Sublime Forum

Sublime Text 2 is a great editor. Let's improve the brand

#1

My designer and I have recently switched to using Sublime Text 2 and it will be feature in my educational screencasts as well. However, I’d like to touch on a few points. The style of the editor and the way it works are phenomenal and I wouldn’t suggest changing them.

HOWEVER, I do have a recommendation that I hope will be considered. In general it’s not optimal to have a number in the name of a product. I realize that it’s more of a version number. But, in this case it’s actually used as part of the name.

I realize that most of the people here are programmers and not designers. I also realize that people are very eager to justify away criticism. (I don’t mean the developer of ST2, i mean the community).

I think that it’s important for the name of the product to express the elegance of the product. In this case you’re sending mixed signals. On one hand you have a name that is comparable to Notepad++, EditPlus, etc. These are names that were obviously not created by designers or marketing teams. No big deal, they’re targeted towards developers. Sublime Text 2 is more than that, though. It’s useful for pretty much anyone.

I recommend a branding change for Sublime Text 2.

I would love to use the editor named, “Sublime.”

It has been pointed out to me that Sublime is the name of another application. Sublime Edit, Sublime Text, etc. I just would really love to see the number removed from the name.

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#2

I like the name Sublime Text 2 (ST2). It has a good ring.

I use Sublime Text 2 (ST2) to edit Sencha Touch 2 (ST2) files - mostly JavaScript

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#3

This is what I mean about developers. They are often smart and nice but can miss the problems under their nose. Really? ST2 and ST2? That doesn’t seem the BEST example. I use ST2 to work with PHP. ST2 as an abbreviation is whatever. Not a huge deal. But, there’s a reason that FireFox isn’t named FireFox 6.

An another note, what happens when Sublime Text 2 version 2 comes out? is it then Sublime Text 3? Is the product name REALLY changing with the version?

I wouldn’t even be talking about this stuff if I didn’t think that most aspects of this app were a home run.

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#4

I get Shawn Mc Cool’s point. But instead of renaming it to “Sublime”, would keep it as “Sublime Text” and not do a complete name change / name cut. At first i thought “What the f… is he talking about, 2 is of course the version number!”, but then i noticed the program name in my finder bar. It reads “Sublime Text 2” and in the about box it gets more obvious:

Sublime Text 2
Beta, Build 2126

instead of

Sublime Text
Version 2 beta, build 2126

I vote for loosing the 2 in Sublime Text as part of the name and add it more to a version number.

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#5

What about Windows 7, and Windows 8? I’m certainly not a designer - but I like the “version” in the title. It’s not so much the version number as it is the generation number. Much like Win7 , Win8, etc… the version number is more specific (Build 2126).

So yes, eventually there would be a Sublime Text 3 - but that tells you that it’s a new generation, and it’s REALLY time to upgrade.

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#6

I had a look over my installed apps, the only Software which uses its version number in the name (besides Sublime Text) is the Adobe software.

Maybe it is a discussion of own taste …

For me it does not really matter what the software is called, as long i can find it under my apps :smiley:

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#7

Yeah, probably a personal taste thing… though it is funny that the software most used for design, includes a number in it… CS5! hehehe :smiley:

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#8

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: Funny “good” point

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#9

Two points: OS naming conventions are there for a reason, and an independent developer is pretty much the polar opposite of Adobe.

I vote lose the 2 at the very least. “Sublime Text” is enough of a mouthful as is.

As for me, on OS X I’ve renamed the application to “Sublime Text” and that gets rid of most traces of the numeral, i.e. in the application switcher and dock.

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#10

It’s not just an OS thing. There seem to be two classes of software that treat the version numbers as part of their names.

  1. Any software or suite that is a Giant Freaking Rewrite:

Windows 7
OS X
Office 2010
Adobe CS5
1Password 3
iWork '11 (though the individual apps are just Keynote, Pages, etc.)

  1. Developer tools:
    Eclipse 3.4
    pgAdmin3
    RubyMine 3.1.1
    Script Debugger 4.5

ST2 falls into both of these camps. It could be argued that the reason for #2 is indeed that they’re “branded” by developers, not designers, and I think it’d be fine to keep branding ST2 as ST like ST1 was. I think the ST2 distinction could be important right at this moment because ST2 is a near-release-quality editor, and in fact the recommended version, that’s usable on all three platforms, while ST1 is only for Windows. As soon as we hit the tipping point where when we say Sublime Text, we mean ST2, the 2 can fall off. Long-time ST users could say better than I whether we’ve hit that point already.

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#11

[quote=“SeanWcom”]What about Windows 7, and Windows 8? I’m certainly not a designer - but I like the “version” in the title. It’s not so much the version number as it is the generation number. Much like Win7 , Win8, etc… the version number is more specific (Build 2126).
[/quote]

Windows 7 is Windows version 6.1. Technically, a very small upgrade to Vista, regardless of the “superbar” thingy there. There goes your point.

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#12

I personally hit that point about a month after ST2 (Sublime Text X, at the time) was released. :smile:

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#13

Never mind this. It breaks Sparkle or whatever is being used as the update mechanism. I can live with the number.

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#14

Windows 7 is Windows version 6.1. Technically, a very small upgrade to Vista, regardless of the “superbar” thingy there. There goes your point.[/quote]

LOL… actually, you just helped prove my point (which you clearly missed). Look at the text you specifically quoted from my post (double quoted above).

I put the word “version” in quotes. I specifically said that it is “…not so much the version number as it is the generation number.” See what I did there? Windows 7 isn’t the version, it’s the generation (or whatever you want to call it).

Anyway… thanks for trying to call me out, troll, flame, whatever. Lets try not to derail a valid discussion.

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#15

I think it is important to recognize the difference between a developer, designer, and branding expert. I’m not saying it is the case here (at all). But I see it all the time. A designer works at an ad agency long enough… all of a sudden they are an expert on ID, Branding, Marketing, and even efficiency.

Everyone thinks they are an amazing creative. But more often than not, developers like myself, and designers especially, should stay the hell away from ID. There are all kinds of rules people come up with to justify how incredible they are at branding a company. And all kinds of folk-tale reasons why they choose one name over the other.

Just remember that it is not a science, but it is logical. Companies like Walmart spend millions of dollars on focus groups and split testing for brand focusing. They don’t do brand focusing based off of their mom’s reaction. Which is common justification for why designers self title as branding experts.

I vote to drop the 2, simply because simplification is the most common branding technique on the planet. Good thread…

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#16

Makes sense to drop the 2 from the official name.

Another change I’d like is removing the space: SublimeText, rather than Sublime_Text.

It’s a fantastic program, by any name.

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