Naming Conventions

One of the big issues faced by geeks is what to name their computers.

Servers, for instance, all need specific names so they can be easily identified. Once upon a time, I had the pleasure of working with Tycho and Gabe our production and test servers for a website, respectively. They were an obvious tribute to Penny Arcade a webcomic favourite of mine. Those servers, by the way, have since been reinstalled and upgraded, and are called "Buzzsaw" and "Ratbat".

Rather more accessible to the general populace will be the act of naming personal computers. You can find (and change) your computer name in Windows XP by going into your system properties (either through the Control Panel or by right clicking on "My Computer" and selecting "Properties") and finding the right text box. The naming possibilities are endless - you can pick a useful name or you can indulge in frivolity. Frivolity is generally the order of the day for me, though. I have owned a few computers in my time, with many different names. My Windows 98 lappy was named Gimli because it was squat, ugly and fairly slow, but is a workhorse that may just live forever. My old work machine was named Comsat. My current work machine is named aphoenix-desktop, which is strictly utilitarian. My last Ubuntu install on my current laptop go the name Baal, who was the Phoenician god of everything. Recently, though I reinstalled my laptop and have had to come up with an Ubuntu name and a Windows name. I spent a while thinking about it, because the right name is fairly important. It took me a good, long week of thought to figure it out.

Thus, I welcome to my humble abode Jekyll, my Ubuntu laptop... and Hyde, his evil Windows counterpart.