tale@its.rpi.edu (David C Lawrence) (02/06/89)
I wish that I could help Mr True, but I am unfamiliar with
that package. The "cc" I know is of a different sort.
This brings up something in my mind that has been bothering me lately.
Why do some people/companies release software which has names
identical to already popular names? Now in this case it is quite
possible that the Systems Engineering programme which Frederick is
looking for predated a whole family of C compilers all named cc
(various UNIX flavours, MS-DOS, Primos, a few others); in this case
what I am saying does not apply. However there are other programmes
out there which share similar or identical names to popular software
and it can get confusing.
Say I was talking to my friend John Snajer, the Systems Engineer, and
I happen to mention that I need cc. Well he knows about that great
programme and in fact has it, so he loans me his. I load it up hoping
to crunch through some C programmes I have waiting to be compiled and
instead find, much to my surprise, something completely different.
Have you ever tried to talk to someone about reading news in GNU
Emacs? The two currently popular packages are named GNUS and Gnews.
Half of my time gets wasted by trying to clarify which one I mean
anytime I mention either name.
There are other examples, all of which escape my tired, hungry mind at
the moment. I'd only like to say that if you, as a software
developer, are working on a programme for which you expect many more
than just two or three people to use, please chose a name for it that
doesn't conflict with another piece of software out there. If you are
unsure, check around -- ask a couple of people from systems, research,
et al. Half of the selling of a book is in the title... :-)
I have an appointment to keep with a bacon & cheese potato. Excuse me.
Dave
--
tale@rpitsmts.bitnet, tale%mts@rpitsgw.rpi.edu, tale@pawl.rpi.edu