pune on a particular day at 9 a.m.sharp. Murty did not turn up. How can I trust a man to take care of my daughter if he cannot keep an appointment, asked my father. At 12 noon, Murty turned up in a bright red shirt! He had gone on work to Bombay, was stuck in a traffic jam on the ghats, so he hired a taxi (though it was very expensive for him) to meet his would-be father-in-law. Father was unimpressed. My father asked him what he wanted to become in life. Murty said he wanted to become a politician in the communist party and wanted to open an orphanage. My father gave his verdict. NO. I don't want my daughter to marry somebody who wants to become a communist and then open an orphanage when he himself doesn't have money to support his family. Ironically, today, I have opened many orphanages, something, which Murty wanted to do 25 years ago. By this time, I realized I had developed a liking towards Murty, which could only be termed as love. I wanted to marry Murty because he is an honest man. He proposed to me highlighting the negatives in his life. I promised my father that I would not marry Murty without his blessings though at the same time, I cannot marry anybody else.

(Left to right) Sudha Murthy, N R Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani, a journalist at Bombay magazine before their wedding, at a picnic near Bangalore in the early 1980s.

 

My father said he would agree if Murty promised to take up a steady job. But Murty refused saying he will not do things in life because somebody wanted him to. So, I was caught between the two most important people in my life.

The stalemate continued for three years during which our courtship took us to every restaurant and cinema hall in Pune. In those days, Murty was always broke. Moreover, he didn't earn much to manage. Ironically today, he manages Infosys Technologies Ltd.; one of the worlds's most reputed companies. He always owed me money. We used to go for dinner and he would say, I don't have money with me, you pay my share, and I will return it to you later. For three years I maintained a book on Murty's debt to me. No, he never returned the money and I finally tore it up after my wedding. The amount was a little over Rs. 4,000/-.

During this interim period, Murty quit his job as research assistant and started his own software business. Now, I had to pay his salary too! Towards the late 70s computers were entering Indiain a big way. During the fag end of 1977, Murty decided to take up a job as General Manager at Patni Computers in Bombay. But before he joined the company, he wanted to marry me since he was to go on training to the USafter joining. My father gave in as he was happy Murty had a decent job now.

We were married in Murty's house in Bangaloreon February 10, 1978with only our two families present. I got my first silk sari. The wedding expenses came to only Rs. 800/- (US $ 17) with Murty and I pooling in Rs. 400/- each. 

I went to the USwith Murty after marriage. Murty encouraged me to see Americaon my own because I loved traveling. I toured Americafor three months on backpack and had interesting experiences, which will remain fresh in my mind forever. Like the time when I was taken into custody by the New Yorkpolice because they thought I was an Italian trafficking drugs in Harlem. Or the time when I spent the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyonwith an old couple. Murty panicked because he couldn't get a response from my hotel room even at midnight. He thought I was either killed or kidnapped.

In 1981Murty wanted to start Infosys. He had a vision and zero capital...

Initially, I was very apprehensive about Murty getting into business. We did not have any business background. Moreover, we were living a comfortable life in Bombaywith a regular paycheck and I didn't want to rock the boat. But Murty was passionate about creating good quality software. I decided to support him. Typical of Murty, he just had a dream and no money. So I Gave him Rs 10,000/- that I had saved for a rainy day, without his knowledge and told him, this is all I have. Take it. I give you three years sabbatical leave. I will take care of the financial needs of our house. You go and chase your dreams without any worry. But you have only three years!

Murty and his six colleagues started Infosys in 1981, with enormous interest and hard work. In 1982, I left Telco and moved to Pune with Murty.

Infosys founders (Left to right): Nandan Nilekani, S Gopalakrishnan, N R Narayana Murthy, K Dinesh, N S Raghavan and S D Shibulal.

 

We bought a small house on loan, which also became the Infosys office. I was a clerk-cum-cook-cum-programmer. I also took up a job as Senior Systems Analyst with Watchband group of Industries to support the house.

