[jacurtis]

I agree, PirateWeather seems like a misbrand here. When I read it, i thought it was stealing weather data or something. On the web, the term "pirate" generally doesn't mean good things. This name almost implies that it is illegal or something.

I'm imagining designing a software product around this and presenting it to a C-Level, explaining that we use "PirateWeather" and I think I'm going to get grilled with lots of questions and concerns based on the name alone.

This is a good service and should be "branded" with a better name. Maybe a play on the whole DarkSky name like LightSky or "Sunset" which works exceptionally well since DarkSky was sunset by Apple. Maybe StarrySky, LateSky, NewSky.

I am usually someone who says that names don't matter as much as people think they do, but PirateWeather just seems like a huge hit in the wrong direction. But the product is solid so maybe it can survive despite the name.

[alexander0042]

I'm the dev for this, so can shed some light on this! Weather Underground was a pretty out there choice- I guess the kind of people who like putting together weather APIs aren't great at naming things. I considered "Bright Ground", and still have the domain name for it, so maybe it'd be worth spinning up another API endpoint/ branding that uses that and has a more commercial focus, keeping Pirate Weather as the free and open source branding.

[guntherhermann]

FWIW I love the name Pirate Weather. Thanks for the work!

[dbuder]

Keep the name - this is not vc bait

[argc]

I like the name pirate weather a lot.

[Bloating]

wunderground.com has existed for a long time. Defining feature it is can crowd source weather

[phpisthebest]

That used to be the defining feature. IBM has killed the community and put alot of restrictions on the data

[midoridensha]

I wonder if they put the codebase into ClearCase too.

[maphew]

Rrr-mate, Rmate, Are-matey,

And variants thereof perhaps

[nivenkos]

Weather Underground would be hilarious.

[zerocrates]

Not only is it already a thing, IBM of all people own them now.

[astrange]

We took the real Weather Underground so unseriously that half of them became college professors and one of them was on Jeopardy, seems consistent.

[ummonk]

That would actually be a great idea.

[phpisthebest]

>>I'm imagining designing a software product around this and presenting it to a C-Level

More likely

1. they will not ask

2. If they ask they will care

3. If they care they will not with a short explanation

this seem like a non-issue, and if the biggest thing you have to worry about is some C Level with a stick up their ..... well I think you have nothing to worry about then

the name is fine...

[holoduke]

Maybe most of the good products come out of places without too many C level types :)

[feanaro]

> On the web, the term "pirate" generally doesn't mean good things.

Maybe we're on different webs, but in my mind "pirate" has good connotations. As in, a rebel, a free spirit, a fighter of oppression.

[midoridensha]

>On the web, the term "pirate" generally doesn't mean good things.

That depends on who you ask... People who are fans of, e.g., ThePirateBay probably would disagree with you.

Also, there's a shipping service called PirateShip that's totally legal (it's basically a frontend to USPS shipping labels). The website is pretty amusing with the "Arr, matey!" stuff.

[jameshart]

I guess at least it’s a step up from the time someone was trying to brand a grassroots weather data collection effort and decided to name it after a terrorist organization.

I’m a massive fan of - and indeed contribute data to - the weather underground project, but the naming has always made me a little uncomfortable.

[lawtalkinghuman]

> I'm imagining designing a software product around this and presenting it to a C-Level

Alternatively, imagine what the world would be like if we spent less time thinking about what C-suite executives think.

[ferdek]

Weatharrr!