Dev Tools · 1h ago
The Story of 'Sosumi': How a Mac Sound Became a Lesson in API Naming
In 1991, Apple renamed a system alert sound from 'xylophone' to 'Sosumi' to avoid legal issues with the Beatles' Apple Corps over music-related names. The name, a pun on 'so sue me,' was approved only in writing and has persisted in macOS for over 30 years. This illustrates how naming choices in software can become permanent due to compatibility inertia.
Meridian48 take
The tale is a quirky reminder that in software, stability often trumps correctness, and a clever workaround can outlast the original conflict.
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“Sosumi”: la micro-rivincita più longeva della storia del software (e cosa insegna a chi scrive frontend) →
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