I'd be wary of splice, since it is a perl built-in function. Perlbal isn't a great name, but anything that can come up with enough user recognition, and google love would be worth while. Ideally, in a name, you'd want:

• Nothing even vaguely used in a technical namespace.
  
• A name that is easy to pronounce phonetically
  
• Unique enough to define itself in the google search space (Apache vs. "web server")
  

I'd argue that a name that describes it's function (memcached) isn't as important as a name that people identify with it longer term (mysql, python, etc). Marketing in the Open Source space is wierd and largely about mindshare.

Either way, I'm still not sure how to pronounce perlbal. Purl-ball? Purl-bayl? Purble?

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Proxibal?

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I like "splice". A lot.

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Do this change thing. It is excellent.

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Linus' splice(2) isn't much like lm's splice.

I don't like things that live in section 1 taking names from things that live in section 2. Except for stat(1), that's different.

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They're similar enough in how I'd use it. IIRC, the lm splice was really generic and supported things like socket to socket transfers, but that was later scaled back when people realized that NFS/web servers just needed page cache to socket, and thus was born sendfile. But now Linus splice is back, and while different, still allows socket to socket transfers, which is all I really care about.

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Project/product names which are just English words annoy me because it's hard to search for them. Finding the project page is okay, but when you come to search google for a specific problem you find that qualifying it with stuff like “load balancer” doesn't work because people don't tend to write out what things are when it's implied by the context. Or something.

With all that said, then, I would go for something like websplice or netsplice. “Splice” is good, but it feels like it needs to be qualified somehow. You stand more chance of getting a decent domain name that way, too. There are too many sites with domains like coolname-project.org. Of course, now I've proposed this in a public entry someone will probably go ahead and register them both just to be annoying. ;)

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TCP splicing was already mentioned as the core functionality, so how about tcpsplice? Instant keyword love.

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Exactly. Just try and find solutions to problems with screen, for example. Websplice sounds good, and since you're not doing some kind of generic tcp-level load balancer (at least at this point) it makes more sense anyways.

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Generic TCP-level load balancing is on the immediate horizon. I already did some of it.

So I don't want anything /too/ web-specific in the name.

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Plus there's that new documentary - Murderball - and "Perlbal" sounds too much like it. Yes, a change is in order.

Why not make it something as arbitrary as the way you named the LJ servers after SP characters, or named your company Danga? Stop trying to be so propah.

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I nominated "Mango"- a good as anything else...

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"Mango" is great for a couple of reasons - 1) it has that "vowel-n-g-vowel" thing going for it, like "Danga" does. It's cohesive. Secondly, it's a fruit, and this could kick-off a whole slew of naming opportunities for new technologies that Brad develops. Banana, Papaya, Pomegranite... the possibilities are (almost) endless.

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Sounds like twistd's perspective broker stuff with banana, peanut butter, jelly, etc.

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Projects should use names that get 0 hits on Google. "Consplice"?

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abswaf?
a better switching web prox...blah blah blah...

sounds a lil too much like AFFLACK!!

NM, go with splice. :)

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bradolizer!

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I like the name. Using “splice” in this context is both descriptive and memorable; I think it’s a great choice.

The goolability complaints are valid though. Maybe “csplice” or “lsplice” (for “connection” and “load”, respectively)? Both get about 30 coincidental Google hits as of this writing. Or write it out à la “connsplice” or “loadsplice?”

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Is he related to that Linus Torvalds guy? You know... the one who created that operating system... you know... with the penguin?

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Moutabal!
http://www.arabicslice.com/moutabal.html

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Might I just add that doc.php.net runs well behind perlbal. If perlbal did stuff like say forwarding /foobar to a twistd application on port 4444 onver two boxes and /bar to three boxes, etc. and / to another webpool it would be great. It's a pity I have to use mod_proxy for a distributed site I'm setting up atm.

And I'd like to call perlbal "spatula" from now on! ;) It really beats the traffic around backend nodes, reproxies, can serve static sites up like a charm.

Kudos to Brad! ;)

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Perlbal can do that sorta stuff, but right now you have to write a (tiny) service selector class for that. Just start from the Vhosts plugin and modify a couple lines.

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Actually been thinking about giving it a go once the other site has launched and I have some time to think straight and dive into perl again. In the interim it might be something like mod_proxy -> perlbal -> twistd applications. I still need to decide how to go about the bits and pieces before launch date.

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I love the idea of renaming (not surprising, you know i'm into that branding shit) but WebSplice or NetSplice seem great... fewer conflicts than "splice" by itself. And waaaaaaaay easier for me to explain to people than perlbal.

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What about webspatula? :P

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