This page is out of date. The term Echo was decided upon here, but it cannot be used for legal reasons (explained in NameItEchoConflict). This discussion has moved to ProjectNameProposals. Process at ProjectNameProcess, guidelines at ProjectNameGuidelines.
Name It Discussion
OldPoll: What do you think of the name of this project/process should be?
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Pie: (from NameItPiePoll: JamesSnell, TimBray, ArthurJennings, RolandTanglao)
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Echo: MishaDynin, AaronSw, GrantCarpenter, SixApart, TimothyAppnel, (from NameItEchoDiscussion: RalphBrandi, UcheOgbuji, JakeSutton, AdinaLevin, AdriaanTijsseling, ChristianCrumlish, StevenGarrity, MatthewGifford, MattMower, Manuzhai) StanFinley, ChrisWilper, MarcusCampbell, LachlanCannon, DiegoDoval, TomasJogin, FrançoisGranger, Moof, GaryF, RussellBeattie, BryantDurrell, ArveBersvendsen, HansGerwitz, PhilWolff, SylvainCarle, PhillipPearson, MarkPilgrim
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Syn: SimonGill
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OSF:
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Pubs: ShelleyPowers, MichaelBernstein
[OutOfDate] The format has been named Echo. Thanks to all who voted.
I suggest finding a name for 1 and making 2-4 profiles of 1 -- Archive, Syndication and API profiles. [TimothyAppnel, MarkPilgrim]
Could we avoid acronyms? It makes it much easier to explain to non-technical people if it isn't an acronym. [JoeGregorio,TimothyAppnel, ArveBersvendsen] +1
[DavidEngel]: While acronyms can be annoying to non-technical people, we will come up with them even if it doesn't start out as one. Name it "Weblog Standard Communication 2003" and it will be "WSC 2k3" in technical circles before the end of the week - or something to that affect. But I see the point in not naming it P.I.E. (Powerful Integration Environment) from the very beginning.
[RefactorOk][LesOrchard]: Don't mean to just negate, but: "Open Web" and "Syndicated Content" seem pretty broad. This effort's about weblog entries in particular, no? Not images, encyclopedia entries, store catalog items, or comic strips -- each of which could be a syndicated item of content on an open web. Hoping to give $0.02 toward specific terms.
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[ArveBersvendsen, RefactorOk, AsbjornUlsberg]: Word I have from people in the publishing business, is that they are also interested in using syndication formats similar to this effort - so I'd suggest choosing a name that won't put them off by default.
"Let's just call it RSS."
Pro:
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[JamesBritt]: It avoids having to sell people on something new (even if a new version of RSS is, well, *new*). People moving to adopt "the next version" of RSS might more readily see it as a natural step, versus having to support "yet another format".
Con:
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[JamesBritt]: There is a growing history of different parties laying claim to RSS ownership and laying out yet another version (or simply redefining the initialism). Keeping the name RSS leaves open the door for (almost) anyone else to come along and simply declare another version. A clean break (at least in name) makes it easier to establish what [person|community|organization] has rightful ownership to the spec.
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[ChristianCrumlish]: If we call it RSS we will just be making the current situation worse than it already is. Plus the second S now implies syndication, which is just the interchange part of things - we should focus on the core spec and data model.
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[MarkPilgrim]: If we call it RSS, I will withdraw my support immediately. The RSS 2.0 spec is very clear on this: "Subsequent work should happen in modules, using namespaces, and in completely new syndication formats, with new names." This is the latter.
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[ShelleyPowers]: Political considerations aside, RSS has bad juju associated with it. In addition, this is more than just a syndication data model -- this is a weblogging data model. Out with old, in with the new. Just not Pie, which is cloyingly cute.
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[SamRuby]: Anything but RSS, for the reasons that Mark Pilgrim cited.
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[AsbjornUlsberg] I think this article explains why calling it RSS isn't a good idea.
(the following moved from NameIt)
The Case for Pie: Sam Ruby named this wiki Pie. Tim Bray likes Pie. "If we have to do this, call it Pie. Because the new thing should be as Easy as Pie, and it's not an acronym so we don't have to sweat about what it stands for, and the soundbite merchants in the media will love it, and nobody will forget it once they've heard it even once." See NameItPieDiscussion.
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Incidentally, Weebl and Bob like pie...
The Case for Echo: "The output format would be called Echo, posting would use the Echo API, and tools that could read and/or write would be EchoEnabled" "The original idea of syndication was to allow posts (or excerpts) appear on other sites as well (hence the word syndication). The word "echo" is nicely evocative of this." "Great name, and not a silly abbreviation, either." All quotes from the NameItEchoDiscussion page.
The case for Syn: Similar to Pie above it's great soundbite material and it's a contraction of Syndication. Which is the whole point as far as I can see.
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I'd be concerned about using this because of its association with this editor and Syn Flooding - - Simon Jessey
The case for WOS: Meaningful (Wide Open Syndication), easily pronounceable, slang-ready (WOS-Up!), distinct (not a common word like Pie or Echo), and stands out like 'RSS' does.
The case for OSF: Acronym: Open Syndication Format. It's simple, it's effect.
The case for Pubs: Either an acronym or a short name for Personal Publication System. Easy to remember, rolls off the tongue well, and won't cause people to say, "But why did you use that name?" everytime they hear it. I also have a feeling it could age a bit better than Pie, and may have a broader appeal to non-techs.
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Publication Standards Project or PubS Project works better as an acronym.[MichaelBernstein]
The case against Echo: "There's already a product named Echo out there, as a server-side web app framework (nicely LGPL, too). Are we sure we want to have the confusion involved, and the potential for trademark issues?" JoeShelby
[GrantCarpenter] The fact that another open source project is using the name, would like to keep it as their own and has a pending trademark application on the name seem like compelling reasons to not use Echo. I refactored the existing alternate name proposals and tried to come up with something less chaotic as a process: ProjectNameProcess, ProjectNameProposals.