For the record, my feelings aren't hurt. Just having a little fun. The discussion is out there. all good.
Hehe... yes, this is not about hurting anyone's feelings, we are all just throwing our two cents worth into the pot.
But the thing to remember for everyone though is the difference between a part number, a label, and a logo. The part number is what the manufacturer uses to identify that exact part, not the family, nor the architecture, but that chip with x specifications as per datasheet in that package. This is the part number that distributors also use and it can be quite long or short, as long as there is no confusion.
Now the label can be nice and simple like "P2", just like we have it now, nice and bold.
But a logo can be text or a graphic or combo but if only text then it needs to be stylized, even a little, to identify this as belonging to Parallax. Also given the constraints of laser etching on chip packages we would either want a simple clean white on black logo or more than one kind to suit documentation and sales etc.
So for those that say they like the current one, well it's not actually a logo, it's a text label done in Eurostile bold.
Do not worry about the long MPN. Heck, for a buffer IC, a valid MPN is "74LVC3G34DP,125". Or a Silicon Labs Gecko chip example of "EFM32GG330F1024G-E-QFN64R"
I totally disagree. Your example part numbers are there to distinguish those parts from a plethora of other parts with the same generic function. Parallax does not have that problem. They have two Propeller micros, and you don't need an umpteen-character part number to separate the two.
Do not worry about the long MPN. Heck, for a buffer IC, a valid MPN is "74LVC3G34DP,125". Or a Silicon Labs Gecko chip example of "EFM32GG330F1024G-E-QFN64R"
I totally disagree. Your example part numbers are there to distinguish those parts from a plethora of other parts with the same generic function. Parallax does not have that problem. They have two Propeller micros, and you don't need an umpteen-character part number to separate the two.
True, tho Parallax do also have a road map....
Notice many part numbers contain family member information, esp related to Memory Size, they are NOT minimal-length chosen.
I would prefer the P2 have a cool name vs just P2. As an example something bold like Hyper Core X8. Abbreviated HC8.
Yes, something that focuses on 8 cores has to help sale efforts.
Hyper may be already over-hyped, and there is already HyperRAM / HyperFLASH and HyperBUS in this space, (and P2 does not include native HyperBUS support either... )
HC8 I'm less sure of, as that is maybe too close to the existing Freescale HC08 MCU family brand.
Obviously, P2 has to hit critical mass (and have a tolerable errata) before new family members are rolled out.
Or, some single large customer beats a path to their door, and makes an offer they cannot refuse...
Do not worry about the long MPN. Heck, for a buffer IC, a valid MPN is "74LVC3G34DP,125". Or a Silicon Labs Gecko chip example of "EFM32GG330F1024G-E-QFN64R"
I totally disagree. Your example part numbers are there to distinguish those parts from a plethora of other parts with the same generic function. Parallax does not have that problem. They have two Propeller micros, and you don't need an umpteen-character part number to separate the two.
-Phil
Well, technically, Parallax already has 3 similar structure Propeller MPNs already: P8X32A-Q44, P8X32A-D44, and P8X32A-M44. Hasn't seemed to cause any issue for the P1. I don't see why "P2X8C4M64P" for the P2 would worry people as it follows a similar structure. If Parallax is leaving P2 development alone after the first release, then there is no reason to call it anything but P2 as the MPN will not be what causes people to choose it; the content in the datasheet will.
XBOSS - kind of rhymes with XMOS, but sounds tougher
Those are my only other ideas. Since nothing is humorous, we should probably stick with coffee- or Italian-sounding words, or maybe names that strongly suggest lethal prowess, without conjuring notions of anyone being on the receiving end of force.
The Force
ForceX - no, that doesn't sound right
What would Steely Dan have done in an age of rage?
CivilCore
Legion - too nefarious, but would probably be liked today
I'd shy away from "8", since we may have parts with 16 or 4 cores, as well.
The new chip at it's core is still a Propeller architecture. It has a lot of add on's and tweaks and cool new things, but it's still the same basic architecture of a core with local memory that is registers, shared I/O pins, and shared memory with separate instructions to read/write them. A lot of the same concepts and instructions. It really is a Propeller 2.
Therefore I think P2 is a perfectly fine designation. It's a shortening of Propeller 2, and that's fine.
I'm quite fine with "P2" myself, as it's short, and "hot" as a package marking. But just for kicks, I'll have a whack at this. Please jump to the bottom after the dashes for a summary with the cream of the Smile, eh, I mean crop.
