() Andy Wingo <[email protected]> () Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:00:52 +0200 Another big change is that I renamed the package. The problem was that the package itself isn't really a "guild hall" -- it marks you as a member of the guild, giving you access to various guild halls on the net. After some hemming and hawwing I renamed it to "sigil" -- a graphic sign that marks you as a member of some group.
I kind of dislike the "marked as a member of some group" meme, whether expressed as "guild" or "sigil". Traditionally, guilds were irascibly exclusive, subverting competition, introducing proprietary "extensions" and "trade marks", and (ultimately) capturing and controlling the prevalent regulatory regime. (Side note: For a contemporary example at grander / graver scale, see U.S. SEC MUI memory holing.) It bothers me that there is a "join and (only then you will) be cool" mindset at all. The nice property of tools (and objects, as opposed to organizations, in general, i suppose) is that people do not belong to them, and can share them. If the term "tool" (e.g., "guile-tool") is too boring, might i suggest something exciting but still tool-ish, like "sword" or "club" (or "cudgel" :-D) or "wand" or "knife" or "blade" or "zapper"? Plenty of acronym fodder, there, as well. Or just go w/ acronyms directly: "tool of choice" => "toc", "advanced package tool" => "apt", etc. BTW, I think the long word "guile-package-manager" is fine, too. You can alias "sigil" to that, as that strikes your fancy, and others can do the same, or different, as it strikes theirs. [...] Looks pretty cool; keep up the good work!
