Tom Walsh schrieb: > ik wrote: >> Hi, >> >> I wonder how can we make Pascal and FPC more attractive to people, and >> I believe in what Donal Knuth have said: >> >> "The most important thing in the programming language is the name. A >> language will not succeed without a good name. I have recently >> invented a very good name and now I am looking for a suitable >> language." >> >> So I believe that if we will change the name, it might help. What do >> you think ? And what name will you prefer to see FPC as ? >> >> > > FWIW, I am in the early stages of a commercial development using Free > Pascal and have to submit weekly progress reports. I cringe whenever I > have to put the phrase "Free Pascal Compiler" in the report! This > project is with a company that just spent 4+ million US dollars on a > Java solution (client and server side) to replace all their old Pascal > code, then, their clients told them they didn't like the Java solution, > that they wanted to keep using the Pascal stuff! > > Not that the compiler is junky, but the word "Free" does have a negative > connotation. Many business people still associate "free software" with > that of being low-quality.
Probably the same negative connotation I have with "business people" and the quality of "business software" :) > Business people are used to paying thousands > of dollars for any development software worthy of notice, the word > "free" doesn't fit into their thinking. > > Using the word "free" while reporting, or talking to them, about the > project is an oxymoron. I am not "free", I get a substantial hourly rate. > > If you renamed it to the "Open Source Pascal Compiler" it would be more > accurate? Well, the name Free Pascal Compiler has some history. Initially, I called it FPK Pascal. FPK are my initials. But a lot of people though it means Florian's Pascal Kompiler making Compiler a semi german word (Kompiler with K is never used in German though). Further, when other people joined, I thought the name FPK Pascal isn't appropriate anymore so we looked for a new name which was not that different from the old one and Free Pascal Compiler was a good choice regarding this. > > Oh, and please, please change the name soon, ok? I have a lot more of > these reports to write... Register a website businesspascal.biz and make the fpc installer available there so you can write Business Pascal in your reports ;) > > > Regards, > > TomW > > _______________________________________________ fpc-pascal maillist - fpc-pascal@lists.freepascal.org http://lists.freepascal.org/mailman/listinfo/fpc-pascal