In 1983, Infosys got their first client, MICO, in Bangalore. Murty moved to Bangaloreand stayed with his mother while I went to Hubli to deliver my second child, Roan. Ten days after my son was born, Murty left for the USon project work. I saw him only after a year, as I was unable to join Murty in the USbecause my son had infantile eczema, an allergy to vaccinations. So for more than a year, I did not step outside our home for fear of my son contracting an infection. It was only after Roan got all his vaccinations that I came to Bangalorewhere we rented a small house in Jayanagar and rented another house as Infosys headquarters. My father presented Murty a scooter to commute. I once again became a cook, programmer, clerk, and secretary, office assistant et al. Nandan Nilekani (MD of Infosys) and his wife Rohini stayed with us. While Rohini babysat my son, I wrote programmes for Infosys. There was no car, no phone, just two kids and a bunch of us working hard, juggling our lives and having fun while Infosys was taking shape. It was not only me but the wives of other partners too who gave their unstinted support.

The buildings at Bangalore Infosys are not only futuristic, but have also been a trail blazer for other private companies.

Murty made it very clear that it would either be me or him working at Infosys. Never the two of us together. I was involved with Infosys initially. Nandan Nilekani suggested I should be on the Board but Murty said he did not want a husband and wife team at Infosys. I was shocked since I had the relevant experience and technical qualifications. He said, Sudha if you want to work with Infosys, I will withdraw, happily. I was pained to know that I will not be involved in the company my husband was building and that I would have to give up a job that I am qualified to do and love doing. It took me a couple of days to grasp the reason behind Murty's request.

I realized that to make Infosys a success one had to give one's 100 percent. One had to be focused on it alone with no other distractions. If the two of us had to give 100 percent to Infosys, then what would happen to our home and our children? One of us had to take care of our home while the other took care of Infosys. I opted to be a homemaker, after all Infosys was Murty's dream. It was a big sacrifice but it was one that had to be made. Even today, Murty says, "Sudha, I stepped on your career to make mine. You are responsible for my success." I might have given up my career for my husband's sake. But that does not make me a doormat. Many think that I have been made the sacrificial lamb at Narayan Murty's altar of success.

A few women journalists have even accused me of setting a wrong example by giving up my dreams to make my husbands a reality. Isn't freedom about living your life the way you want it? What is right for one person might be wrong for another. It is up to the individual to make a choice that is effective in her life. I feel that when a woman gives up her right to choose for herself is when she crosses over from being an individual to doormat.

Murty's dreams encompassed not only himself but also a generation of people. It was about founding something worthy, exemplary and honorable. It was about creation and distribution of wealth. His dreams were grander than my career plans, in all aspects. So, when I had to choose between Murty's career and mine, I opted for what I thought was a right choice. We had a home and two little children. Measles, mumps, fractures, PTA meetings, wants and needs of growing children do not care much for grandiose dreams. They just needed to be attended to. Somebody had to take care of it all. Somebody had to stay back to create a home base that would be fertile for healthy growth, happiness, and more dreams to dream.

I became that somebody willingly. I can confidently say that if I had had a dream like Infosys, Murty would have given me his unstinted support. The roles would have been reversed. We are not bound by the archaic rules of marriage. I cook for him but I don't wait up to serve dinner like a traditional wife. So, he has no hassles about heating up the food and having his dinner. He does not intrude into my time especially when I am writing my novels. He does not interfere in my work at the Infosys Foundation and I don't interfere with the running of Infosys.

I teach Computer Science to MBA and MCA students at Christ college for a few hours every week and I earn around Rs 50,000 a year. I value this financial independence greatly though there is no need for me to pursue a teaching career. Murty respects that. I travel all over the world without Murty because he hates traveling. We trust each other implicitly.

We have another understanding too. While he earns the money, I spend it, mostly through the charity. Philanthropy is a profession and an art. The Infosys Foundation was born in 1997 with the sole objective of uplifting the less-privileged sections of society. In the past three years we have built hospitals, orphanages, rehabilitation centres, school buildings, science centers and more than 3500 libraries.

Our work is mainly in the rural areas amongst women and children. I am one of the trustees and our activities span six states including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Orissa, Chandigarhand Maharashtra. I travel to around 800 villages constantly. Infosys Foundation has a minimal staff of three trustees and three office members. We all work very hard to achieve our goals and that is the reason why Infosys Foundation has a distinct identity. Every year we donate around Rs 5-6 crore (Rs 50 - 60 million). We run Infosys Foundation the way Murty runs Infosys - in a professional and scientific way. Philanthropy is a profession and an art. It can be used or misused.

