POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.general : POV-Ray Origins - the original creation message : Re: POV-Ray Origins - the original creation message Server Time
7 Aug 2024 15:18:51 EDT (-0400)
  Re: POV-Ray Origins - the original creation message  
From: Adrien Beau
Date: 28 Aug 2001 11:31:15
Message: <3B8BB94D.B516C8D8@sycomore.fr>
Rune wrote:
> 
> A good name would mean that you could say it to someone else and then they'd
> know how to spell it. But with POV-Ray there isn't even agreement on how
> it's pronounced. Pee-oh-vee-ray sounds dumb and has to be pronounced a bit
> slowly to be clear. Pov-ray sounds like a bit like power-ray and will lead
> to confusion too.

I've always heard it pronounced as two words: "pov" and "ray".

In French, "pov" can sound like "pauvre" (stands for "poor").
However, it sufficiently differs from "pauvre" that nobody
really makes a connection when they first hear the name.
But nevertheless, it allows for some puns in the French speaking
POV newsgroup.  :-)

> Another problem is the "-". Even though it officially is a part of the
> written name, it's not always used, which makes searches for POV-Ray (or
> Povray ?) more difficult.

The official case "POV-Ray" is a bit longer to type.
But "povray" is used as an executable name, not "pov-ray".

It's easy to point mistakes made 10 years ago... :-)

> Thirdly you have to know the program in order to have a clue about what the
> name actually means.

But then, you want to call it "freeware-raytracer v3.1g"?

Java, Blender, Winamp, Emacs, Oracle, QuickTime, Acrobat...
Do all these names mean something meaningful to the clueless
newbie? The real clueless newbie, I mean.

Or would you prefer Microsoft Ray, yet another program in
the Microsoft Office offer.  :-)

-- 
Adrien Beau - adr### [at] freefr - http://adrien.beau.free.fr
 Mes propos n'engagent que moi et en aucun cas mes employeurs


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