Phoenix needs a new name

Discussion of general topics about Mozilla Firefox
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Kamui
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Post by Kamui »

djnrempel wrote:But how is sunbird better than firebird? Not sure why its getting suggested...


Not quite as common and trademark-prone a word?
pftpft
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Post by pftpft »

Since the browser is the face to the web,
and the web is constantly changing,
what we need is a name for the face that is constantly changing:

JACKO
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scratch
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Post by scratch »

djnrempel wrote:But how is sunbird better than firebird? Not sure why its getting suggested...


It's a personal preference. Some people think it sounds better.
nrm
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Post by nrm »

Confusion reigns in this discussion.

Perhaps its wise to recall what this Phoenix browser is all about.

It's small and convenient to download, which is supposed to give
it broad appeal. The name has to be suggestive of its purpose,
or else you have a basic branding problem. The name has
to be meaningful. Microsoft may give it's internal releases names like
Redmond, but externally the name is always something
recognisable. It just makes sense.

Don't suggest a name unless it means something. No one
cares whether you like it or not. What's important is this:
is it meaningful. You should be able to back up your suggestion
with _reasons_ why its meaningful.

Which of these names has any correspondance with the
basic activity of using a Web browser - sorting, searching and
window-shopping through information, and communicating?

Scamp
Fox / Phox <-- Fox: maybe
Arias
Echo <-- maybe
Magpie <-- maybe
Athena
Firebird
Swoop
Equinox

Also, the name has to be approved by some module owner, who is a programmer.
No programer is going to go for Athena when it's an existing GUI library. That
doesn't make any sense. Mozilla doesn't even use Athena.

If you want your name to be successful, put some thought into the
names you propose.

- Nigel
Nigel McFarlane - Analysis, Programming, Writing.
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flii
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Post by flii »

nrm wrote:Don't suggest a name unless it means something. No one cares whether you like it or not. What's important is this: is it meaningful. You should be able to back up your suggestion with _reasons_ why its meaningful.

Which of these names has any correspondance with the basic activity of using a Web browser - sorting, searching and window-shopping through information, and communicating?

Scamp
Fox / Phox <-- Fox: maybe
Arias
Echo <-- maybe
Magpie <-- maybe
Athena
Firebird
Swoop
Equinox

obviously you dont read the forum or even this thread, hmm?
- arias was suggested by a developer in another thread, where a detailed description of it was debated.
- athena was suggested a long time ago in this same thread with a lengthy post about why it fits.
- firebird is the same thing as phoenix, for all intents and purposes. phoenix is a firebird.
- scamp was suggested in another thread but i quoted the op in this forum. scamp stands for Standards-Compliant And Multi-Platform.

i suggest you get your head out of your own confused world and look around you. hardly anybody ever reads the whole thread before they start posting their high-handed opinions. you are simply another case in point.
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Radiowriter
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Post by Radiowriter »

I've changed my mind since this discussion began. At first (or somewhere in there), I thought that Firebird was a logical replacement for Phoenix. Then I realized that both of those names - and many others that have been suggested - are (or seem) linked to the past in some way. Perhaps this browser should have a more enduring, more "modern"-sounding name. The only ones in nrm's "short list" that fit, in my opinion, are Echo and Equinox. These sound like names that could stand the test of time. I don't think you could sell a young generation of web-surfers on a browser called "Magpie." No offense intended but think about it. Mariner and Athena have an "Old World" flavor to them. This is 2002. Any thoughts?
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tinker galoot
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Phoenix Browser

Post by tinker galoot »

Why not call it Phoenix Browser? The other company can't Trademark that name, and it alleviates any current Trademark infringement that they might be threatening you with, because it is substantially different from just "Phoenix". You guys have built up quite a significant amount of support, brand loyalty and goodwill with your current name, and it would be a shame to see that diminished because of the pettiness of the other company.
nobody2234
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Re: Phoenix Browser

Post by nobody2234 »

tinker galoot wrote:Why not call it Phoenix Browser?


You haven't read the whole thread have you? It has to change, deal with it.
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priior
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Post by priior »

the more i say it my mind.. the more im digging it... Echo...

tough one to make a logo/icon for tho...


firebird.. is too... 80's.. the only image that comes up in my mind is the ugly pontiac. :)
emvious
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Post by emvious »

priior wrote:the more i say it my mind.. the more im digging it... Echo...

tough one to make a logo/icon for tho...


Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Maybe some type of stylized E, but Internet Explorer already has that.

