TIL: Cocoa is a play on Java Skip to main content
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TIL: Cocoa is a play on Java

I saw this post from Rhys Morgan on Mastodon.

Can’t believe I’ve only just twigged that Cocoa is named Cocoa in response to Java… The 1999 WWDC is so heavy on Java being the future of development on the Mac, in Cocoa!

I did some reading around it and it seems like Apple owned the trademark for "Cocoa" already and had used it for a multimedia application for kids, thinking of it as "Java for Kids." That application was discontinued after Steve Jobs's return to Apple, and the name repurposed for the new development framework.

The play on words, if it's not obvious, is that "Java" is a type of coffee, which is largely considered a drink for adults. "Cocoa" is a chocolate drink, and is often something children will drink.