We slowly want to increase the donations and we dream of a time when Infosys Foundation could donate large amounts of money. Every year we receive more than 10, 000 applications for donations. Everyday, I receive more than 120 calls. Amongst these, there are those who genuinely need help and there are hood winkers too. I receive letters asking me to donate Rs. Five lakh to someone because five lakh is, like peanuts to Infosys. Some people write to us asking for free Infosys shares. Over the years I have learnt to differentiate the wheat from the chaff, though I still give a patient hearing to all the cases.

Sometimes, I feel I have lost the ability to trust people. I have become shrewder to avoid being conned. It saddens me to realize that even as a person is talking to me I try to analyse them: Has he come here for any donation? Why is he praising my work or enquiring about my health, does he wants some money from me? Eight out of ten times I am right. They do want my money. But I feel bad for the other two whom I suspected. I think that is the price that I have to pay for the position that I am in now.

The greatest difficulty in having money is teaching your children the value of it and trying to keep them on a straight line. Bringing up children in a moneyed atmosphere is a difficult task.

Even today, I think twice if I have to spend Rs. 10/- on an auto when I can walk up to my house. I cannot expect my children to do the same. They have seen money from the time they were born. But we can lead by example. When they see Murty wash his own plate after eating and clean the two toilets in the house everyday, they realize that no work is demeaning irrespective of how rich you are. I don't have a maid at home because I don't see the need for one. When children see both parents working hard, living a simple life, most of the time they tend to follow. This doesn't mean we expect our children to live an austere life. My children buy what they want and go where they want but they have to follow certain rules.

They will have to show me a bill for whatever they buy. My daughter can buy five new outfits but she has to give away five old ones. My son can go out with his friends for lunch or dinner but if he wants to go to a five star hotel, we discourage it. Or we accompany him. So far my children haven't given me any heartbreak. They are good children. My eldest daughter is studying abroad, whereas my son is studying in Bangalore. They don't use their father's name in vain. If asked, they only say that his name is Murty and that he works for Infosys. They don't want to be recognized and appreciated because of their father or me but for themselves. I don't feel guilty about having money for we have worked hard for it. But I don't feel comfortable flaunting it.

It is a conscious decision on our part to live a simple, so-called middle class life. We live in the same two-bedroom, sparsely furnished house we had before Infosys became a success. Our only extravagance is buying books and CDs. My house has no lockers for I have no jewels. I wear a stone earring, which I bought in Bombay for Rs. 100/-. I don't even wear my mangalsutra until i attend some family functions or I am with my mother-in-law. I am not fond of jewellery or saris. Five years ago, I went to Kashi where tradition demands that you give up something and I gave up shopping.

I still have the same sofa at home, which my daughter wants to change. However, we have indulged ourselves with each one having their own music system and computer. I don't carry a purse and neither does Murty most of the time. I do tell him to keep some small change with him but he doesn't. I borrow money from my secretary or my driver if I need cash. They know my habit so they always carry extra cash with them. But I settle the accounts every evening. Murty and I are very comfortable with our lifestyle and we don't see the need to change it now that we have money.

Murty and I are two opposites that complement each other... Murty is sensitive and romantic in his own way. He always gifts me books addressed as "From Me to You", or "To the person I most admire", etc. We both love books. We are both complete opposites. I am an extrovert and he is an introvert. I love watching movies and listening to classical music. Murty loves listening to English classical music. I go out for movies with my students and secretary every other week. I am still young at heart. I really enjoyed watching "Kaho Na Pyaar Hai" and I am a Hrithik Roshan fan. It has been more than 20 years since Murty and I went for a movie. My daughter once gave us a surprise by booking tickets for Titanic. Since I had a prior engagement that day, Murty went for the movie with his secretary Pandu. I love traveling whereas Murty loves spending time at home.

Family (Left to Right) Narayana Murthy, His wife Sudha Murthy, daughter Akshata Murthy and a son Rohan Murty

But that doesn't mean I don't have true friends. I do have genuine friends, a handful, who have been with me for a very long time. My equation with these people has not changed and vice versa. I am also very close to Narayan Murty's family, especially my sister-in-law Kamala Murty, a schoolteacher, who is more of a dear friend to me. I have discovered that these are the few relationships and friendships that don't fluctuate depending on the price of Infosys shares.

