Rebranding (again) about hamsket HOT 54 OPEN

hey all, I can help with this. I know quite a bit about naming, branding and all that crap most people don't care about; also including all the copyright and legalese.

Here's the rundown:

1. It seems that rambox refers to the animal "ram", but the logo is somehow a gorilla. This dichotomy makes things both hard and easier for branding.
2. It's important to keep part of that name, or concept, or something as legacy, so new users can understand it's a fork.
3. It's also important that the name is distinctive and not generic - this is sort of a guideline for any brand. You shouldn't call your brand "sandwich" or "water", besides the glaring legal issues.
4. Mind that it's extremely normal and encouraged to change a letter here and there for aesthetic reasons, i.e. Megadeth instead of Megadeath.
5. In the end, branding isn't about finding the absolute perfect fit, but finding two or three names that work or can potentially work.

Well, since w don't have a concept, we'll start with a few keywords: messaging, text, services, open source, free, animals, horns, strength, bulky, stout, powerful, sturdy

If we take the concept a bit further, I think that since we're a "leaner" version of the whole rambox software (which is now 2 softwares), I that keywords like lean, slim, light, clean, fast could also work.

Knowing all this, it should be not difficult to come with a similar concept, which is basically an animal that can gather many things. It might be important to keep the name with a length of two syllables too.

I like to do a process that I call "clean the storm", which is basically write absolutely and everything one can think and start discarding what's not useful. I think it's a good idea to cite all/most animals that can belong to the group of keywords and its concepts.

• similar to "ram": ox, deer, elk, moose, alces... maybe include lamb, sheep
• similar to "gorilla": ape, baboon, chimpanzee, lemur, orangutan
• similar to "box": crate, pack, package, trunk, case, container, chest, locker, basket
• animals that gather/hoard: squirrel, hamster, beaver -- note: I'm excluding birds and insects
• and remember all the keywords we already mentioned! (everything that's italic, use them as guidelines)

This should give everyone a lot of ideas to think about, I'll propose some, but I'm a bit tired and I'm sure someone will come with something better.

I'll cite some good and bad examples and explain why they are good or bad:

• Elkrate: creative way to mixing elk and crate with a k, but has many problems, it can be EL KRATE (?) or ELK RATE - app to rate elks?
• PackrHamstr: it's double the syllables we need. Still very related to the concept, though.
• SquareOx: square = box. I feel like this one sounds way too much like the probably TMs "SquareBox". But it also works.
• Hamsket: Hamster + Basket, easily solved with imagery. I like this one quite a bit, and I see no glaring issues except that the name is a little weird at first.

Took me like ~20 minutes to make these ones, as you can see, it's not easy.

THANK YOU for reading all this (and thanks for creating the fork), lol, hopefully it will help with this issue.

from hamsket.

Since we're closing in on a release finally with #66 getting fixes, any objections to Hamsket?

I'd almost like something more professional sounding, depending on if there'd be any help and coordination in removing and replacing ExtJS.

from hamsket.

"Hamsket" is a pretty nice name and not taken, so I'm definitely leaning toward that.

Apologies for the lack of commits, I'm still here and still looking into issues/etc, so if there are any ideas/suggestions/contributions, feel free. It's hard to let people know via GitHub that September is a crazy month.

from hamsket.

Hey, thanks for this fork, really appreciate your work and keeping the open source spirit alive!

That being said, please don't make the mistake so many other open source projects do and choosing a horrible name. I mean no offense, you can obviously name it what you want, but please don't name it Oxboxen IMO it's the worst of the suggestions here.

To be at least a little bit constructive in my criticism I suggest a name related to the original "rambox" but obviously different. The first thing that came to mind was switching the "ram" part. Ram is an animal so to show the relation to the original software a different ram breed would be a cool idea and there are a lot of possible names to choose from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sheep_breeds

Here a few suggestions based on ram breeds (I like simple names, so I will go with that):

• BondBox
• HuBox
• RudaBox
• RyaBox

You could even remove the box part of the name, there are so many great names in that wikipedia article. :)

• Ancon (I like this one a lot)
• Baluchi
• Skudde
• Soay

Anyway, just my two cents.

