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The XBMC Project Will Now Be Called Kodi

Posted by Soulskill on from the lessons-in-picking-a-name dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Citing the problems caused by the lack of legal control over the current name and its long outdated origins as the reasons for the change, The Xbox Media Center team announced that they will switch the project's name to Kodi when version 14 is released later this year. If you're wondering how they picked the name Kodi, here's what they said: "We considered a TON of names. We had a number of requirements for the new name, such as being reasonably pronounceable in various languages and not be a mouthful to say, not be used as a trademark for someone else's media-related product, be easy to remember, etc. The group came up with a list of names and had our lawyer go over them. We then got back a smaller list that had been checked for various legal issues, and then we voted on the final name."

10 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. This naming trend has to stop by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is it that OSS projects always seem to pick names that are, at best, obscure, and at worst, completely nondescriptive, yet have cutesy sounding names? I think it started somewhere around 2000. Please stop. Pick more functional names so I don't have to explain to people, "no, dolphin is the file manager and konqueror is the browser.'

    This also applies to libraries too. For example, anyone know what 'liborc', 'libnettle', 'libenchant', 'libmagic' or 'libcanberra' are without looking it up? I just picked these at random from /usr/lib. There are plenty more.

    Stop. Using. Cutesy. Names.

    1. Re:This naming trend has to stop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So that's why Microsoft is the Winner. Everything has an obvious name like "Word" and "Office" and "Media Player"

    2. Re:This naming trend has to stop by Charliemopps · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is the post Google age. You have to pick a nonsensical name so it will show up uniquely in a Google search. I'm a musician for example, and the days of naming your band something like "The Doors" is dead. That name would literally kill any chance you had at success in todays world.

    3. Re:This naming trend has to stop by arielCo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Zune. Bing. Works. Visio. Vizact.

      And lastly, Bob.

      --
      This post contains no rudeness or derision of any kind. All arguments are friendly. Terms and exclusions may apply.
    4. Re: This naming trend has to stop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The temp logo does say Kodi Entertainment Center.

  2. Redefine by zAPPzAPP · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Couldn't they have just redefined the acronym?

    'Xenon Based Media Center'.. something something... It does not have to make sense. Just shorten it back to XBMC. There. No more trademark violation.

    We don't even know what the X in xbox stands for either. No one cares.

    1. Re:Redefine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      X is placeholder for 3D, Draw, Sound, Music in Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectSound, DirectMusic.

  3. Re:Why shouldn't something for the XBox... by BronsCon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because it hasn't been for the XBox for quite some time now.

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  4. Vizio by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Visio sounds like "vision", as in "having a vision", which is exactly what the software facilitates the development of. Easy.

    To me, Vizio means "TVs and computer monitors", like the VX32L TV that I'm using as a second monitor for my laptop as I type this very comment. And Vizio makes smart TVs, whose firmware would compete with what is now called Kodi.

  5. Re:Why shouldn't something for the XBox... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    I feel sorry for your mental handicaps :(