Have I lost my identity as a woman, in Murty's shadow? No. I might be Mrs. Narayan Murty. I might be Akshata and Rohan's mother. I might be the trustee of Infosys Foundation. But I am still Sudha. I play different roles like all women. That doesn't mean we don't have our own identity.

Women have that extra quality of adaptability and learn to fit into different shoes. But we are our own selves still. And we have to exact our freedom by making the right choices in our lives, dictated by us and not by the world.

Useful Run Commands - This is really help full..

In the spirit of trying to be helpful, first of all, if something is in a box you don't know how to open, and it takes some research to find out how to get in, it's as such to protect you, there might be something in there that can hurt you, research the contents BEFORE you go inside i.e.. msconfig, msconfig, regedit, etc. My opinion is that many will crash their systems(seen it happen too often, and don't expect sympathy from your pc tech), clicking on things is just too easy. These utilities are for advanced users, so become advanced before you burn your fingers, just read a little more. Another thing is that when u take advice from someone who posts that you don't know, don't try it until u get a second opinion, the primary cause of security/integrety breakdown on a system is the user. As for defragging everyday? Needless, unless you r a gamer and u r in second place, once a week I think will suffice. Good luck all,

To Access…. Run Commands You Know one and Only Place is Run Window.

Go there by Start –> Run  or  Win + R

 
Device Manager / Add Hardware Wizard
hdwwiz.cpl
 
Add/Remove Programs
appwiz.cpl
 
Administrative Tools
control admintools
 
Adobe Acrobat (if installed) 
acrobat 
 
Adobe Photoshop (if installed) 
photoshop 
 
Bluetooth Transfer Wizard
fsquirt
 
Calculator
calc
 
Certificate Manager
certmgr.msc
 
Character Map
charmap
 
Check Disk Utility
chkdsk
 
Command Prompt
cmd
 
Component Services
dcomcnfg
 
Computer Management
compmgmt.msc
 
Control Panel 
control 
 
Date and Time Properties
timedate.cpl
 
Device Manager
devmgmt.msc
 
Direct X Control Panel (If Installed)*
directx.cpl
 
Direct X Troubleshooter
dxdiag
 
Disk Cleanup Utility
cleanmgr
 
Disk Defragment
dfrg.msc
 
Disk Management
diskmgmt.msc
 
Disk Partition Manager
diskpart
 
Display Properties
desk.cpl
 
Display Properties (w/Appearance Tab Preselected)
control color
 
Driver Verifier Utility
verifier
 
Event Viewer
eventvwr.msc
 
Files and Settings Transfer Tool 
migwiz 
 
File Signature Verification Tool
sigverif
 
Firefox (if installed) 
firefox 
 
Folders Properties
control folders
 
Fonts
control fonts
 
Fonts Folder
fonts

Game Controllers
joy.cpl

Iexpress Wizard (this Wizard help Create a Self-extracting / self installing package)
iexpress