Cheers and keep it up.

from hamsket.

I agree with the above, I don't like Oxboxen, makes me think of farming rather than an App.

Same with Rambox, sounds like a RAM memory optimizer (My first thought when i saw it).

from hamsket.

This is still blocking on a 0.5.18 release because without an intermediate release with working import/export, you'd simply lose all existing service config.

I'm leaning toward releasing that ASAP at this point, but currently #66 is pretty damn inconvenient.

Would anyone prefer I do the intermediate release ASAP (within the next week) and kick everything else to the next one for rebranding purposes? It wouldn't matter much except that the intermediate release would have broken non-menu shortcuts.

Still leaning toward "Hamsket".

from hamsket.

Due to Electron limitations, you basically need something that doesn't need spaces or hyphens to convey the name without Electron giving a lot of problems and inconsistency as far as I can tell.

Maybe something like Hamsket Messenger would work, but nearly everything would shorten to Hamsket anyway.

Something like "Ultra Messenger" would be basically impossible to search for. :)

from hamsket.

Real life has been crazy. I suppose I might as well push out a release and get to renaming things.

from hamsket.

Why box/crate/.... ?
If you have to explain meaning of name it is not right one.
AIOMessaging
Message4ALL
MessageBrowser
OpenMessaging
if box is neccessary
MessageBox
MemBox

from hamsket.

Also, since we're at it, you should remove the reference to https://rambox.pro from the GitHub project:

from hamsket.

@TheGoddessInari - i would be willing to try out any beta versions of the new app - in case you want someone to test on Mac OS Mojave.

from hamsket.

Hamsket Messenger seems OK for me. From the name I know that it is something for messaging.

from hamsket.

GoFundMe was updated thanks to their wonderful support.

Please consider donating via GoFundMe or Patreon if you're able. I'm doing my best but essentially all of my time over the next month will be going towards keeping the lights on at this rate. I'll still update and respond to Hamsket issues as much as possible even without help.

from hamsket.

I have to say that i do not like Oxboxen :-( OpenRambox is not great as well but better for me. Something completely different will be great. Perhaps something with messaging in name which suggest the idea and a purpose of an app.

from hamsket.

Exactly. I do not get the idea of Ram (and also all the other animals), but if the development will go on, I do not care about name.

from hamsket.

Thanks for this great write-up @notNSANE! Gave me some good insights.

What about something like HamsterHorn?

• Hamster, a cute animal which gathers stuff, all in one place
• Horn, something that is used to warn people, just like notifications and messages from all the supported applications

If you google hamsterhorn there will be quite some pictures of a hamster-unicorn (the horn on its head) mix. Something similar could maybe be the logo/mascot.

from hamsket.

Does it have to be animal-related? Or even follow the same name scheme as Rambox? Since we're clearly diverging from Rambox, we could go for something different altogether.

That being said, the best I've seen in this thread is "Hamsket" by @notNSANE . Would also make for a cutesy icon probably.

from hamsket.

Something a little more professional might have the word "Messenger" in it to quickly convey what the project is all about. What about something like "Ultra Messenger?" I didn't see any google hits for it (in my admittedly quick search) Or heck, "Hamsket Messenger". It sounds like a proper name and not too out there.

from hamsket.

As I already said. I am also for something with messenger,... in the name. People do not know what is it for with name Rambox or Hamsket, Also with messenger, ... people could google it if they are searching for something like AIO messenger, etc. and it could helps to spread.

from hamsket.

"Ultra Messenger" has a definite air of the early '00s and/or malware. Riffing on "Messenger" I arrived at "Messinki", Finnish for brass. But looking at this thread it seems "Hamsket" is winning and I think rightly so. It's cute, unique, and can easily be expanded upon with "Messenger", "Multi-messenger container" or whatever in documentation and project home. After all, what does "Skype" or "WhatsApp" mean?

from hamsket.

This has been started in the hamsket_rename branch. Works so far so good, working on icons/etc.

from hamsket.

hamsket_src.tar.gz

from hamsket.

