Comments on Ataraxis Software (Michael Sica): A Name Comes Together

packphour,Company name:http://www.michaelsica.com/...

2005-06-06T09:12:00.000-04:00

packphour,

Company name:
http://www.michaelsica.com/ataraxissoftware/2005/05/i-need-to-name-it.html

at-ar-axis

I'm leaning slightly towards Unity as it makes mor...

2005-06-06T08:41:00.000-04:00

I'm leaning slightly towards Unity as it makes more sense to me for a piece of project management software. Projection is OK too but that of course seems more like some type of presentation or communication software.

Is it too late to vote against your choice of comp...

2005-06-06T00:48:00.000-04:00

Is it too late to vote against your choice of company name or did I miss the explanation of why it's ingenious and not tongue tying?

Mike,I like the idea of having the company name be...

2005-06-05T08:45:00.000-04:00

Mike,

I like the idea of having the company name be the unique or compound word which in your case, is Ataraxis - while the product name be something easy to remember and simple.

I think either Projection or Unity (not spelled funky and trendy with an "i") would work well, ala:

Ataraxis Projection
or
Ataraxis Unity

It's sort of similar to say, Adobe Illustrator, or Macromedia Flash - unique company name, simple product name. I think that naming convention regardless of what you choose will go far.

Joel Spolsky just posted a link to an article titl...

2005-06-04T22:25:00.000-04:00

Joel Spolsky just posted a link to an article titled, "Product naming," on the Project Aardvark blog.

"Look around you into the world of ‘real’ products: Extra doesn’t give you any clues that it’s sugar-free, nor that it’s gum. Cap’n Crunch isn’t the name of a cereal, it’s the name of a fun character created specifically to hawk cereal. Nesquik doesn’t tell you anything about milkshakes. Vegemite doesn’t give you a damn clue that it’s some kind of yeast extract… though if you’re familiar with Promite or Marmite you might be getting the hint."

A semicolon is used to separate two related senten...

2005-06-04T17:03:00.000-04:00

A semicolon is used to separate two related sentences.

"I don't want to go outside today; It's raining."

What you wanted was a full colon.

And I like "Uniti", I suppose, but you really ought to spell it properly: "Unity". It looks like a half-finished word spelled your way, I think.

That, and every company has a limit to how many words they can make up for them and their products. Cross that line and you smell like a 90's dotcommer and that is a smell to avoid.

Sorry Michael, +1 for "Projection" from me, althou...

2005-06-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

Sorry Michael, +1 for "Projection" from me, although I doubt the domain name is available (I'm sure you've checked).

P.S. Why does this comments system insist on lowercasing names? Grrr...

"(Here's a hint: if you like my product for a long...

2005-06-04T10:16:00.000-04:00

"(Here's a hint: if you like my product for a long time, you'll like, want, and need the features I'm referring to.)"

I wrote that at about 2:00 am. Here is what I meant, "(Here's a hint: if you USE my product for a long time, you'll like, want, and need the features I'm referring to.)"

These guys have tapped the reasoning behind why I ...

2005-06-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

These guys have tapped the reasoning behind why I thought "Projection" was good in the first place: it has the word "project" in it, it denotes looking in to the future ("projecting" thoughts toward the end result), and it's short enough to be catchy. It's also a play on words, which will make it sound cool.

Uniti isn't bad, but kind of sounds like a Linux distro.

Don't worry, I won't charge you royalties if you use it... just put a small mention in the "About" window, and buy me a Ferrari when you become the next Bill Gates. :)

> Uniti sounds like a Black Panther spin-off.Agree...

2005-06-04T03:56:00.000-04:00

> Uniti sounds like a Black Panther spin-off.

Agreed.

In the end though it doesn't matter what the rest of think. If you like Uniti and think it will work then go with it.

All right, we've got 3 votes for Projection! :)I'm...

2005-06-04T02:08:00.000-04:00

All right, we've got 3 votes for Projection! :)

I'm going to explain my initial decision a little more. Let's see if that changes anyones mind.

---

1) To my ears "Uniti" (pronounced the same as "Unity") sounds pretty.

2) As far as conveying information about my product... When I hear the word, "Uniti", the imagery in my head is that of a perfect symphony of people working together. In my mind it also produces a feeling of organization.

Team work/communication and organization are extremely important aspects of the Projects I've managed. When any of those areas is lacking, the projects don't go as smoothly as you'd like them to.

3) The 1.0 feature list is not 100% locked down. But my vision is that the application will not only help you manage your project via a task list but also act as a central hub for all of the Project information and communication. I have a few fantastic features planned that build on that concept. I don't want to get into the details because of how far I am from having it done, but they all tie back to the concept of unity - togetherness, singleness, harmony. (Here's a hint: if you like my product for a long time, you'll like, want, and need the features I'm referring to.)

---

Do you guys still prefer Projection? It just sounds like all the other PM apps out there. (I've looked at a ton of them.) Don't get me wrong. I like Projection! I just don't feel a connection to it like I do with Uniti.

Keep 'em coming guys. I need this kind of feedback.

Hands-Down "Projection". It sounds like your produ...

2005-06-04T01:55:00.000-04:00

Hands-Down "Projection". It sounds like your product will help project managers organize their time and predict future scheduling. Uniti sounds like a Black Panther spin-off.

P.S. If you ever get into groupware Uniti would be...

2005-06-04T01:22:00.000-04:00

P.S. If you ever get into groupware Uniti would be a cool name.

I don't like it. Sorry. I like Projection better. ...

2005-06-04T01:20:00.000-04:00

I don't like it. Sorry. I like Projection better. Or even Projexis. It sounds like project and has the -xis at the end like Ataraxis. Uniti just doesn't convey much meaning in the way of explaining what it is your product does. I think the purpose should be readily apparent in the name.

I have a fear of giving the app a name with "Proje...

2005-06-04T01:03:00.000-04:00

I have a fear of giving the app a name with "Project" in it. I feel like it limits your imagination of what the application can do. Having "Project" or "Task" in the title just seems to generic.

Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I just feel limited by a "Project" based name.

Nothing is set in stone so please keep the comments coming!

I like "Projection". It follows the simple word sc...

2005-06-04T00:44:00.000-04:00

I like "Projection". It follows the simple word scheme of most professional applications - "Firefox", "Word", "Office", "Safari", is easy to spell, and will probably hit high on google when it becomes semi popular.

...and that's a no on the semicolon question. :)

- Andrey