Internet Explorer 
iexplore 
 
Internet Properties
inetcpl.cpl
 
IP Configuration (Display Connection Configuration) ipconfig /all 

IP Configuration (Display DNS Cache Contents) ipconfig /displaydns

IP Configuration (Delete DNS Cache Contents) ipconfig /flushdns

IP Configuration (Release All Connections) ipconfig /release

IP Configuration (Renew All Connections) ipconfig /renew

IP Configuration (Refreshes DHCP & Re-Registers DNS) ipconfig /registerdns

IP Configuration (Display DHCP Class ID) ipconfig /showclassid

IP Configuration (Modifies DHCP Class ID) ipconfig /setclassid

Java Control Panel (If Installed)
jpicpl32/64.cpl
 
Java Control Panel (If Installed)
javaws
 
Keyboard Properties
control keyboard

Local Users and Groups
lusrmgr.msc
 
Logs You Out Of Windows
logoff
 
Malicious Software Removal Tool 
mrt 
 
Microsoft Access (if installed) 
access.cpl 
 
Microsoft Chat (Work in Xp)
winchat
 
Microsoft Excel (if installed) 
excel 
 
Microsoft Frontpage (if installed) 
frontpg 
 
Microsoft Movie Maker 
moviemk 
 
Microsoft Paint 
mspaint 
 
Microsoft Powerpoint (if installed) 
powerpnt 
 
Microsoft Word (if installed) 
winword 
 
Microsoft Syncronization Tool 
mobsync 
 
Mouse Properties
control mouse
 
Mouse Properties
main.cpl
 
Nero (if installed) 
nero 
 
Netmeeting  (in XP)
conf 
 
Network Connections
control netconnections
 
Network Connections
ncpa.cpl
 
Notepad
notepad

Nview Desktop Manager (If Installed)
nvtuicpl.cpl
 
On Screen Keyboard
osk
 
Opens AC3 Filter (If Installed)
ac3filter.cpl
 
Outlook Express 
msimn 
 
Paint 
pbrush 
 
Performance Monitor
perfmon.msc
 
Performance Monitor
perfmon
 
Phone and Modem Options
telephon.cpl
 
Phone Dialer 
dialer 

Power Configuration
powercfg.cpl
 
Printers and Faxes
control printers
 
Printers Folder
printers
 
Private Character Editor
eudcedit
 
Quicktime (If Installed)
QuickTime.cpl
 
Quicktime Player (if installed) 
quicktimeplayer 
 
Real Player (if installed) 
realplay 
 
Regional Settings
intl.cpl
 
Registry Editor
regedit

Remote Access Phonebook 
rasphone 
 
Remote Desktop
mstsc
 
Removable Storage
ntmsmgr.msc
 
Scheduled Tasks
control schedtasks
 
Security Center
wscui.cpl
 
Services
services.msc
 
Shared Folders
fsmgmt.msc
 
Shuts Down Windows
shutdown
 
Sounds and Audio
mmsys.cpl

SQL Client Configuration
cliconfg
 
System Configuration Utility
msconfig
 
System File Checker Utility (Scan Immediately)
sfc /scannow

System File Checker Utility (Scan Once At Next Boot)
sfc /scanonce

System File Checker Utility (Scan On Every Boot)
sfc /scanboot

System File Checker Utility (Return to Default Setting)
sfc /revert

System File Checker Utility (Purge File Cache)
sfc /purgecache

System File Checker Utility (Set Cache Size to size x)
sfc /cachesize=x
 
System Information 
msinfo32 
 
System Properties
sysdm.cpl
 
Task Manager
taskmgr
 
TCP Tester 
tcptest 
 
Telnet Client
telnet
 
Tweak UI (if installed) 
tweakui 
 
User Account / Control Password
control userpasswords2

Utility Manager
utilman
 
Windows Address Book 
wab 
 
Windows Address Book Import Utility  
wabmig 
 
Windows Backup Utility (if installed) 
ntbackup 
 
Windows Explorer 
explorer 
 
Windows Firewall
firewall.cpl
 
Windows Magnifier
magnify
 
Windows Management Infrastructure
wmimgmt.msc
 
Windows Media Player 
wmplayer 
 
Windows Messenger 
msmsgs 
 
Windows Picture Import Wizard (need camera or Scanner connected) 
wiaacmgr 
 
Windows System Security Tool
syskey
 
Windows Update Launches
wupdmgr
 
Windows Version (to show which version of windows) 
winver 
 
Wordpad
write

 

Something Interesting that very Help full.

• When you want to run a command such as ipconfig /all

you can run it as one statement from the run window. You don't need to open a command prompt and the typ it. Add a /k to cmd (cmd /k )swtich.
It tells cmd to add the command to the DOS window. Very much like a pipe |.

Command from Winkey R -- cmd /k then command.

Example: (winkey R)-->Run window-->

cmd /k ipconfig /all
----------
Or try
------
cmd /k ipconfig /displaydns
MSConfig

• To get System Properties dialog box, hold WINKEY PAUSE/BREAK Key

• taskkill and tasklist are cool, as administrator they can be used to kill applications running on other machines, or to monitor if people are using software not allowed by company policy.
• Schtasks can be used to start processes, but it's not quite as easy to use from a command line.