• Of course. Open discussion is good.
• There is attribution (everywhere) to the the upstream project, unless I missed something.
• A new logo's a good idea, I'll see what I can source, unless someone wanted to contribute something.
• A total rebrand was suggested via this reddit discussion. I'm partial to "Oxboxen" perhaps. Mostly because I kinda miss the days of remoting into free linux boxen on the web.
• I'm doing my best in the spirit of open source. I realize that may not be all that great, or perfect, but I hope people realize that I'm just one person and I've been working on this sometimes upwards of 18 hours a day to try to address issues people are actually facing. Any contribution no matter how trivial is greatly appreciated.

from hamsket.

Looks like any actual renaming will depend on #21 as this has been so hardlinked to localStorage, that a flag day and backup/restore will be needed.

I'll probably have to make a release with backup/restore that loads the old config and can make a backup that'll be readable by newer versions after that.

Even so, due to ExtJS, probably still won't be able to get away from something as opaque and hard to deal with as localStorage.

from hamsket.

I like Librebox. I agree that Oxboxen does not sound great.

from hamsket.

Meant to comment earlier, "librebox" is already widely used.

from hamsket.

How about Lambcrate?

from hamsket.

Boxplate?

The .com is free, It's a plate of boxes with webapps inside + easy to remember.

from hamsket.

Well, it's not just about IM, there's messaging too. I'm sure there'll be other types of things that it can work better with in the future as well, and a lot of more generic names are already taken.

from hamsket.

There hasn't been much activity on this, so unless a better idea* comes up fairly soon, probably will go with Oxboxen, Oxenboxen, or similar, because there aren't any conflicts there.

*Better idea includes not merely more palatable, but also with effectively NO trademark concerns. While US trademark law allows for duplication across distinct industries, I'd rather it be as unambiguous and unique as possible to avoid having to rename a third time. Most ideas have been too generic or already taken widely. No offense intended, it's just the reality of the situation.

I'll give it a think over the weekend regardless and try to come up with a few other alternatives.

from hamsket.

from hamsket.

What does it mean?

Nothing in particular.

from hamsket.

The logo for Rambox is a gorilla right? Rillabox might be an option.
Gorillapp too, kinda like WhatsApp.

Also, Lambcrate is like Rambox, but younger and different. Cattlecrate too if you want to go with the bovine theme.

from hamsket.

We'd need a new logo anyway. I know someone who can.

The latter two, Lambcrate and Cattlecrate amuse me.

from hamsket.

from hamsket.

from hamsket.

❤ Skudde!

from hamsket.

My email apparently hasn't been updating comments as often as I'd like.
I like Skudde. I know a lot of open source projects have particularly silly names.
I don't want to necessarily repeat that problem, but as has famously been said many times, naming things is hard.

from hamsket.

I think Skudde looks a bit like Skuddy, which is also an app 🙁

from hamsket.

I think Skudde looks a bit like Skuddy, which is also an app 🙁

Of course.

from hamsket.

How about Dartfrog?

• Poison dart frogs carry around their tadpoles on their backs (this program carries webapps on its back?).
• They also look cute and colourful so would make for a nice logo.
• I don't find any google hits about software when I search "Dartfrog".

from hamsket.

There's Dart Frog LLC, with a lot of iOS apps (https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/dartfrog-llc/id545694122). But those are just games, not really productivity programs for pc.

from hamsket.

Rillbox?

The .com is available

A great generator for this stuff while also checking for available domains is: https://www.namemesh.com/domain-name-search/ram?show=1

from hamsket.

It really doesn't have to be ram, box, or gorilla related. I do sincerely appreciate the effort, though. 💟

I've been trying really hard to think of things, but it dawned on me, (especially my own) programmer-generated names tend to be weird or whimsical, if not functionary or practical.

I'm also not certain how much scope will grow beyond communications/email in the future. In some ways, I want to keep it there, because electron is not a web browser, and can't afford the same security guarantees, and they say as much. It's potentially more reasonable to pin down what's strictly needed for a specific set of applications, rather than arbitrary browsed code.

