[NamTaf]

"What can CAP do for you? First let's agree….. worst name ever. Now that we're past that, here's our story, and an ask."

MS, you're competing with a product called "IFTTT". Don't think so lowly of yourself!

[kranner]

If This Then That is a pretty cool name. Zapier on the other hand...

[NamTaf]

I get where it comes form, and it makes sense, but it's long and will inevitably be shorterned to IFTTT which is just awkward.

An acronym/initialism is better if it can be pronounced like a word. CAP is one of them, and thus I feel it's better than IFTTT even though IFTTT's full name makes more sense and is 'good'.

[kranner]

In terms of searchability, "IFTTT" and "Zapier" beat "CAP" by a mile because the latter is a common word. So I can search for recipes with "IFTTT" or "Zapier" but in this case I have to type the full expansion "conditional action programmer."

Whether or not a name like IFTTT is awkward, and therefore bad in some sense, is subjective. Personally I happen to like the awkwardness.

[nutheracc]

What's "an ask"?

[slazaro]

It might sound weird to you, but it's correct.

Noun

ask ‎(plural asks)

    1. An act or instance of asking.

    2. Something asked or asked for; a request.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ask

[userbinator]

More information here: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/4246/can-or-shoul...

Personally I never use it because it can sound far too close to "ass" especially through low-fidelity channels.

[morgante]

According to that link, it's been part of "Microsoft-speak" for over a decade.

It's definitely a noun, but the kind of noun that only annoying business people use.

[nutheracc]

Now try to find it in a real dictionary.

[Sacho]

Here's oxford dictionaries on the word: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ask

> [WITH ADJECTIVE] informal A demand or situation that requires a specified degree of effort or commitment:

> it is a big ask for him to go and play 90 minutes

> it was a tough ask, but they delivered

Or OED: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/11505?rskey=xAEeZD&result=1#ei...

> Westm. Papers 1 Nov. 107 Who has not suffered when he has played correctly second hand..from his partner assuming that there has been an ask for trumps?

> 2014 D. Chapman Ascendant lxxiii. 301 A plane? Full of people?.. That is an enormous ask.

[kentt]

When used liked that it's synonymous with request. If heard it often used as "that's a big ask". Some example usages[1] since you seem a bit skeptical.

[1] https://scholar.google.ca/scholar?hl=en&q=%22big+ask%22&btnG...