Groovy: what’s in a name

John O’Conner says Groovy? Are you serious?

But couldn’t it have a different name? Groovy? I wonder how many people have just overlooked it so far because of its silly name? Is it irresponsible to overlook it for that reason? Yes, most definitely. But will some of you? Come on, be honest. Doesn’t the name put you off just a little? Can serious professionals use something that sounds so silly?

This is the type of attitude I’d love to have in a competitor. Nothing like avoiding some technology because of the name. I always thought .NET was a horrendous name for an offering that Microsoft couldn’t even explain to people, and that certainly hasn’t stopped people from adopting .NET. One commenter made the point that naming a language after coffee isn’t not exceedingly serious sounding either.

I happen to think that Groovy is a good name. It’s memorable and is the top hit on Google for a not-entirely-uncommon word.