It's strange to me that people still remember this. It's been 14 years, but I guess it's nice to be known for something :)

Every time I say or hear Microsoft, I think of Mike Rowe Soft in my head. Every single time.

Wait...are you the legendary Mike Rowe????

He is: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6074487

I think the story blew up around the time that I connected with a bunch of Linux-loving friends in college, so in my case, the timing was perfect for memorability. I'll bet that some friends from then would remember it too, if I brought it up.

Hey, it still works: https://MikeRoweSoft.com

The thought of Microsoft still paying for that domain name is funny. I like to imagine they don't dare to stop doing it or they'll risk opening this whole can of worms again.

Come on now, you were near the top of fark.com for a moment. That kind of infamy can never leave you.

Mnenomic devices are a powerful thing

Haha. Never heard about that case.

>>> A settlement was eventually reached, with Rowe granting ownership of the domain to Microsoft in exchange for an Xbox and additional compensation.

Depending on how many games he later bought for that xbox, MS may well have been the ones that came out on top.