Name

From SchemePunks

[edit] The Name for our new Scheme Standard

"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."

Attributed to Donald Knuth.

A new language definition, composed by a new set of people with a new technical style, a new poitical process, and a new set of goals, is a good thing, but it needs a new name. Simply as a matter of branding I consider it confusing to recycle the 'Revised^N Report on the Algorithmic Language Scheme' title - a joke that was tired years ago, by the way - for something that is clearly not in the spirit of previous Scheme reports, much less the Algol 60 report. Public understanding of the programming language literature is bad enough - Scheme doesn't need this additional source of identity crisis.

Jonathan Rees

[edit] Requirements

• The name should be unique enough to be useful in on-line searches. If it includes the all too common word "scheme", it should have another word that in combination makes the phrase unique (enough).

[edit] Suggestions

I just need to point out that I have *four* in my notebooks right now. I suspect that, if we have success, the wider community will label it with something that is fairly durable - like 'Scheme'. But what the heck, this is the fun stuff. I think I would prefer a recursive acronym, but I haven't come up with one yet. drr 2007-08-29T18:07+0000

Proposed: R7RS

Rationale: It's simple, recognizable, and inline with the traditional process. It also has a bigger number than R6RS. ;-) Why not use it? --Arcfide 09:44, 29 August 2007 (PDT)

Because we have to choose our battles, and fighting over The One True RnRS is silly and entirely wasteful.

See above where I've added Rees's comment on this, we do not need to add more confusion to this mess. Hga 09:55, 29 August 2007 (PDT)

Proposed: \x3BB

Rationale: It's completely unpronounceable (in the grand tradition of INTERCAL) and is the Unicode code-point value of our favorite Greek letter as rendered in R6RS Scheme. drr 2007-08-29T18:07+0000

Proposed: BALDRICK

Rationale: Better Algorithmic, Logical and Denotational Recursive Insurrection and Cabal Killer. It's also a 'Cunning Plan' In the grand tradition of Scheme, Planner, Conniver, and Sir Edmund Blackadder. drr 2007-08-29T18:07+0000

This one I like. It fits, with a twist, into the naming scheme, so to speak, but is unique enough if you use the following base for your search: BALDRICK +scheme -blackadder. And while it has been used for an expert system construction kit of no immediately apparent notability, BALDRICK +scheme -blackadder +"computer language" produces exactly 8 hits from Google.

Depending on your attitude towards BALDRICK Scheme, you can pick the first season or the others ^_^. Hga 13:05, 29 August 2007 (PDT)

This is a bit hard to pronounce in some languages. I think it would be better to have a more pronounceable name. --Arcfide 14:52, 29 August 2007 (PDT)

In general, we must be careful to avoid over-constraining the space in which we can select solutions. This is a good argument (e.g. Japanese has only one sound for both L and R), but not I think a controlling one. How many computer language names (of the sort we can use, no single letters, please) are generally pronounceable? Hga 15:27, 29 August 2007 (PDT)

Proposed: CS^2

Rationale: The Acronym stands for "Core Scheme for Computer Scientists" and has a highly desirable semantic concinnity of purpose and is easy to remember. drr 2007-08-29T18:07+0000

Proposed: HF^2

Rationale: Higher-order Functions and Human Factors. Boring, but it does fit in a general sense. I actually thought of this before CS^2. drr 2007-08-29T18:07+0000

Proposed: nuScheme

Rationale: It's pretty easy to pronounce, it associates the language with Scheme, and it has a nice Greek Letter representation, which would go along with Lambda. --Arcfide 14:54, 29 August 2007 (PDT)

Proposed: Schism

Rationale: Accuracy in advertising. Unfortunately, it was (is?) in use for a partial evaluator.

"Truth In Advertising" is the USA phrase. Unfortunately, it's also too common to search on by itself. "Schism Scheme" produces 10 hits from Google.

I do wonder if we should emphasize the very real schism in Scheme, especially in this way; I think most of us would argue that R⁶RS is the dialect in schism from the Mother Church of Scheme (that's why one of the labels for our effort that I'm using is the Counter-Reformation). Hga

Proposed: Schismeme

Rationale: Like the previous one, with a simultaneous nod to hip-hop gangsters and linguists. It's probably easily searchable, too.

Very, only 3 Google hits, two in French, one in a supposed English-Chinese dictionary. This one obscures or at least de-emphasizes the "schism", and initially sounds rather clever to my ears. Hga 01:53, 31 August 2007 (PDT)

Proposed: KernelScheme

Rationale: I really prefer CoreScheme as the group is about maintaining core values but KernelScheme has a similar sense -- a kernel standard for the Scheme language -- and gets only 2 hits on Google. User:kend

Proposed: ConsScheme

Rationale: Conservative Scheme. Gets 0 hits on Google. User:kend