great product - lousy name

fvg · Post by **fvg** » 01 May 2006, 18:12

This is just the greatest leap in 'explorer' functionality that I've seen since I first started on computers - and that's longer, I'm willing to bet, than anyone else reading these lines can say for him/herself.

For that very reason let me say this: for this product to get out of the 'nerd niche' into the broader market, and in line for the commercial success which it deserves, it needs a new name. The unwieldy 'servant salamander' is bad enough, the 'SS' abbreviation is simply a 'no-no'. It's just terrible, barbaric, like a swear-word. I know that programmer-enthusiasts are mostly indifferent to everything else, but someone has to go and talk to some marketting people..

jackh · Post by **jackh** » 02 May 2006, 20:39

i agree i don't like the 'Servant'. i do like the 'Salamander' though and don't really see that as a name.

jack
We've now discarded the concept board

PepaR · Post by **PepaR** » 02 May 2006, 20:43

I mean, that name is ok...

jackh · Post by **jackh** » 02 May 2006, 20:58

i meant, i don't really see that there is any problem with the 'Salamander' name.

jack
slightly sat-upon...not exactly flattened but rounded rather than vibrant

jis · Post by **jis** » 02 May 2006, 21:09

I love Servant Salamander name - it is unusually.
What is its origin, from the Capek's book War With the Newts?

omega · Post by **omega** » 02 May 2006, 21:38

I think it's original unlike many products sharing same words.
Not everyone likes the sound of it but i do

There are filemanagers calling "windows commander, now total commander", norton commander etc. don't tell me you prefer salamander commander lol

KNUT · Post by **KNUT** » 03 May 2006, 09:02

omega wrote:I think it's original unlike many products sharing same words.
Not everyone likes the sound of it but i do

There are filemanagers calling "windows commander, now total commander", norton commander etc. don't tell me you prefer salamander commander lol

Your're right

We do not need another "... commander", we've our servant

BUT "SS" is indeed a !no-go"!

mikey67 · Post by **mikey67** » 03 May 2006, 11:33

KNUT wrote: BUT "SS" is indeed a !no-go"!

Well, at least this is what a lot of Germans think, but a lot of other folks couldn't be bothered by that. So what the hack? Let's get a little relaxed about that.
I refer to some of the postings whose authors (presumably not from Germany) didn't get the point (SS=Nazi stuff) in the first place. So please ... relax!!!

Post by **Jan Rysavy** » 03 May 2006, 12:17

mikey67 wrote:I refer to some of the postings whose authors (presumably not from Germany) didn't get the point (SS=Nazi stuff) in the first place. So please ... relax!!!

Agree. The Windows Commander abbreviation was funny and it is definitely most successful Norton Commander clone (for Windows).

KNUT · Post by **KNUT** » 03 May 2006, 12:22

mikey67 wrote:So please ... relax!!!

Done!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 03 May 2006, 22:59

I like the servant salamander name. Especially the 'salamander' part. For me the name sounds ok, but I'am no native speaker. So it would be interesting to know how it sounds for native speakers.

As regards the abbreviation 'SS', I really do relax, but it really shouldn't be used in an official way, e.g. in documentation.

freckyo · Post by **freckyo** » 03 May 2006, 23:00

Sorry, forgot logging in before posting the above message.

legion · Post by **legion** » 07 May 2006, 18:47

I have to agree with the original poster. I have used SS for some time now, and I have grown used to the name. It is an original name and nothing wrong there, but it is not very good in a marketing sense.

Personally I would strip the servant part, and rename and rebrand the package. Choose some sweet colorschemes high colors in the range of southamerican frogs. Then I Would have the main product named Salamander in nice greenish hues, and package the 1.54 version as Newt, this maybe in some redish colors. Then bring the company name into focus. Altap Salamander, and Altap Newt. I would also consider focusing more on adding a few features to the freeware version, and push this as a portable 2pane browser.

The salamader is the coolest app I have ever found, it has way more potential as a big seller. It just need more marketing, and a bit better and focused product development.

IMHO

freckyo · Post by **freckyo** » 09 May 2006, 22:52

legion wrote:Then bring the company name into focus. Altap Salamander, and Altap Newt.
IMHO

Yes, I really do think "Altap Salamander" would be a better product name than Servant Salamander. Color schemes are debatable of course, it's surely possible to push salamder's design, but actually I'am pretty happy with it. The user-interface is sophisticated, customizable, not to colorful and easy to use andd these things are most important.

I would'nt push the freeware version. I think 20 US$ are an adequate price.

Tipperton · Post by **Tipperton** » 01 Aug 2006, 02:17

I just call it Salamander dropping the Servant part so that doesn't bother me at all.

I do like Altap Salamander as an alternative name though.

I have to question the opinion that its not a marketable name though.

I had been using WinNC 3000 then WinNC.NET but when it developed a nasty habit of locking up in the middle of a file copy, I started looking at other file managers to replace it with.

I must have looked at six or more dual pane file managers... I settled on Salamander for several reasons:

The name was different
It had a clean/uncluttered user interface
Price/Features couldn't be beat, most (if not all) the other file managers cost more and had fewer features