Go! -- the non-Google programming language by Keith Clark and Francis McCabe.(en.wikipedia.org)
en.wikipedia.org
Go! -- the non-Google programming language by Keith Clark and Francis McCabe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go!_(programming_language)
53 comments
> I'm not a big fan of Wikipedia's deletionists, but I hope they go after this page.
How is that for a contradiction... Google launched their 'Go' language today, and it definitely is great that someone took the trouble to put this stake in the ground. Whether it is notable or not is debatable, I think the simple fact that there is a namespace collision between two programming languages is reason enough to make it notable.
It is all over the web, thanks to the efforts of the author, if it wasn't 'notable' yesterday it certainly is now.
http://econsultancy.com/blog/4954-google-go-was-the-name-alr...
How is that for a contradiction... Google launched their 'Go' language today, and it definitely is great that someone took the trouble to put this stake in the ground. Whether it is notable or not is debatable, I think the simple fact that there is a namespace collision between two programming languages is reason enough to make it notable.
It is all over the web, thanks to the efforts of the author, if it wasn't 'notable' yesterday it certainly is now.
http://econsultancy.com/blog/4954-google-go-was-the-name-alr...
I have to agree. Google should have known better before naming a new language "go" in 2009.
It is hard to believe, they didn't think by now someone else would have come up with that name for a language.
Or did assume they would just throw a bunch money and lawyers at whoever comes out claiming the name.
Something similar happened to http://www.wxwidgets.org (ex-wxWindows). Microsoft payed the author some money and he changed the name of the project. I don't think that would be such a bad outcome.
It is hard to believe, they didn't think by now someone else would have come up with that name for a language.
Or did assume they would just throw a bunch money and lawyers at whoever comes out claiming the name.
Something similar happened to http://www.wxwidgets.org (ex-wxWindows). Microsoft payed the author some money and he changed the name of the project. I don't think that would be such a bad outcome.
I'm not sure there's any reason for lawyers and money to be involved. A trademark in the U.S. protect marks used in commerce, so I would think that the authors of Go! would have to have used the name in a commercial venture prior to Google's announcement.
It appears that Google is not asserting trademark protection on the name, either, so there really doesn't seem to be any legal case at all - it looks like both parties can use it.
From uspto.gov:
A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods.
It appears that Google is not asserting trademark protection on the name, either, so there really doesn't seem to be any legal case at all - it looks like both parties can use it.
From uspto.gov:
A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods.
Aside from the research articles, there is also a text book:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/lets-go/641689
http://books.google.com/books?isbn=0975444913
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/lets-go/641689
http://books.google.com/books?isbn=0975444913
Indeed, and I would dismiss this out of hand, but someone fairly recently made a similar argument along the lines of "hey, our previously-obscure programming language existed in some form before the popular language was announced, so we have as much of a right to the name."
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=924510
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=924510
Seems that Google didn't well... 'Google' for 'go programming language' first.
This type of stuff happens. As per a thread suggestion on the issue tracker, they've already registered Golang.org and its redirecting to their site. For all we know, they are reworking the graphical and text assets right now to make this a full switch.
This type of stuff happens. As per a thread suggestion on the issue tracker, they've already registered Golang.org and its redirecting to their site. For all we know, they are reworking the graphical and text assets right now to make this a full switch.
Is this language significant for any reason other than sharing a name with Google's new language?
Obscure languages are like art in someone's attic. It could be a Van Gogh, or a child's finger painting. Valid answers to your question include "To whom?" and "Not yet (if ever)."
Signed, an obscure language writer
Signed, an obscure language writer
Well that's just my point. The only notoriety this language has is because of a naming clash, not for any legitimate technical merit.
Its notability is in that it existed well before Google's Go, and so latter would've been better off selecting a different name.
There are several languages that have great similarity in names and some only differ by a character or few characters: C, C++, C#, Cω, Ch; X++, XL, XSL; Go, Go!, Goo.
