[Portland] A practical observation about the name DAPI

[Lubos Lunak]

On Tuesday 14 March 2006 15:34, Dan Kegel wrote:
> Hi all,
> while I like the name DAPI, I have to point out that
> I've already used an API named DAPI.  In fact,
> if you do a google search for DAPI, you get about
> a million hits.

 Most of which actually seem to be related to chemistry. And there seem to be 
several APIs called DAPI, none of which I've heard about before.

> When naming a package, it's a good idea to
> remember that many people look for documentation
> by googling the name of the package,
> and therefore to pick a name that does not
> already generate more than a handful of hits.
>
> The names OPDAPI (Out of Process Desktop api)
> and LBDAPI (Late Binding Desktop API), for instance,
> get no real hits on google.  Other, better, names
> are probably easy to find, given a modicum of inspiration.
>
> Anyway, I just wanted to urge y'all to consider
> the search-as-primary-navigation-technique issue
> before the name DAPI is set in stone.

 Well, it can move up in Google hits if it gains popularity (KDE has 106M 
hits, is everyday Czech word and yet we're first). Especially for searches 
like "dapi linux" or "dapi desktop" (where my more or less publically unknown 
announcement mail is actually hit #10 already). I don't think this is that 
big problem.

 That said, if somebody comes up with a better name (which neither of the 
above seem to be to me), I don't care much. I myself am pretty bad at names.

-- 
Lubos Lunak
KDE developer
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