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Comment by fooblat | Hacker News Reader

I would seriously consider renaming this. Many of us have been using GNU screen for very similar tasks of terminal sharing and pair programming.

The name you have chosen requires an explanation just to discuss this with my coworkers. Perhaps it is a generational thing, but in a quick survey asking around "Have you heard of the new tool screen?" the response was 100% "screen isn't new and yes I've heard of it... have you heard of tmux?"

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We live in an HN bubble. Most people have no idea there exists a GNU utility called `screen`.

Me and my coworkers know screen but we don't call it "screen sharing", it's more of a "tool that makes processes not die after you quit ssh".

This is the same reason why HNers at the time failed to see why Dropbox succeeded and curl + git + sftp on Linux isn't sufficient for end users to solve their problem [0]. They just don't care about your GNU tools, even if it does better at SEO.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224

That analogy doesn't hold. People aren't saying that you should just use GNU Screen instead, they're saying that the name creates confusion. Totally different.

"People here are saying..." is the parent's argument. The situation is very similar: people here, on this forum, aren't a representative sample of the market, outside. That statement holds even when said market is comprised of developers.

Well that 'confusion' is between developers and there are many other business tools out there with similar names which from the perspective of an average customer, they will still use it and won't care about a name clash with a decades old developer tool used only by software engineers.

For the majority of businesses looking at 'Screen' now, they won't bat an eyelid and will use it along as it 'just works' no matter the name conflict. If they saw GNU Screen they'll just say 'What's that' and forget about it.

One of the main audiences he's pitching this to is developers (for pair programming etc.) so it's more of an issue than it would be for a pure consumer tool.

We’re a 2 person team, and neither of us uses Screen (the last time I used it was more than 5 years ago, and until HN’s response, had completely forgotten about it).

Also, nobody in our private beta mentioned GNU Screen.

A public beta helps us get feedback on issues that we have missed before, and this is one of them!

I'll throw my voice in that "screen" 100% refers to GNU screen in my friend circle. Tmux and dtach still don't quite supplant the specific slot that screen has occupied for decades.

> I'll throw my voice in that "screen" 100% refers to GNU screen in my friend circle.

> 1M Developers: GNU Screen exists you know.

> 90M+ Customers and Businesses: Take my money now! Let's use 'Screen' to screen share!, Yay!

I'm pretty sure that 'Screen' would appeal to businesses and customers who really just want to get on and instantly collaborate with who ever rather than to know that something called GNU Screen exists and would be less likely to be confused by the conflict anyway.

Yeah, I can totally see how in some circles, "screen" is synonymous with GNU Screen, and that our choice of name would be confusing. Sorry about that! I’ve posted a top-level comment about the naming issue, in case more context is helpful.

I rarely use gnu screen anymore but when I see "screen" on HN that's what immediately and searingly comes to mind for me.

I think what you've got looks great. And it's a great opportunity to claim a name of it's own!

I think it's generational, knowledge domain, and probably also sort of being jerks in that if their response is "screen isn't new and yes I've heard of it... have you heard of tmux?" it sounds like typical programmer one-upmanship.

I mean either they think you are significantly less informed than them and you actually think GNU screen is new, or they are using the chance to make a quick joke of not particularly startling originality.

Because if they do think you know what GNU screen is then they must think this new tools you're referring to isn't it.

In our department everyone has had the debate of tmux vs screen with just about everyone else (most of us have moved to tmux). The question was interpreted more like "(hey tmux user) have you heard of the new tool screen?"

I can see how that would be confusing. Sorry about that!

I just posted a top-level comment on the naming issue, where we were coming from, and that I’m open to changing the name.

ok, so again I'm back to thinking your department is very much not like most places.

We like to think so :)

yes, but, that means your quick impromptu survey of what people thought of the new tool Screen wasn't that useful for determining if another name would be better.

Unless Screen hopes to build a business targeting clients that are unique.

I think there are the common places: most places you can work on software and systems engineering, and the special places: highly experienced and deeply capable teams in a fun and nurturing environment.

I don't think we are unique but I like to think we are the kind of place where most people would prefer to work. Uncommon but hardly unique and definitely in the target market for this tool.

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