Whenever I start a new software project, I spend way too much time trying to figure out what I'm going to call it. I try to think of something clever, but I'm never really satisfied with what I come up with. (I suppose this means I'm not clever.) Starting with my latest project, I'm taking a whole new approach.

From now on, I will generate all software project names using a random word generator.

This may seem like a silly concept, but it's very satisfying. After all, naming a product is really the job of a marketing professional. Although I may sometimes have to wear that hat, the beginning of a new software project is not that time. I'd much rather give the project some oddball name and keep the creative juices focused and moving forward.

For my most recent project, I used the Random Word Plus tool to generate an obscure noun. I hit the "new word" button a few times until something that sounded good came up. The word was so obscure I had to check the definition to make sure it wasn't obscene.

Do you have any good project naming ideas?

Photo by Asif Akbar.