Re: The naming question (Postgres vs PostgreSQL)

From: "Gavin M(dot) Roy" <gmr(at)myyearbook(dot)com>
To: Decibel! <decibel(at)decibel(dot)org>
Cc: "Bruce Momjian" <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us>, "Joshua D(dot) Drake" <jd(at)commandprompt(dot)com>, "Greg Sabino Mullane" <greg(at)turnstep(dot)com>, pgsql-advocacy(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: The naming question (Postgres vs PostgreSQL)
Date: 2007-08-31 21:09:43
Message-ID: af1bce590708311409s2fea7168ifad3fac80b8bea10@mail.gmail.com
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For what it's worth, the box on the shelf behind me says "Great Bridge
PostgreSQL"

On 8/31/07, Decibel! <decibel(at)decibel(dot)org> wrote:
> On Aug 30, 2007, at 12:28 PM, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > Again, long term vs. short term. If we don't change it we will be
> > having
> > awkward pronunciations forever, and taking the marketing hit for that
> > forever. There is going to be short term pain, but long term gain.
>
> This isn't even about only awkward pronunciation... PostgreSQL is,
> flat-out, a *bad* name. It's akin to Ford calling a car
> "MustangELECTRICSTART" because the car has an electric starter.
> Perhaps having SQL support was novel at some point in Postgres
> history, but it's certainly not today.
>
> Yes, there's printed material that will have to be re-done. Big
> whoop. If SPI and the corporate entities don't want to handle that
> cost, I'll put up $500 of my own. If names didn't get changed because
> of marketing material, we'd still be calling microwave ovens "radar
> range"s.
>
> As someone else mentioned, this issue is going to get worse as time
> goes on. And I'll bet that eventually the marketplace will actually
> decide on a name for us, simply because the name we have now is, at
> best, confusing.
>
> Someone mentioned companies that are already using Postgres instead
> of PostgreSQL. I think it says something that the last 3 companies
> that have started up with PostgreSQL (Greenplum, Pervasive,
> EnterpriseDB) have shunned the name. Heck, Greenplum and EnterpriseDB
> have shunned the name multiple times (names that don't contain
> PostgreSQL but could: Greenplum, MPP, Bizgres, EnterpriseDB,
> EnterpriseDB Advanced Server, EnterpriseDB Postgres). Oh, I forgot
> ExtenDB, too.
>
> Did Greatbridge even use the term PostgreSQL?
>
> We can poke fun at marketing people all we want, but like it or not
> they're *trained* in how to make people want to use something. I know
> Pervasive and EnterpriseDB both have marketing people on staff, and
> I'm guessing Greenplum does as well. They recognize that Postgres is
> a better name than PostgreSQL. If we care about advocating the use of
> this database, perhaps we should heed that wisdom and figure out the
> best way to change the name and then move on.
> --
> Decibel!, aka Jim Nasby decibel(at)decibel(dot)org
> EnterpriseDB http://enterprisedb.com 512.569.9461 (cell)
>
>
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