On Wed, Jul 2, 2008 at 4:01 AM, Craig Latta <craig at netjam.org> wrote:
> It seemed to me that Igor was looking for a name that would evoke
> "multi-headedness", and "Hydra" certainly does that. I don't think it falls
> into the same category as names like "Zeus" or "Thor", which I assume were
> symptomatic of power fantasies with no further meaning. It's the lack of
> meaning that I see as the problem, I think the mythic quality is otherwise
> irrelevant.

>     While were at it, though...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briareos_Hecatonchires
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecatonchires

but it's long :-)


>
>> Smalltalk comes from Alan Kay's distaste for the kinds of names people
>> were using for programming languages in the 60's & 70's, names like
>> Zeus and Thor.  Hence Smalltalk.
>
>     I think "Smalltalk" was a terrible choice. Pretty much everyone to whom
> I've mentioned it thinks it's too long, and it immediately makes them think
> of annoying obligatory chit-chat, something they hate (as either speaker or
> listener).
>
>     And how unfortunately ironic would it be to act with such deference to
> an authority figure expressing his distaste for authority figures? :) I
> don't think we should treat Alan Kay like a god, either...
>
>     Oh, and Cog is a great name. :)
>
>
> -C
>
> --
> Craig Latta
> improvisational musical informaticist
> www.netjam.org
> Smalltalkers do: [:it | All with: Class, (And love: it)]
>
>
>



-- 
Damien Pollet
type less, do more [ | ] http://people.untyped.org/damien.pollet