 

• Registry Shortcuts and Class IDs, CLSID, in Run DI

you can basically run any shortcut and Class ID, CLSID, found in the Windows Registry in the Run dialog box. For example, I needed to open My Network Places of which the Class ID, CLSID is

{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}

in the Windows registry so at the Run dialog you should type

::{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}

Notice the two colons before the Class ID. Make sure you use them.

To find relevant CLSIDs open Run, Windows Key -> r, and type regedit. Navigate to -> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersio nexplorer and browse for your relevant CLSIDs. My Network Places can be found at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersio nexplorerDesktop.

Run shortcut to the Recycle Bin. The CLSID for the Recycle Bin is ->

{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} so open Run, Windows Key -> r, and enter

::{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} to get the Recycle Bin. Don't forget those colons at the start.

Some useful CLSIDs are ->
Briefcase {85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D}
Desktop {00021400-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Control Panel {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
Dial-Up Networking {992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48}
Fonts {BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}
Inbox {00020D76-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
The Internet {FBF23B42-E3F0-101B-8488-00AA003E56F8}
My Computer {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Network Neighborhood {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Printers {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Recycle Bin {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
The Microsoft Network {00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
Url History Folder {FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}

Enjoy.

• How can send message to another computer on local network by using run command

net send computer message

Where "computer" is either the name of your computer, or the internal IP Address of the computer on your LAN (such as 192.168.x.x), and "message" is the message you wish to send.

 
Example: net send 192.168.1.1 THIS IS MY MESSAGE!
This command requires the Message service to be enabled and started on the computer from which you are sending the message and the computer receiving the message. To do this, just open the run command type in "services.msc",scroll down to the "Messenger" service and enable it and set it to automatic.

You can also do this by creating a batch file, either one where you can type in the name of the computer, or one which you have a predefined computer.
If you want to be able to type in which computer you will send the message to, make the

batch file:
@echo off:
:A
echo MESSENGER
set /p n=User:
set /p m=Message:
net send %n% %m%
Pause
Goto A

If you want to have a predefined computer, make the batch file:
@echo off:
:A
echo MESSENGER
set /p m=Message:
net send xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx %m%
Goto A

Where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is either the IP Address or the computer name! Using the information above, you should be able to also make a batch file with a predefined message!

Good luck, 

 

What is it in "msconfig"

msconfig checks the programs in your computer when it boots up. If you stop a program in msconfig your computer won't check to see if it's working properly. You need to stop programs from running in Services. To get to Services, right click on the My Computer icon on your desktop -> Manage –> Services and Applications (in the right hand side) -> Services (in the left hand side). You can turn them off or you can change them from Automatic to Manual. If you disable some of the services, you will prevent other programs from running that depend upon that service, so be careful. After you push and type in msconfig and press OK, be sure to click the Selective Start-up.

radio button before you click on the startup tab.

Selective Startup radio button is the third one down on the GENERAL tab when System

Configuration Utility first opens.

The first radio button says "Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services"
The second radio button says "Diagnostic Startup - load basic devices and services only"
The third radio button (the one you want) says "Selective Startup" be sure to put the dot in the third one (selective startup) and then click on the Startup tab at the top.

There are six tabs at the top: 1.General, 2.SYSTEM,INI, 3.WIN.INI, 4.BOOT.INI, 5.Services, 6.Startup.
The one you want is 6. Startup
When the startup window opens you can see and select or deselect the programs that start with windows.

 

ABC To Achieve Your Dreams

 

To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABC's

A-void negative sources, people, places, things and habits

B-elieve in yourself

C-onsider things from every angle

D-on't give up and don't give in

E-njoy life today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come

F-amily and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches

G-ive more than you planned to

H-ang on to your dreams

I-gnore those who try to discourage you

J-ust do it

K-eep trying no matter how hard it seems it will get easier

L-ove yourself first and most

M-ake it happen

N-ever lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal

O-pen your eyes and see things as they really are

P-ractice makes perfect

Q-uitters never win and winners never quit

R-ead study and learn about everything important in your life

S-top procrastinating

T-ake control of your own destiny

U-nderstand yourself in order to better understand others

V-isualize it

W-ant it more than anything

X-cellerate your efforts

Y-ou are unique of all God's creations nothing can replace you

Z-ero in on your target and go for it !