3 ms·

I find that Microsoft has the most beautiful/poetic names for some of their products (admittedly the older ones): Windows Word Paint Excel

by agys 2y ago

apples_oranges 2y ago
Now that you mention it those are good names
johnisgood 2y ago
I am not sure I like "Windows" as a name for an OS. :D
- Y-bar 2y ago
  It makes perfect sense since the operating system is literally Window-centric. (as opposed to e.g. Mac OS which is application-centric).
  - johnisgood 2y ago
    I mean, sure, it is all windows, it does make sense, it just seems a bit odd. I cannot imagine an OS named "Ablakok" which is the Hungarian equivalent of "Windows". I do not think anyone would name any products as such. If your native language is not English, how does it look like in your language?
    - Y-bar 2y ago
      On the flip side, there are loads of names/trademarks which would sound very strange when you hear them for the first time when translated from non-English to English. Consider "Volkswagen" as "People's cart". For example I have some sort of "anchoring" effect on some names such as Mac Pro, I still cannot accept it as a good name compared to the previous name: PowerMac. The older name is much more natural and better in my mind. Are you perhaps experiencing a similar effect with an the English trademark which has been a natural part of your vocabulary for a long time. As for "Windows" in my native tongue, we have the same name for the digital rectangular representation on screen, so it would work. But then again, trademarks and marketing names are seldom localised.
      - johnisgood 2y ago
        > we have the same name for the digital rectangular representation on screen We do use the same term as well, but it still seems odd as a name for an OS, at least to me, because it is so generic and uninteresting, but we are really in a heavily subjective territory here. As for the rest, yeah, you may be right.
- ulkis 2y ago
  Well, it wasn't an OS from the beginning. It was a DOS application that provided ... windows. Someone just forgot to rename it to "Processes" or "Files". Myself I found it amusing that servers had Windows (NT).
throw-qqqqq 2y ago
How do you feel about some of their more recent product names? Such as Entra Azure Dynamics AX 365 … and don’t even get me started on the version names they give their OS products :D
- theandrewbailey 2y ago
  > and don’t even get me started on the version names they give their OS products :D Yeah, when I was growing up, Windows hit version 2000, but we've somehow regressed all the way back to 11. (The hilarity of Windows 11 being an actual regression, not only numerical, is unintentional.) Let's not forget the Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE Limited Numbered Signature Edition. https://www.neowin.net/news/longest-product-name-ever-mwvuulnse/ https://www.neowin.net/news/longest-product-name-ever-mwvuul...
- agys 2y ago
  I don’t feel much, honestly. Although “Office” was still one of the beautiful ones, but they decided to ditch it for 365?

I find that Microsoft has the most beautiful/poetic names for some of their products (admittedly the older ones): Windows Word Paint Excel

by agys 2y ago

I find that Microsoft has the most beautiful/poetic names for some of their products (admittedly the older ones): Windows Word Paint Excel

apples_oranges 2y ago

Now that you mention it those are good names

johnisgood 2y ago

I am not sure I like "Windows" as a name for an OS. :D

Y-bar 2y ago
It makes perfect sense since the operating system is literally Window-centric. (as opposed to e.g. Mac OS which is application-centric).
- johnisgood 2y ago
  I mean, sure, it is all windows, it does make sense, it just seems a bit odd. I cannot imagine an OS named "Ablakok" which is the Hungarian equivalent of "Windows". I do not think anyone would name any products as such. If your native language is not English, how does it look like in your language?
  - Y-bar 2y ago
    On the flip side, there are loads of names/trademarks which would sound very strange when you hear them for the first time when translated from non-English to English. Consider "Volkswagen" as "People's cart". For example I have some sort of "anchoring" effect on some names such as Mac Pro, I still cannot accept it as a good name compared to the previous name: PowerMac. The older name is much more natural and better in my mind. Are you perhaps experiencing a similar effect with an the English trademark which has been a natural part of your vocabulary for a long time. As for "Windows" in my native tongue, we have the same name for the digital rectangular representation on screen, so it would work. But then again, trademarks and marketing names are seldom localised.
    - johnisgood 2y ago
      > we have the same name for the digital rectangular representation on screen We do use the same term as well, but it still seems odd as a name for an OS, at least to me, because it is so generic and uninteresting, but we are really in a heavily subjective territory here. As for the rest, yeah, you may be right.
ulkis 2y ago
Well, it wasn't an OS from the beginning. It was a DOS application that provided ... windows. Someone just forgot to rename it to "Processes" or "Files". Myself I found it amusing that servers had Windows (NT).

throw-qqqqq 2y ago

How do you feel about some of their more recent product names? Such as Entra Azure Dynamics AX 365 … and don’t even get me started on the version names they give their OS products :D

theandrewbailey 2y ago
> and don’t even get me started on the version names they give their OS products :D Yeah, when I was growing up, Windows hit version 2000, but we've somehow regressed all the way back to 11. (The hilarity of Windows 11 being an actual regression, not only numerical, is unintentional.) Let's not forget the Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE Limited Numbered Signature Edition. https://www.neowin.net/news/longest-product-name-ever-mwvuulnse/ https://www.neowin.net/news/longest-product-name-ever-mwvuul...
agys 2y ago
I don’t feel much, honestly. Although “Office” was still one of the beautiful ones, but they decided to ditch it for 365?