Ask HN: How do you name software?

3 points by thekashifmalik 2 years ago | 8 comments

I recently released some software and it took considerable effort to name. After the public announcement, I learned there was a preexisting project with the same name. Since my software isn't at v1, I'm back to the drawing board. It is a CLI so my criteria is:

- It has to be short enough to type comfortably.

- It has to have a domain available.

- I have to feel an affinity for it.

That last point is fuzziest. How do other people name software?

stop50 2 years ago |

I name it depending on the need this software solves. I usually don't care about more absrract names. One software i use has an name which is the polish word for hickup. It for comparing files for removing duplicates.

thekashifmalik 2 years ago | |

Do you have link to the project?

stop50 2 years ago | | |

https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka

zzo38computer 2 years ago |

Sometimes it is difficult. Sometimes I have had various ways of doing so, but sometimes I don't know. (They say, naming things is the most difficult thing in computers.)

(At this time, I have an unnamed operating system design.)

DerekBickerton 2 years ago |

I use this: https://www.thisworddoesnotexist.com/

thekashifmalik 2 years ago | |

This is pretty cool. I'll have to use it for my next project.