5 ms·

I'm always curious why people pick project names the way they do. I'm seeing a trend of slapping a random simple Japanese word to a new project without explana

I'm always curious why people pick project names the way they do. I'm seeing a trend of slapping a random simple Japanese word to a new project without explanation. Maybe it doesn't need one but at least it would make the name more memorable to me.

MortyWaves 2y ago
I think it's the <current year> meme. Just how for a while every JavaScript library had to end in .js, and before that when every electronics manufacturer put an i in front of product names until Apple stopped them. Another example is libraries being described as "blazing fast" or "minimal". It's basically bankrupted creativity.
- kgeist 2y ago
  It's easier to google something like "CalendarJS" rather than just "Calendar," which could give you anything but the JS library you're looking for. I think it’s simply practical.
  - MortyWaves 2y ago
    So would "JavaScript calendar"
    - yreg 2y ago
      Not really. CalendarJS is a specific library in this case, JavaScript Calendar is all of them.
- johnisgood 2y ago
  Yeah, "blazing fast" is a very common description for Rust projects...
kgeist 2y ago
Unique names are more easily googleable, and most unique English words are already taken. So, I think it makes sense to consider other languages. Japanese also has simple phonetics (open syllables), making it generally easy to pronounce—unlike, say, Slavic languages.
- alt227 2y ago
  If this was my aim, I would be choosing a word that doesnt already exist. Thats far more likely to be unique and easily googleable than a popular and trendy existing name of something. Or at least change the spelling to accomplish the same goal. Whats wrong with Oomami or Umaami to make it easily identifiable on the web?
  - account42 2y ago
    Exactly. And with generic words you have little recourse if some bigger fish in another market makes a more popular product with the same name and ends up squeezing you out of search results unless users explitly search for HipWord + ProductType at which point you might as well have used a longer but unique name.
    - alt227 2y ago
      I chuckled at "HipWord + ProductType". Have an upvote :)
- gwervc 2y ago
  Now I'm tempted to name a future project "Strč prst skrz krk", possibly without space to form a single word. By the way I have a single Japanese word named project, but it's related to the language, and that name has two other connections with the project content.
- pndy 2y ago
  There's Czkawka, Polish for "hiccup" application that helps find duplicates [1], dev behind it also created files renamer Szyszka, again "cone" in Polish [2]. Backup solution Kopia [3] mean "copy" but also "lance" and "spear" hence the pointy thing in its logo - if I recall correctly one of devs is Polish. [1] - https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka [2] - https://github.com/qarmin/szyszka https://github.com/qarmin/szyszka [3] - https://github.com/kopia/kopia https://github.com/kopia/kopia That's all what I can remember. I wouldn't count KDE apps that do sound Polish or Slavic just because they "had" to replace initial letter with K to keep the leading theme. Then people behind MATE desktop on the other hand named apps in their project using Spanish words, e.g. file manager Caja - "box" or "case", documents reader Atril - "lectern" or "music stand" As for Japanese words usage, it's still the outcome of anime&manga wave that bloomed in the end of 90s. What I find surprising is that nothing comparable happen when k-pop and k-dramas rise to popularity - there's a significant fascination of South Korean culture but not as intensive that would show interest in using vocabulary in the West as that happens with Japan. Perhaps mukbang, "eating broadcast" is the only exception.
alpyne 2y ago
Wild guess: it’s a word starting with “u” as a hat tip to the original Urchin (the “u” in utm)
- xandrius 2y ago
  Very wild guess

MortyWaves 2y ago

I think it's the <current year> meme. Just how for a while every JavaScript library had to end in .js, and before that when every electronics manufacturer put an i in front of product names until Apple stopped them. Another example is libraries being described as "blazing fast" or "minimal". It's basically bankrupted creativity.

kgeist 2y ago
It's easier to google something like "CalendarJS" rather than just "Calendar," which could give you anything but the JS library you're looking for. I think it’s simply practical.
- MortyWaves 2y ago
  So would "JavaScript calendar"
  - yreg 2y ago
    Not really. CalendarJS is a specific library in this case, JavaScript Calendar is all of them.
johnisgood 2y ago
Yeah, "blazing fast" is a very common description for Rust projects...

kgeist 2y ago

Unique names are more easily googleable, and most unique English words are already taken. So, I think it makes sense to consider other languages. Japanese also has simple phonetics (open syllables), making it generally easy to pronounce—unlike, say, Slavic languages.

alt227 2y ago
If this was my aim, I would be choosing a word that doesnt already exist. Thats far more likely to be unique and easily googleable than a popular and trendy existing name of something. Or at least change the spelling to accomplish the same goal. Whats wrong with Oomami or Umaami to make it easily identifiable on the web?
- account42 2y ago
  Exactly. And with generic words you have little recourse if some bigger fish in another market makes a more popular product with the same name and ends up squeezing you out of search results unless users explitly search for HipWord + ProductType at which point you might as well have used a longer but unique name.
  - alt227 2y ago
    I chuckled at "HipWord + ProductType". Have an upvote :)
gwervc 2y ago
Now I'm tempted to name a future project "Strč prst skrz krk", possibly without space to form a single word. By the way I have a single Japanese word named project, but it's related to the language, and that name has two other connections with the project content.
pndy 2y ago
There's Czkawka, Polish for "hiccup" application that helps find duplicates [1], dev behind it also created files renamer Szyszka, again "cone" in Polish [2]. Backup solution Kopia [3] mean "copy" but also "lance" and "spear" hence the pointy thing in its logo - if I recall correctly one of devs is Polish. [1] - https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka [2] - https://github.com/qarmin/szyszka https://github.com/qarmin/szyszka [3] - https://github.com/kopia/kopia https://github.com/kopia/kopia That's all what I can remember. I wouldn't count KDE apps that do sound Polish or Slavic just because they "had" to replace initial letter with K to keep the leading theme. Then people behind MATE desktop on the other hand named apps in their project using Spanish words, e.g. file manager Caja - "box" or "case", documents reader Atril - "lectern" or "music stand" As for Japanese words usage, it's still the outcome of anime&manga wave that bloomed in the end of 90s. What I find surprising is that nothing comparable happen when k-pop and k-dramas rise to popularity - there's a significant fascination of South Korean culture but not as intensive that would show interest in using vocabulary in the West as that happens with Japan. Perhaps mukbang, "eating broadcast" is the only exception.

alpyne 2y ago

Wild guess: it’s a word starting with “u” as a hat tip to the original Urchin (the “u” in utm)

xandrius 2y ago
Very wild guess