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Clever release names for creative developers
Ubuntu and its alliterative, animal themes, are the first thing
that comes to our minds when we think of noticeable nomenclatures
used by developers in place of boring, old-fashioned numbers to
label significant releases. More recently theyve released Lucid
Lynx, Maverick Meerkat, and Natty Narwhal. As I write this they are
working on the Oneiric Ocelot release.
Other developers have joined in the fun as well. Android has
made headlines with Froyo, Gingerbread, and Honeycomb, and has
announced the next major version will be dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich.
Apple is running through the list their list of furry Felidae with
Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard. The list of lists goes on, as many
companies, some memorable, some not (did someone say Chicago?),
affix clever code names to their releases.
Why replace a perfectly good numbering system with offbeat
words? Whats wrong with 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and so on? Its boring.
Thats whats wrong. Assigning fun and imaginative names to your
releases does two things. One, it gets your customers excited about
your next release. It gets them involved in a way that numbering
conventions cant do. As consumers, we love talking about when
Honeycomb is going to mature and take over the tablet world. We
anxiously await the release of Apples Lion update.
Sequence-based Identifiers
Alt.boring
As developers, naming releases grants us collective ownership,
and boosts our morale by making everyone part of something. We dont
want to be talking about releases in numbers, theyre too
corporate-esque. We want to speak in code, with intrigue, over
lunch or drinks at happy hour. And when the launch arrives, the
quirky release names transmogrify into even quirkier release
parties, complete with themed DIY decorations and music. Alt.boring
becomes alt.fun.
Creating our own theme for release names
The team here at Intervals recently decided we, too, were
through with using boring old numbers to internally keep track of
our releases. Numerical releases dont lend themselves well to
web-based software because of our agile and iterative development
cycle. We are constantly pushing up new code, tweaking and fine
tuning our online project management software. We needed something
inspiring, nostalgic, and entertaining, before our brains became
card catalogs filled with decimal-pocked releases.
Creating our own theme for release names
Giving our releases more relevant and personable names would
give us more wiggle room, more leeway in pushing up iterative
changes after a major release. Thats why we came up with a naming
convention for major releases based on our collective childhood
experiences with console video game systems. There was only one
console for us the infamous 8-bit video game console known as the
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Yeah, the one with the big
gray cartridges that you had to blow on to clear the dust, the
video console that came with a gun that neither parents nor media
seemed to notice, and what was up with balancing gyros on that
useless robots arms? That NES.
That useless robot has a name its R.O.B.!
But dont expect any upcoming releases from us named Gyromite.
The NES had plenty more games available to play, more than I had
realized, more than enough to creatively label each Intervals
release. Everyone here has bought in to the NES theme and weve
already gone through a few releases with the new naming convention.
We started with Contra, then moved on to Double Dragon, and now
were working on our Excitebike release. Unfortunately, its going to
be a while before we get to my personal favorite, Metroid.
I suppose now well have to go out and get us some NES belt
buckles ;)
Check out the Intervals blog for more articles
The Intervals Blog
A collection of useful tips, tales and opinions based on decades
of collective experience designing and developing web sites and
web-based applications.
www.myintervals.com/blog
Photo credits:
sskennel (solitaire)
crazyoctopus (Nintento Entertainment System)
Velo Steve (Wheel)
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