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GW Chapter 12 The Projects Name Software
SpecificationLecture 19

• Prepared by
• Stephen M. Thebaut, Ph.D.
• University of Florida

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Whats in a Name?

• When Juliet asked
• Whats in a name? That which we call a rose
• By any other name would smell as sweet.
• Romeo should have responded
• But sooth, a name foretells.
• It doth beckon what we see in a thing
• Before its true nature comes to light.

Software Specification GW Chapter 12
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• Anyone interested in smelling the slime-gag
  choke-warts from my garden?

Software Specification GW Chapter 12
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E-Super-Snoop?

• You are the CEO of a software company that
  develops electronic surveillance applications.
• Your soon-to-be-launched new product enables
  eavesdropping on internet connections.
• It basically collects information about e-mail or
  other electronic communications to or from
  specific users.
• What would you name it? Why?

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Carnivore

• In 2000, the FBI announced the development of
  their state of art electronic eavesdropping
  software, CARNIVORE.
• Their explanation of the name was Carnivore
  chews all the data on the network, but it only
  actually eats the information authorized by a
  court order.
• What do you think of this name? What do you
  think happened?

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Carnivore Under Attack

• Even before its release, Carnivore was the
  subject of several lawsuits brought about by
  civil liberties / privacy advocacy groups.
• Public concern about government surveillance
  increased dramatically.

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Carnivore Under Attack (contd)

• At the end of a review conducted by the Justice
  Department, the first recommendation was
• change the name.
• Carnivore was subsequently renamed DCS (Digital
  Collection System) 1000.

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Just When Were Convinced that Names ARE
Important

• GW tell us
• the important thing is not the name, but the
  naming

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The Naming Heuristic

• Propose a name.
• Offer three reasons why the name is not adequate
  / desirable.
• Propose another name that eliminates these
  problems.
• Repeat the naming process until you develop a
  usable name.
• Dont go on forever looking for the perfect name.
  It doesnt exist.

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Helpful Hints and Variations

• A face-to-face naming session early in the
  project has many side benefits.
• If offers a relatively innocent task as an excuse
  for the major players to get acquainted.
• If the players dont act as if its an innocent
  task, it may be indicative of problems to come.
• Have a dictionary and thesaurus available when
  meeting to explore names.

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Helpful Hints and Variations (contd)

• Consider choosing a name and subtitle. The name
  can be an acronym or a symbol, while the subtitle
  is the actual working title. E.g.,
• Liberty A Tool to Assist ISPs with
  Court-Mandated Data Collection
• Backronyms often lead to inaccurate and/or
  ambiguous titles, but can be used as an idea
  generating device.

Software Specification GW Chapter 12
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GW Chapter 12 The Projects Name Software
SpecificationLecture 19

• Prepared by
• Stephen M. Thebaut, Ph.D.
• University of Florida