Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Software names that must DIE.
Alright all you programmers out there - there are a couple of application naming patterns that simply have to be killed off. Swiftly. And Without Mercy.
1. Yet Another {software type}
Puh-lease. This kind of name was clever (maybe) the first thirty times. We're years past that point. If you're smart enough to learn how to program and put together an application that someone other than yourself may be interested in, then for the love of all that's holy, please put some thought into a name that's original yet descriptive.
2. {program name}'s Not {another, more popular program name}
This is simply an pathetic attempt at software name-dropping. If you feel compelled to point out, in your program's actual name, that it isn't another program, it's going to be pretty obvious to us mere mortals (everyone not on the development team), that they're going to be functionally identical. Not only do you need to put more thought into your application's name, perhaps you need to think up an application of your very own as well.
3. Any title that includes the programmer's name.
Look, I know that coding is far from glamorous. Finishing off that database access class rarely coincides with thunderous applause, knowledge of design patterns seldom earns the adulation of the crowd, and hot women that swoon for those who can crank out database-backed web sites are far and few in between (if any of them read this, EMAIL ME). Face it, a programmer can realistically only desperately hope for a couple minutes of fame, rather than fifteen. But straining for those few minutes by naming your program after yourself is really, really, sad.
4. Programs that start with “K” or “G”
Don't, don't, don't get me started.
5. Names without any vowels (sometimes appended to 'lib')
Perhaps 'libmxyzptlk' makes sense and is easy for you to remember, but it sure isn't for the rest of us. When someone is shoulder-surfing and asks “What's that application that you are using?”, it's a lot easier to answer if the name can be formed by a human tongue.
1. Yet Another {software type}
Puh-lease. This kind of name was clever (maybe) the first thirty times. We're years past that point. If you're smart enough to learn how to program and put together an application that someone other than yourself may be interested in, then for the love of all that's holy, please put some thought into a name that's original yet descriptive.
2. {program name}'s Not {another, more popular program name}
This is simply an pathetic attempt at software name-dropping. If you feel compelled to point out, in your program's actual name, that it isn't another program, it's going to be pretty obvious to us mere mortals (everyone not on the development team), that they're going to be functionally identical. Not only do you need to put more thought into your application's name, perhaps you need to think up an application of your very own as well.
3. Any title that includes the programmer's name.
Look, I know that coding is far from glamorous. Finishing off that database access class rarely coincides with thunderous applause, knowledge of design patterns seldom earns the adulation of the crowd, and hot women that swoon for those who can crank out database-backed web sites are far and few in between (if any of them read this, EMAIL ME). Face it, a programmer can realistically only desperately hope for a couple minutes of fame, rather than fifteen. But straining for those few minutes by naming your program after yourself is really, really, sad.
4. Programs that start with “K” or “G”
Don't, don't, don't get me started.
5. Names without any vowels (sometimes appended to 'lib')
Perhaps 'libmxyzptlk' makes sense and is easy for you to remember, but it sure isn't for the rest of us. When someone is shoulder-surfing and asks “What's that application that you are using?”, it's a lot easier to answer if the name can be formed by a human tongue.
