a patchy server
loreThe oldest explanation of how Apache got its name: it was a server made of patches.
The project's own FAQ said so from 1996 to 2001. Brian Behlendorf said in 2000 that the name honoured the Apache people, then said in 2007 that it was the patches after all, and the foundation today credits the tribe. Both stories are in the record and neither has been retracted cleanly, which is why the origin is treated as disputed.
Disputed / commonly mistold A popular version of this story is inaccurate - see the note above.
Also known as: apache name origin, why apache is called apache
Sources
- The Apache HTTP Server Project's own history: in February 1995 the most popular server software on the web was the NCSA daemon, and the group restarted development in April 1995. It does NOT carry the 'patchy server' naming story, which was read for and is not on this page
- Brian Behlendorf interviews, 2000 and 2007 - which contradict each other