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Just out of plain curiosity, which came first, Stack Overflow or Stack Exchange? I'm led to believe it was Stack Overflow, simply due to the similarities to Stack Exchange, but I may be wrong. So, which one did come first?

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Stack Overflow was the beginning. It was the original, first site.

It being popular, it spawned a few other sites - Server Fault and Super user. Which then started spawning other Q&A sites.

This evolved into the network of sites you see today - the Stack Exchange network of sites.

You can see the evolution if you start reading the Stack Exchange blog from the start (and listen to the original set of podcasts).

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    But isn't "evolution" just a theory? You could say it was all intelligently designed! ;-)
    – Andrew Barber
    Jun 30, 2014 at 19:44
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    Says the Unitato - a veritable living proof of evolution.
    – Oded
    Jun 30, 2014 at 19:52
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    Also - going with intelligent design would be giving us waaaaay too much credit.
    – Oded
    Jun 30, 2014 at 19:52
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    For the evolution, I guess Coding Horror is a better starting point (also with a bit on naming) ;-)
    – Arjan
    Jun 30, 2014 at 20:20
  • When was it incorporated and under what name?
    – djechlin
    Jun 30, 2014 at 20:50
  • I believe it was first incorporated as Stack Overflow then renamed to Stack Exchange - but IANAL and don't know/have the exact details, @djechlin
    – Oded
    Jun 30, 2014 at 21:11
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    @VotetoClose, not sure that the NY connection was the point. More likely it seemed punny.
    – Benjol
    Jul 1, 2014 at 4:35
  • @VotetoClose - wasn't involved in the naming, but I believe it was an amalgam of Stack Overflow and Knowledge Exchange (known brand + what we do)
    – Oded
    Jul 1, 2014 at 7:04
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    If I recall right, the original docs were for "Stack Overflow Internet Services", hence the reference to SOIS in some of the really old meta posts. This name was later changed to Stack Exchange.
    – Adam Lear StaffMod
    Jul 8, 2014 at 0:58

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