I want to get feedback from everyone on a difficult but potentially pretty important question. First, to frame the discussion – as you all know by now, we launched the Spark IM client last week and the reception has been great so far. Some of you were aware of the project under development before it was launched. At that time, we were calling it Jive Communicator. However, about two days before launch we decided that name was simply too boring and generic; hence “Spark” was born.
The whole Spark launch process made us think about the Jive Messenger name more carefully. We realized there are some significant issues with it:
Jive Messenger sounds like the name of a client and not necessarily a server.
The word “Messenger” is used in many, many IM products and isn’'t very distinctive.
Jive Messenger and Spark don’‘t sound like they’'re connected in any particular way.
Of course, Jive Messenger is fairly well known at this point so that’'s a big advantage of the current name. However, with the release of Spark, the community will definitely grow much larger. So, now is also a great time to make any changes as we spread the word about a full IM solution.
So, considering all those factors, the feedback we’'re looking for is:
Should the name “Jive Messenger” be changed?
If Jive Messenger is changed, what should the name be? We’'d love suggestions. One current favorite is Ignite. The Ignite IM server and Spark IM client seem to go pretty well together as names.
This would be a somewhat gradual process, but we’'re eager for your feedback so that we can decide whether to move forward or not.
As much as I like the name Messenger there have been instances where I’'ve been talking about it and people (both technical and non-technical) have been confused because the name Messenger seems to be so closely associated with Microsoft’s IM client. So, I think the short term confusion that may occur with a name change would be more than made up in the long term by going with a unique name like Ignite.
I’'ve been very pleased with Jive, and have no problem at all with a name change. Ignite Server would be a great name to combine with the Spark IM client.
Hmmm, Ignite[/b] I like it. Product naming is always hard, especially when there are marketing people in the room. They either don’‘t get the techno-puns or try to layer a bunch of subtle “meaning” on the name. It also never fails that if you hit upon something you really like someone, in some unrelated industry, has already trademarked it and you can’'t use it.
Anyway, I’‘ll use Messenger regardless of what you call it. FWIW around here we refer to instances as “switches” rather than “servers” since it seems to reflect what it’'s doing a little better.
i agree that this not very clean “construction”. Not pleasant to pronounce BTW, how does it sounds? As i was searching the dictionary i came upon latin word Ignis Fatuus (something like “wandering fire”). I like Ignis better
Anyway, we all will get used to any name after all. Though Ignite and Spark are connected by meanings. But maybe JM server’‘s new name should mean it’'s user-friendlinest, convinience etc.?
Thanks to everyone for the feedback so far, and especially for your name suggestions! Based on all the conversations we’‘ve had with people so far, it looks like we’‘re going to move forward with a name change. I’‘m going to put together a schedule and some more documentation around this process. I’‘ll also collect all the name suggestions we’'ve gotten and post up another thread to get more official feedback on that question.
We’‘d still love to get more perspectives from people on the name change – especially if you think it’'s a bad idea!
You just KNEW I couldn’'t shut up about this topic right?
Anyway,
I like Ignite (over Spark), Flame, or Ardor (look it up ) for the client.
I like Ignite better than Spark because, well, Spark sounds kind of “wimpy” to me.
I like ColdFire (yea i know it doesn’'t make sense), FireJabber, Inferno, Blaze, or Pyre for the server.
I was going to say I liked “WildFire” which I saw a few messages back but thinking about it more, it sounds like something that is out of control. I don’'t like leaving that impression.
Of course I probably have other ideas but I figured I’'d throw this set out first for public bashing heh.
+1 for changing the name of Jive Messenger (for all the aforementioned reasons)
+1 for changing Spark because I think it sounds wimpy, too.
-1 for using the name: Ignite
+1 for thinking of names outside of the “fire” theme
What about names along a communication or transmission theme like “Wire” or “Proclaim”? Those types of names make more sense for what the product actually is… “Jive Wire” has a nice ring to it while maintaining the Jive brand.
Just to explain the term I threw out there if you didn’'t get it before:
Wire[/b]: Jabber is a modern-day telegraph (sending ones and zeroes, just doing it very fast). Sending things through the “wire” was a term for sending a telelgraph, where the wire itself was the telegraph service. Endpoints of telegraphs were physically connected through a wire. A Jabber server virtually connects things, hence “wiring” them together.
Also, JiveWire sounds like that wonderful Mountain Dew drink with a cool logo: LiveWire…
I just decided to try to steer clear from picking a theme that doesn’‘t hook to technology… it’‘s ok if everyone wants to look for the terms of a momma and the suckling off her… I don’'t have any power here, heh.
