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Show HN: How software projects and companies got their name

84 pointsby amitmerchantover 7 years ago

8 comments

kadfakover 7 years ago
A small addition to Git from its README file[1]:<p><pre><code> The name &quot;git&quot; was given by Linus Torvalds when he wrote the very first version. He described the tool as &quot;the stupid content tracker&quot; and the name as (depending on your mood): * random three-letter combination that is pronounceable, and not actually used by any common UNIX command. The fact that it is a mispronunciation of &quot;get&quot; may or may not be relevant. * stupid. contemptible and despicable. simple. Take your pick from the dictionary of slang. * &quot;global information tracker&quot;: you&#x27;re in a good mood, and it actually works for you. Angels sing, and a light suddenly fills the room. * &quot;goddamn idiotic truckload of sh*t&quot;: when it breaks </code></pre> [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;git&#x2F;git&#x2F;blob&#x2F;master&#x2F;README.md" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;git&#x2F;git&#x2F;blob&#x2F;master&#x2F;README.md</a>
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jaclazover 7 years ago
Nice.<p>I think you need to add somewhere that C# is called C Sharp, and the idea - besides the connection to musical notation is that the character # (&quot;sharp&quot;, though improperly as in ASCII it is &quot;Number sign&quot;) is made out of four +&#x27;s, increasing from the two in C++, your sentence:<p>&gt;C# as the &#x27;#&#x27; symbol looks like two &#x27;++&#x27; stacked on one another, indicating that C# is an increment of C++. though at the end of the day means the same, is IMHO less clear than the original from the source you cited:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.computerworld.com.au&#x2F;article&#x2F;261958&#x2F;a-z_programming_languages_c_&#x2F;?pp=2" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.computerworld.com.au&#x2F;article&#x2F;261958&#x2F;a-z_programm...</a><p>&gt;So the naming committee had to get to work and we sort of liked the notion of having an inherent reference to C in there, and a little word play on C++, as you can sort of view the sharp sign as four pluses, so it’s C++++. And the musical aspect was interesting too. So C# it was, and I’ve actually been really happy with that name. It’s served us well.
tqkxzugoaupvwqrover 7 years ago
Really interesting to read about the birth of names. Gives some names a certain charm and some a certain triviality, e.g. Debian (Debra + Ian).
theandrewbaileyover 7 years ago
When Java switched hands to the Eclipse foundation last year, I learned that the foundation wasn&#x27;t named after their goal of &quot;eclipse the Sun Microsystems&quot;. That would have been awesome if true.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Eclipse_(software)#Name" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Eclipse_(software)#Name</a>
FrederikETover 7 years ago
I really like this. Especially because I&#x27;m bad at finding names for my projects, but I can see I&#x27;m not the only one. (Python and Laravel is my favorites)
rb808over 7 years ago
&gt; one of his daughter&#x27;s name is My(after whom MySQL was named).<p>Mind blown
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spatulonover 7 years ago
In browser circles, &#x27;chrome&#x27; refers to the bits of the browser UI that aren&#x27;t the renderer.<p>It&#x27;s hard for me to believe that Chrome&#x27;s name didn&#x27;t just originate from Google talking about taking WebKit and building their own chrome around it.
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jwilkover 7 years ago
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;wiki.debian.org&#x2F;WhyTheName" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;wiki.debian.org&#x2F;WhyTheName</a>