Besides, if someone wants it for anything else, they only need to use the custom option and can turn off the fallback js_unread with {}.

In other ways, I want to deliver everything Rambox Pro can offer without forcing users to subscribe or their activity tracked or anything.

But I'm digressing a little.

Since there's no way I could defend against a suit, something trending toward greater uniqueness is fairly important, and as people have already said, there are a bunch of names that just sound silly and they wouldn't want to really use a software that's named that way, which I can sympathize with.

from hamsket.

from hamsket.

heyo, sorry I don't have much time to check github but I do keep track. I like any "hamster" variation, I think it's very fitting.

if you need more help try @ me, I think I have notifications enabled. I think :P

from hamsket.

My first idea was simply "IMB" as in Instant Messaging Browser, but I guess that's kinda less creative or marketable and is probably better for naming these new types of multi-chat clients, but still an idea is an idea. :)

from hamsket.

Just going to throw in a few of my suggestion for a name.

HydraBox/HydraTank - Hydra heads being the sources that is available and how more can keep growing. The Tank variant is kind of a play on words. Tank because we think of the military vehicle being strong and robust but also a Tank for containing things.

PandaPen/PugBox/OttaChat/OttaMsg - Just going for the animal and box combo here (OttaChat/Msg is also a play on words. For some who may not know, Otta sounds like Gotta which means Got to)

MsgBox/OpenMsg/OpenCom - Going from the idea above.

Also agree Hamsket by @notNSANE is a pretty good choice and as @ontherunvaro has mentioned cute logo could be made.

If I come up with anything more I'll post it up :)

from hamsket.

I'm just a user only reading the issues, but I just wanted to say that I also think that "Hamsket" is one of the best names so far and would love using it.
Also leaving a suggestion, I just came up with Hydra + Hamsket = Hymsket

from hamsket.

Awesome project, some great ideas here. Coopbox is ok but reminds me of being "cooped up", a very negative term (in mental hospital, in prison etc). Not a good association to conjure up. So coop does not make me think of chicken coop but actually being locked up in the coop! Not something you want related to an open source message manager app!

So maybe "henbox" is better than coopbox - people have positive (mother/caring) associations with hens. Hens look after their chicks etc. Easy logo.

My other idea is:
lottabox

(lotta is slang for lots of)

A google search does not bring up much so would be easy to rank it.
And believe it or not the .com was available, so I bought it just in case. Logo is easy too.

Happy to donate the domain should it be chosen.

from hamsket.

RamBox_en_

Read either as comical plural, or made resembling

MuskoxBoxed

A hardier goat.

TakinBox

Because both you have takEn over the CE project effectively, and with gold takin the logo is easily shifted to gold (read as: gold standard of excellence).

Having read the thread

OxenBoxen

Average user will not appreciate "boxen".

Your Ox Box

Positioning Statement (@notNSANE): Pull free your potetntial

OxBox
OxBLOX
OxBlocks
(not: ox bollocks)

OxCroc
Beaver Bunker
Badger Barracks
Ox Flocks (winged ox)

Loose your Moose
Moose Caboose

Social Snare

bad Positioning Statement: why badger your friends

Social Shark

positioning statement: shark size social appetite
shark size your social needs

Shark Party ... because it's better than a riot

from hamsket.

also such projects need loop in the words "text" or "texting" to help capture people who like sheep pour money down the drain on SMS

Sheeple Text

In the same way Jabber is: xmpp texting, or jabber texting, and NOT IM.

..

BuckIT [icon bucket with horns]

Buck + kit

kick + bucket = death is not great branding

kick + kit .. too close to kik?

kick + it = millenial slang for small party / social gathering: kick back

kick bit, kick mit,

flick pick (quick exchange of information)

flick back (quick social)

'flick back texting'

from hamsket.

Any movement on this?

If you are hedging based on auto-importing the settings/localStorage from the old to the new name - I think, at this stage, I would be ok with re-setting up everything from scratch. Such a long delay for that reason is unacceptable to me personally.

from hamsket.

Everything's been updated except GoFundMe and other minor stuff.

Icons and such still haven't been. I'm still working on new source files.

from hamsket.