ASU Testing

Mike (mwester) mwester at dls.net
Fri Jun 13 18:26:55 CEST 2008


Andy Powell wrote:
> On Friday 13 June 2008 04:28, Jeremy Chang wrote:
>>    I think, to make it clear for everybody, we call it Splinter instead
>> of Diversity when talking about ASU.
>>    That's more make sense?
>>
> None of this naming makes sense. I've never understood why these stupid names 
> are being used. Could someone enlighten (heheh) me as to why the package 
> manager isn't called 'Package Manager' or 'Add/remove Programs' or at least 
> something that describes what its function is... or is the target market for 
> these devices 14 year old boys?

Andy is absolutely correct (and I applaud his "no-holds barred"
communication style!).

"Assassin" -- What the heck does that have to do with package
management, firstly.

Secondly, it's an emotionally-charged word.  If that's going to help in
the target market, that's a good thing.  And I don't underestimate the
number of Linux "geeks" that count themselves in the type of community
where this would be met with "Oh cool!".  But if anyone is thinking that
this is a device that should be marketed to companies and businesses who
would use it as a platform (think Blackberry replacements, for example),
that choice of words is probably just about as bad as it can get.

Consider what sort of trouble a reference to that word got Hillary
Clinton into a few weeks ago.  That's just an example; I rather expect
the word has highly-charged negative connotations in other countries as
well.


"Splinter" -- as in something I don't want to get?  Something that
causes me great pain both going in, and when someone with tweezers pulls
it out?


"Illume" -- what?  Where's my dictionary/thesaurus!

"Exposure"  -- Huh?  As in, what I'm going to die of?  Out in the woods
where I got lost because I couldn't remember the name of the GPS
application on my Neo, if I don't die first of the infection I got from
the "Splinter" in my toe...  but maybe if I use my Neo to "Illume" my
toe I can remove the "Splinter", and crawl to safety....


Honestly, I'm not trying to be a wet blanket -- "Package Manager" and
"GPS" are crappy names too -- but can't we find something else?  :D

Mike (mwester)



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