I was also thinking of "Io". In addition to the celestial body/greek mythology thing, Webster's also defines it as "An exclamation of joy or triumph". Then there's the resemblance to binary, and to "input/output". It's small (like the browser), and assumedly easy to pronounce in any language.

Might be too close to IE, though.

Another suggestion I found that turned out to be mentioned here is "Meridian". It sort of ties in with the Navigator/Mariner theme, and also means "pertaining to the highest point or culmination". Maybe the devs want to distance themselves from Navigator, though.

Damn, just Googled "Meridian browser"... It's the name of an company that makes software for Internet kiosks. So much for that idea...

I think without the developers telling us what kind of name they want, we are just shooting in the dark. Blake liked Arias. From this, we might assume that they are looking for a word that invokes a "feeling" more than necessarily being a real word. Maybe this is the best way to go to avoid trademark conflicts. I think if the developers are still looking for suggestions, they should give us guidance on the type of name they want, or their "short list" so far so that we can see what they are interested in.
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xah
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scamp? are you sure?

Post by xah »

Main Entry: scamp

Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: primarystressskamp, -aa(schwa)mp, -aimp

Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: obsolete scamp to roam about idly, perhaps short for scamper
1 archaic : HIGHWAYMAN
2 a : a scheming person : RASCAL, ROGUE <an insincere but ambitious scamp -- Lucien Warner> b : a usually young person given to impish playful tricks <a shocking young scamp of a rover -- W.S.Gilbert>
3 [so called from its ability to steal bait without being caught] : a West Indian grouper (Mycteroperca falcata)
synonym see VILLAIN
nrm
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Post by nrm »

Ouch, flamed. Must attempt to sound groovier when being constructive.
I did read the whole thread(s), but I also read about 5 billion other things.

These comments are great:

>I've changed my mind since this discussion began. At first (or somewhere in there), I thought
> that Firebird was a logical replacement for Phoenix. Then I realized that both of those names > - and many others that have been suggested - are (or seem) linked to the past in some way.
> Perhaps this browser should have a more enduring, more "modern"-sounding name. The only
> ones in nrm's "short list" that fit, in my opinion, are Echo and Equinox. These sound like names
> that could stand the test of time. I don't think you could sell a young generation of web-surfers
> on a browser called "Magpie." No offense intended but think about it. Mariner and Athena have
>an "Old World" flavor to them. This is 2002. Any thoughts?

Phoenix-renamed is a late-entrant to the browser market. The major browser offerings
are therefore conservative. Phoenix needs to have a non-conservative image to start
with. I agree with the remarks about getting away from an "Olde Worlde" kind of name
for that reason. Traditional names are so ho-hum.

I don't know about "younger generation" browser-adopters. I think extremely young
adults spend a lot of time trying to find a radical and new position in society, so trying
to predict their tastes is tricky. I guess they're an immediate goal, but the majority of
the market is probably 20-35s, although I have no facts to point to. They're the
"technology boomers" if you like. I guess the very young are more likely to adopt
new technology, so that makes them role models for others to follow. Phoenix
isn't new technology, though. It's a web browser. Very young people are likely
to leap straight past web browsers to something radically newer, as they did with
ICQ and Napster. Perhaps Chandler, or whatever.

Liking Phoenix technology isn't a revolution, its like picking a football team.
There's no point making a name that suits the current supporters of the
team - they're already persuaded, whether young or old. It's people who don't
care yet that need to be persuaded.

Echo sounds modern. Equinox too, but I am still worried it means nothing to people.
I'm an amateur astronomer, and it means "halfway" or "equal" to me.
Magpie still seems good to me. Those birds are fierce and I love being a pest anyway :-)

The word Phoenix isn't conservative or established, why lose that positive swing with
an old-fashioned replacement.

Another way to proceed is to identify everything unpleasant about Microsoft Outlook
and pick a name that says the opposite. I hereby propose a thread: "What's Bad about Outlook" that can be used to inspire a new phoenix name.

- Nigel.
Nigel McFarlane - Analysis, Programming, Writing.
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priior
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Post by priior »

using ur Anti outlook logic...

im surprised nobody mentioned "Pixie" yet.

it sounds like phoenix (kinda)
it evokes ideas of lightness and agility
simplicity
goodness
small size
enchantment

and the logo/icon possibilities are endless!

and it's easy to spell and pronounce...

pixie

"do you use ie? no.. i use pixie"

pixie
pixie
pixie
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Radiowriter
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Post by Radiowriter »

Sarcasm - Another service I offer.
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priior
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Post by priior »

DOH!
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