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Not using version numbers as such
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Arantor

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Not using version numbers as such
« on May 27th, 2013, 05:21 PM »
OK, so after yet another badly worded support question "using smf 2.0.4 or something like that", it made me wonder, should we consider not using numbers for versions but instead using names?

I am still amazed how many people mangle the version number with SMF to date.

I don't mean doing quite what Ubuntu does, I don't see us doing Messed-Up Mallard or Braindead Badger or whatever the hell they're naming Ubuntu these days - nor do I quite have the same idea we had for SimpleDesk, which was to give each release an animal theme (and we all had appropriate avatars, the first round we all had cat avatars and named it Felidae, the cat species, the second round was Anatidae for ducks)

I just think we could use something a bit different to give them names. My gut instinct is to go with mythological names but I know phpBB did that (they have Olympus and other such mythological names) and I'd rather do something a bit different.

Thoughts?

(I just figure that if we go for distinctive names it'll be easier than trying to get people to get the version *number* right)
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xrunner

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My Forum - Atheist Think Tank

Arantor

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #2, on May 27th, 2013, 06:07 PM »
Some good ideas there :)

There's always rare stones, e.g Sapphire, Topaz, Garnet, etc. (just not Ruby :lol:)... "Wedge, the jewel of the forum world" :lol:

I wonder what @Nao thinks.

kimikelku

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icari

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #4, on May 27th, 2013, 07:05 PM »
good luck with people remembering the name that they have installed or upgraded to. i bet in a short amount of time some users will have issues remembering which version they are running.

Arantor

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #5, on May 27th, 2013, 07:06 PM »
Would that really be any worse than what users do now with SMF?

If just one person gets it right that wouldn't have otherwise, that's a net win, yes?

Nao

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #6, on May 27th, 2013, 09:31 PM »
Constellations? Star names? Mizar, Dubhe, Alkaid... gotta love these Ursa Major stars.

Or something else entirely...

Arantor

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #7, on May 27th, 2013, 09:34 PM »
On that note a certain star system from a certain space faring game comes to mind[1] :lol:

I'm good with anything that gives us plenty of distinctive names that isn't really used by anyone else. Egyptian mythology is cool, constellations and star names are cool. Not quite so keen on element names unless we pick the obscure ones, heh. Francium comes to mind :lol: And Europium.
 1. The original version of Elite back in the 1980s had procedural systems and whatnot, generated from lookup tables, one of which managed to generate Arse as a system name.

icari

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #8, on May 27th, 2013, 09:54 PM »
Quote from Arantor on May 27th, 2013, 07:06 PM
Would that really be any worse than what users do now with SMF?

If just one person gets it right that wouldn't have otherwise, that's a net win, yes?
and how many may get it wrong? :P either way people will get it wrong or not remember correctly

Arantor

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #9, on May 27th, 2013, 09:56 PM »
That's the beauty, if they don't remember correctly, they just need to be 'almost right'.

But how many people get the SMF version number wrong. Only today I've seen '1.18' (1.1.18), 20.4, 2.4 2.4rc (all actually meaning 2.0.4)... give them a name to focus on instead and it'll be clearer. Sure we can still use a number internally but name seems a better prospect all in all to me.

* Arantor is amazed there is someone with a lower opinion of user intelligence than him

icari

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #10, on May 27th, 2013, 10:24 PM »
oh there has been people posting they have 1.1.8 when i think they mean 1.1.18 :P makes the support team think they have a insecure version

Arantor

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #11, on May 27th, 2013, 10:32 PM »
Exactly. It's that kind of thing I want to deal with. People aren't built for numbers.

You ask them what kind of car they have, they can almost always tell you the make and model, but not so much the year it came out. People are just better, generally, at associating names with things rather than numbers, it's just how we're built.

icari

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xrunner

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #13, on May 27th, 2013, 11:30 PM »
Playing with more names (OK I'm boerd at the moment :))

All from here -

Seventh Sanctum

Names with an 'evil' sound, based on Tolkein's languages-

Bendu
Dorgongu
Kotung
Lillaron
Mormetu
Nagliaur
Wenglrantu

More collected names -

Shiverclaw
Fangslice
Ironsnare
Stonemace
Springsnare
Flamespell
Ripvenom

Fantasy materials -

Mentalium
Neorus
Nioberus
Sarcorus
Uranisite
Vanadon
Bromogen
Calcogen
Photium
Plutonite
Radite

^^^ This type seems pretty cool. Easy to remember but unique.

Before we can help you, what version of Wedge are you using JohannB[1]?

Mentalium! :yobrother:
 1. LOL :troll:

biza

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Re: Not using version numbers as such
« Reply #14, on May 27th, 2013, 11:53 PM »
hi,
whatever name theme you choose, it should be on some order so people can know if you are talking about newer or older version. Ubuntu and Google (Android) are doing alphabet order, but it will be cooler to have some other order...

Maybe you can open this forum memberlist, sort it by date (older first) and start naming versions... that could be fun...

Cheers!
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I asked my people to take a look at Wedge »