So why again should Google make the name change?
So why again should Google make the name change?
A standard for trademarks is risk of confusion; as the "!" is not pronounced (or typically indexed), the collision between 'Go!' and 'Go' is much stronger than the others you list.
If the 'Go!' creators had any hope for using that name on a series of offerings (tools, books, etc.), they have to object to Google's use, to retain the presumptive rights they'd established so far via use.
If the 'Go!' creators had any hope for using that name on a series of offerings (tools, books, etc.), they have to object to Google's use, to retain the presumptive rights they'd established so far via use.
"'Go!' pronounced 'Go bang'"?
Yes, I'm starting an internet company called "Yahoo", which shouldn't cause any confusion with that other company, "Yahoo!", widely known as "Yahoo Bang". Right, give me a break. :)
What makes you think that's the recommended pronunciation?
Notably, the word 'bang' does not appear in the book, "Let's Go!", so it is unlikely to be the author's preferred pronunciation:
http://books.google.com/books?ei=50f7Ssn3LpOilQTelvTyDg&...
Notably, the word 'bang' does not appear in the book, "Let's Go!", so it is unlikely to be the author's preferred pronunciation:
http://books.google.com/books?ei=50f7Ssn3LpOilQTelvTyDg&...
But somehow not notable enough to have a wikipedia page until today.
It's funny how McCabe appears to be upset.
This is the best thing that could have happened to popularize his research.
This is the best thing that could have happened to popularize his research.
McCabe's response, from the Issue 9 thread:
"I am very grateful for the support I have received on this thread. It seems to have hit a nerve.
I want to make one particular point, some people have suggested that "I should be grateful" for the extra advertising. My response to that is that I was not actively looking for this advertising. It was not me who picked a clashing name.
I fully understand that it is possible that insufficient search was done before hand. However, when I picked the name Go! I did try to find out if anyone else was using it. In fact, I was kind of surprised that no one was!; since it was clearly a great name.
For those interested, Go! is a bi-lingual pun. My previous work focused on a language called April. In Japanese, the literal back-translation of April is "4th Month". Go is Japanese for 5."
"I am very grateful for the support I have received on this thread. It seems to have hit a nerve.
I want to make one particular point, some people have suggested that "I should be grateful" for the extra advertising. My response to that is that I was not actively looking for this advertising. It was not me who picked a clashing name.
I fully understand that it is possible that insufficient search was done before hand. However, when I picked the name Go! I did try to find out if anyone else was using it. In fact, I was kind of surprised that no one was!; since it was clearly a great name.
For those interested, Go! is a bi-lingual pun. My previous work focused on a language called April. In Japanese, the literal back-translation of April is "4th Month". Go is Japanese for 5."
Especially considering how much his language goals and appearance resemble Erlang (which itself borrowed period termination, among other things from Prolog, so it is probably a common root thing).
Maybe "appears" is key here...
Wow, Reddit is totally the new 4chan now. Awesome.
According to http://code.google.com/p/go/issues/detail?id=9
Google's "Go" has now been renamed by the people to "Issue 9" spread the word
[deleted](2)
How is this authoritative? This page was created today
Doesn't authority come from accuracy, not recency? If you see any part of the article that is inaccurate, you should edit it and make it more authoritative.
True, but at the heart of this assertion is that Go was already a language name that was taken _before_ Google used it.
Which might entirely be true.
But that assertion would be strengthened by pointing to a link/post that was somewhat _older_.
Which might entirely be true.
But that assertion would be strengthened by pointing to a link/post that was somewhat _older_.
I remember seeing papers and presentations on go! from eight or so years ago. Fujitsu Labs of America used it to build some multiagent systems. It drew on many years of previous work by Clark and McCabe, which I first came to know of in the mid 1980s.
Wikipedia is the über-encyclopædia. ;-)
I'm not a big fan of Wikipedia's deletionists, but I hope they go after this page. Musing about something in a few research papers doesn't make it notable.