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[Thierry Carrez <thierry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Anne Gentle wrote:
> > I told Monty and the TC this at the Summit (sorry I couldn't attend the
> > session about code names).
> 
>     I promise, it wasn't the world's most fun session. :)
> 
> I'm sure. :) I think I don't have much regret but do feel sorry that I
> don't know more. 

The Etherpad is here:
https://etherpad.openstack.org/ProjectsReNaming

I think there is much more value to codenames than just "avoiding the
cost of a rename when the project becomes OpenStack". This was captured
in the session:

Codenames drawbacks and benefits
(-) Lack of trademark protection
(-) Confusing to newcomers
(-) Shadow their more official counterparts
(+) Short names are highly-convenient and efficient, often less
ambiguous (in conversations, executables,  modules...)
(+) Help building project and team identity
(+) Separate the project itself from its functional scope (so they
remain valid even if that scope evolves)

Those last two bits are pretty essential. There is a reason why a
functional description cannot be used as a project name. The project (as
in, the code repository and the community of contributors around it) is
*distinct* from the functional scope of what its code does.

Take Ceilometer ("OpenStack Metering"). What happens when they grow to
cover Monitoring ? You rename the project to "OpenStack Metering and
Monitoring" ? Or you keep the partial functional description ? I'd
rather avoid to rename everything every time a project evolves. Those
renames are *extremely* costly, as we'll soon enough realize.

I find the "confusing" argument pretty weak myself. Brands are used
everywhere, so we are used to make the translation between a name and a
function. Microsoft named its desktop environment "Windows", rather than
"Operating system" or "Desktop environment", and it took people about 5
minutes to get used to it.

> Go with kumquat, but don't call the CLI kumquat. Call your team kumquat and your repo kumquat. 

If you call the CLI "os-metering", you'll have to rename it when the
scope expands, or live with a name that looks like a functional
description but is not an accurate one. I very much prefer to call it
"ceilometer".

-- 
Thierry Carrez (ttx)
Release Manager, OpenStack