It was a fun time, being able to contribute your own functions to a language that was constantly growing and evolving. Eventually, the language was converted to a CGI running on Apache Web Server, httpd. All of this was powered by this data center, and CDnow went on to become one of the early pioneers in E-commerce, years before anyone had heard of Amazon.
The data center featured a lot of Sun machines. We had a suite of E4000s running Solaris 5.1, some Linux machines that served as caching servers (and their two related functions, “codeInclude” and “cacheInclude” in SDK), and our work horse server, a Cray-Cyber Sun Starfire E10000. The initial servers were named after obscure characters from the original Beavis and Butthead (Jodie, Tanq(ueray), Lolitta [sic], McVicker, Daria, and Anderson to name a few), with future servers going the Transformers route (Megatron, Starscream, etc).
With all that said, what really made CDnow was the environment and the co-workers. We had a drum set in the lobby, our own cafeteria with short-order cooks, a gym, showers, and much more. All of the conference rooms were named after famous musicians; I think the Bob Marley room was the most popular, and the data center, with glass on all sides, was dubbed the fish bowl. It was quite an adventure ensuring the site remained up during Hurricane Floyd – the last two employees out had to be taken to their spouses by canoe!
Just last year, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the end of CDnow (the sale to Amazon), about 70 of us gathered back in Philadelphia at Frankford Hall to celebrate, share old tales, memories of several friends who had passed, and remember one of the best work environments we ever experienced. The fact so many of us stay in touch after so long on a regular basis is a testament to how wonderful a company it was.