INFRNO, say it ain't so!

I just read on Alessandro's blog that there is talk of changing the name of AMFPHP to INFRNO. The first thing that popped into my head when I read this was: "Is it April 1st?"

AMFPHP makes Flash Remoting accessible to a larger number of developers than any other technology. I've seen this reflected in its apparently large (and growing) userbase in the audience polls I take at my talks. However, Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility... although a name change to a fun acronym may initially sound like a great idea, I would urge the team to reconsider.

INFRNO, which apparently stands for "Is not Flash Remoting, NO!" is a flawed name on at least five counts:

1. AMFPHP *is* Flash Remoting, albeit for PHP

2. It says nothing about what the product is about: ie., Flash remoting for PHP

3. Even though it is a highly forced acronym, it doesn't spell out a complete word (no, "INFERNO" would not be any better!) :)

4. It's not even correct as an acronym (should be "INFRN" if we were anal in our acronym-building!)

5. It's just not possible to take it seriously!

Guys, I would urge to you rethink this name change. On the post, Alessandro mentions that the team has some fresh blood and that is great but this does not necessarily mean that we need to adopt a name that sounds like a marvel superhero at the expense of the perfectly good name that we already have.

"AMFPHP", is succinct, makes the purpose of the product immediately obvious and is already well-known (even if someone hasn't used it, they more-than-likely have heard of it.) It is a name that can be taken seriously and suits a product that deserves to be taken seriously.

Comments