4 ms·

I wouldn't have batted an eye if it were called Jock Strap or something inherently male in nature Really? I would totally cringe at something called "Jock Stra

I wouldn't have batted an eye if it were called Jock Strap or something inherently male in nature Really? I would totally cringe at something called "Jock Strap" or "scrotum" or "foreskin". Tampon isn't just a feminine word like "flower" or "butterfly", it's biological and personal. "Anal Probe" is gender-neutral neutral term that also feels inappropriate because of its personal and biological nature.

manuscreationis 14y ago
I feel like your counter examples were fairly over the top. He didn't name it "Labia" or "Clitoris", he named it after a product that females use for hygienic purposes. I can't really think of a particular brand of male-genital-hygiene products off the top of my head (that aren't also used in other areas, ie: hair trimmers or washes), so I went with something as similar as I could that served a single unique purpose. I'm not saying I'd see a product named Jock Strap and say "Wow, that's a great name!". My point was, the initial shock value of the name wore off once I realized I wasn't in the third grade anymore and it was just the name of a product that ~50% of the worlds population makes use of on a regular basis. A shock value that would not have been there for me had the name been something like Jock Strap, which would be a product that I'd be more comfortable making quips and jokes about. Also, "Flower" and "Butterfly" are feminine words now?
- MartinCron 14y ago
  I totally see your point. There aren't any, that I know of, male-specific genital hygiene products. Flowers and butterflies, as cultural concepts, tend to correlate with femininity more than rocketships and monster trucks. I was trying to think of a non-biological example of something that's perfectly OK to use.
  - manuscreationis 14y ago
    "There aren't any, that I know of, male-specific genital hygiene products." And isn't this the REAL injustice?!
  - shimsham 14y ago
    Male soap. Male wet-wipes. So, I never got as far as looking at the app cos the name made me shudder at the potential for similar behaviour underneath the surface.
- freehunter 14y ago
  How about Spermacide or Condom? They're gender-specific and inherently sexual (as in, pertaining to sex organs). We're not in the third grade, you're right. But apparently the author of this app is. If he's not behaving seriously, he can't expect to be taken seriously. The reason to be okay with this name is because you have a third-grade sense of humor. The reason to not be okay with it is because you're mature and the author is not.
  - beezee 14y ago
    in my experience "not being okay" with something is rarely a sign of maturity, and certainly never when the something is the name of an open source app.
bostonpete 14y ago
Am I the only one that checked to see if analprobe.com was registered?
- MartinCron 14y ago
  I wouldn't bother, but if you're willing to use two-letter country code domains, you might be able to get http://analprob.es http://analprob.es
rjknight 14y ago
Scrotwm is an open source Linux window manager. I'm struggling to think of too many other examples - "Back Orifice" was a script kiddie tool from about a decade ago, I guess that was a "provocative" name (iirc, it had a plugin system called "buttplugs", but I may have imagined that). Question to the people who are objecting to the name: would you object to a punk band that called itself "Tampon"? Would you say things like "this will really harm adoption of your product"? If not, what do you consider to be the relevant distinction between open source software and punk music?
- MartinCron 14y ago
  Tampon is a great name for a punk band. There's an all-mom punk band here in Seattle called "the Kegels" and people love them. I usually say that people should be as edgy and experimental as they want on their own time. A serious product or workplace should have a different standard of decorum.
- doktrin 14y ago
  >> Question to the people who are objecting to the name: would you object to a punk band that called itself "Tampon"? Would you say things like "this will really harm adoption of your product"? If not, what do you consider to be the relevant distinction between open source software and punk music? By punk standards, 'Tampon' would be a relatively boring and unimaginative name. However, aren't we comparing apples to oranges? I used to play in a punk band, during which time I sported a very respectable mohawk. I also wore tweed jackets from the salvation army, moshed and drank aggressively and cursed profusely. As great fun as that was, I wouldn't do either of these things in a place-that-I-code. Not in a co-working space, not at a coffee shop, and certainly not in my place of employment.

manuscreationis 14y ago

I feel like your counter examples were fairly over the top. He didn't name it "Labia" or "Clitoris", he named it after a product that females use for hygienic purposes. I can't really think of a particular brand of male-genital-hygiene products off the top of my head (that aren't also used in other areas, ie: hair trimmers or washes), so I went with something as similar as I could that served a single unique purpose. I'm not saying I'd see a product named Jock Strap and say "Wow, that's a great name!". My point was, the initial shock value of the name wore off once I realized I wasn't in the third grade anymore and it was just the name of a product that ~50% of the worlds population makes use of on a regular basis. A shock value that would not have been there for me had the name been something like Jock Strap, which would be a product that I'd be more comfortable making quips and jokes about. Also, "Flower" and "Butterfly" are feminine words now?

MartinCron 14y ago
I totally see your point. There aren't any, that I know of, male-specific genital hygiene products. Flowers and butterflies, as cultural concepts, tend to correlate with femininity more than rocketships and monster trucks. I was trying to think of a non-biological example of something that's perfectly OK to use.
- manuscreationis 14y ago
  "There aren't any, that I know of, male-specific genital hygiene products." And isn't this the REAL injustice?!
- shimsham 14y ago
  Male soap. Male wet-wipes. So, I never got as far as looking at the app cos the name made me shudder at the potential for similar behaviour underneath the surface.
freehunter 14y ago
How about Spermacide or Condom? They're gender-specific and inherently sexual (as in, pertaining to sex organs). We're not in the third grade, you're right. But apparently the author of this app is. If he's not behaving seriously, he can't expect to be taken seriously. The reason to be okay with this name is because you have a third-grade sense of humor. The reason to not be okay with it is because you're mature and the author is not.
- beezee 14y ago
  in my experience "not being okay" with something is rarely a sign of maturity, and certainly never when the something is the name of an open source app.

bostonpete 14y ago

Am I the only one that checked to see if analprobe.com was registered?

MartinCron 14y ago
I wouldn't bother, but if you're willing to use two-letter country code domains, you might be able to get http://analprob.es http://analprob.es

rjknight 14y ago

Scrotwm is an open source Linux window manager. I'm struggling to think of too many other examples - "Back Orifice" was a script kiddie tool from about a decade ago, I guess that was a "provocative" name (iirc, it had a plugin system called "buttplugs", but I may have imagined that). Question to the people who are objecting to the name: would you object to a punk band that called itself "Tampon"? Would you say things like "this will really harm adoption of your product"? If not, what do you consider to be the relevant distinction between open source software and punk music?

MartinCron 14y ago
Tampon is a great name for a punk band. There's an all-mom punk band here in Seattle called "the Kegels" and people love them. I usually say that people should be as edgy and experimental as they want on their own time. A serious product or workplace should have a different standard of decorum.
doktrin 14y ago
>> Question to the people who are objecting to the name: would you object to a punk band that called itself "Tampon"? Would you say things like "this will really harm adoption of your product"? If not, what do you consider to be the relevant distinction between open source software and punk music? By punk standards, 'Tampon' would be a relatively boring and unimaginative name. However, aren't we comparing apples to oranges? I used to play in a punk band, during which time I sported a very respectable mohawk. I also wore tweed jackets from the salvation army, moshed and drank aggressively and cursed profusely. As great fun as that was, I wouldn't do either of these things in a place-that-I-code. Not in a co-working space, not at a coffee shop, and certainly not in my place of employment.