Java got the most positive reactions of all the names, and I also liked it the best. Because it wasn't certain that we would get any of the names cleared through trademark, I selected about three or four and worked with the lawyers on clearing them. But they finally got used to it. I selected the coffee cup from the initial designs he suggested and worked with him on finalizing the look. I felt that name and branding was very important to ensuring the success and ubiquity of Java.
Most programming languages have nerdy names and no logo and no branding.
But because I wanted Java to be a standard, I felt it needed all the bells and whistles that consumer software products typically get, so I focused on building a very strong brand for Java. As Scott McNealy likes to say, Java is a more recognizable brand than Sun Microsystems itself is. Well let me look through my extensive archives. I believe the meeting was held in perhaps January of 1995. It's actually hard to say where it first came from.