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The name Viaweb was also generated by a program, though back then (in 1995) practically all domains were still available and it was simply a matter of picking.
by pg 16y ago
The name Viaweb was also generated by a program, though back then (in 1995) practically all domains were still available and it was simply a matter of picking. We were originally called Webgen, but we had to switch because someone else had a site generator called that. So I wrote a program to display all the names consisting of "Web" plus some short English word.
One thing I learned was that most short words are negative or at least excessively blunt. Webpig, Webzit, Webfat, Webdog, etc. But one name the program generated was Webvia. That wasn't so great but if you switched the words it became a reference to the fact that our software worked over the web.
- transmit101 16y ago> One thing I learned was that most short words are negative or at least excessively blunt. There's an interesting reason for that. Although English contains elements from numerous languages, it's two primary ancestors are French and the Germanic Anglo-Saxon. In the middle ages, most of the English peasantry spoke Anglo-Saxon. The nobility, however, all spoke French for several hundred years after William the Conquerer invaded in 1066. To this day, that ancient split in languages is still obvious. Everyday words in English, including words for animals, household words and swear words, tend to be Germanic: short, guttural and abrupt. Words to do with civic society, culture and the ruling class are usually from French. They are usually longer and sound more refined. Examples: parliament, judiciary, government, etc.
- davnola 16y agoEnglish is what happens when Norman soldiers pick up Saxon girls. [source unknown].
- bvi 16y agoThis is very interesting. Do you have any sources?
- pg 16y agoWhile what you're saying is basically true, what it explains is why the earthy words in English are Germanic, not why they're short. Earthy words are short in French too. "Merde" is as abrupt as "shit." And German is full of long words. What's really going on is that earthy words tend to be short, whatever their origins. And since English is not so much a mixture of Anglo-Saxon and French as a core of Anglo-Saxon with a veneer of French on top, the earthier, more basic words in English tend to have Anglo-Saxon origins.
- fizx 16y agoWebvia sounds like a member of the pseudo-latin naming scheme still favored by pharmaceutical companies.
- andrewljohnson 16y agoWhen I worked at an ad agency, we used to generate names for things with people. Same sort of strategy though... think up some words that mattered to the brand, brainstorm combinations, and iterate. I'm not sure why you would get a computer involved though. Why not just take a few minutes and think up words with your team, and then play with them until you have something you like? You can't possibly evaluate unlimited possibilities, so why not scope the games to words, phrases, and ideas that connect in your brain?
- zweben 16y agoA program can suggest words or combinations that you might not think of yourself. It helps in the same way that having another person brainstorm with you would help.
- rabidsnail 16y agoA program can filter out all of the options whose .com domain names are taken. Otherwise you end up spending a lot of time typing names into your web browser only to find that they're held by a squatter or, worse, a real company.