Calvin Austin's Blog

Java: What's in a name

Well first let me tackle the Tiger bit. The Java codenames are all listed here. Tiger or 'Project Tiger' was the name used on a day to day basis, its a convenience instead of saying one point five point zero. The names are chosen as big animals (birds, mammals) for major releases (tiger, mustang) and little insects for maintenance releases. Graham Hamilton took this naming to heart and even launched a poll to decide on dolphin. The insects were all to be beneficial insects too, don't expect a Java roach to make an appearance any time soon.

The name mustang was initiated by a little in-joke by myself, both the product managers at the time drove a Ford Mustang. It wasn't hard to convince them that it was a good name.

The other numbering scheme was so nearly Java 2.0 for Java 1.2, Java 2000 was also on the table as it was the fad at the time. Who knows there may have been Java XP going down that road.

In all that time though the platform internal version has stayed consistent, we looked at how Solaris tackled this with SunOS versions and Solaris and decided the last people we wanted to upset were the developers who wrote code on the platform. Personally I think Java 5 as a name is at the right name at the right time.

Comments

• I am glad that you and your product managers didn't drive the Daihatsu Naked ;-) (From the Forbes "worst car names" list)-JohnR

  Posted by: johnreynolds on April 28, 2006 at 11:50 AM

• Looks like a really efficient van though, despite the name. There is another car story to do with Java (and not the Java car) I'll save that for another day

  Posted by: calvinaustin on April 28, 2006 at 02:28 PM

• I don't mind the code names and I think a lot of projects are given code names by the developers.

  The number system on the other hand I find a bit odd because you it has been sporadic, no one referred to Java 1.4 as Java 4, did they.

  The blog (written by me by the way) was commenting on the fact that the naming system does cause some confusion because a lot of the developers weren't sure of the difference between Java 5 and Java 1.5. It wasn't just an opinion it was based on a wholly un scientific poll ;-)

  I like using the names of animals but what about the first few code names, playground - rubbish.

  I think Java 5 is good and if they call the next releases Java 6 and Java 7 then I don't think there will be any confusion.

  I think I would like a version Rhino, cool

  
  

  Posted by: hosky on April 30, 2006 at 09:00 AM

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