The Octalax, "Eight-cores running in parallel." (a portmanteau of octo + Parallax)
The Tarantulax (portmanteau of tarantuala + Parallax, the spider insider)
{But they don't scale well to 4 & 16.}
TP4/8/16: TurboProp family w/4/8/16 cores, resp.
TJ4/8/16: TurboJet family w/4/8/16 cores, resp.
The Synchrolax-8, etc. (lazy-susan memory x particle accelerator + Parallax)
Note: Synchrotron, as applied to chips, might also qualify for trademark protection.
"Synchronize your tasks to work together as one."
The JuggulaX-4/8/16 (juggle + Parallax)
"Keep all your balls up in the air."
Shred4X, Shred8X, Shred16; or the Shredder4X, etc.
"Shred your problem by dividing it up into manageable tasks."
Stratolax-4/8/16 (from the B-52 Stratofortress w/8 engines + Parallax)
"Fly high with Parallax! Fire up the Stratolax family.")
<Names based on the chip inventor's name, Chip Gracey>
The PropChip-4/8/16 or TurboChipper-4/8/16 (Prop/Turbo + Chip Gracey)
The ScramChip (scramjet + Chip Gracey)
SpinChip (Spin/SPIN + Chip Gracey)
Chip's Chip -or- ChipsChip (Chip G. + microchip)
The Chipeller -or- Chippeller (Chip + propeller)
"Chip away at your problem by dividing it up."
Chip's Symphony#4, Symphony#8, Symphony#16 --> CS4/8/16
The Grace4X, Grace8X, GraceEight, Gracy-Eight (from Gracey + Crazy Eights)
Chiplax (For when you're constipated from programming. Sorry.)
The TurboSusan (from turbocharged + Lazy Susan)
The TurboSpinner-4/8/16 (from turbo + spin/SPIN)
"The TurboSpinner running the TurboSpin language."
{Commence language wars, but it still has "spin" = "rotate"}
StellaX-4/8/16 (stellar + Parallax, since multiple cores can fuse tasks like the sun does particles)
Controllax-4/8/16 (from microcontroller + Parallax)
Revolution: RevFour, Rev-Eight, Rev-16 (revolve + solution)
SpinCycler-4/8/16 (from the spinning HUB/SPIN + wash cycle)
The Whirlax-4/8/16 (from whirl + Paralax)
The Revolt-4, The Revolt-8, The Revolt-16 (from revolt * revolution)
"Coding for one core is revolting. Don't settle. Revolt! Join the revolution and put a new spin on things."
CentraFuser-4/8/16 (Separate tasks by centrafugation (spin separation) such that they can be fused to work as one)
"Separate your tasks and then fuse them together."
SpinFuser-4/8/16 (from spin/SPIN + fusion)
- - - - - - - - - - -
I guess the better ones are CentraFuser, JuggulaX, Revolt, SpinFuser, StellaX, Stratolax, Synchrolax/Syncrotron and TurboSpinner (all with -N appended, where N=number of cores), with Honorable Mention going to Chip's Symphony#8 (and so on).
Just some proverbial spaghetti tossed against the wall, none of which is expected to stick. I think that "P2" is pretty much a "done deal" or "set in stone" (or above purified sand sealed in epoxy resin) at this point. However, I suppose the mark could be, for example, CF8 for CentraFuser-8, SF8 for SpinFuser-8, R8/RV8 for Revolt-8, SX8 for StellaX-8, and so forth and so on. Well, appending "16" (w/o a hyphen) would increase the letter count/total to either 3 or 4 characters, which wouldn't make things as bold.
By the way, with Chip's penchant for bucking the status quo and thinking differently, something with the word "Revolt" or "Revolution" in it might resonate with him. The word "revolution" obviously has a double meaning (revolve + revolt), making it quite applicable (considering the Lazy Susan/eggbeater architecture and the somewhat radical programming paradigm, not to mention the plethora of smart pins thrown in the mix/mixer). We soon could have the Revolution-8 (RV8). Hmm, I like that. "Synchronize your tasks with the Revolution family (RV4, RV8 & RV16). Don't settle. Revolt!" Catchy. Sign me up. Where/When can I get one?
is something you have to do, to program Propellers. This is already true for the P1 and one reason why most us forumistas are here. The unconventional way of Chip to think about things realized a MC unlike all the other offerings and a language to match this unconventional processor.
That might be why C has such a hard time here, because it does not really fit the different programming style the Propeller needs.
The P2 basically expanded in two directions, the first is to provide some 'common' used features like interrupts and at least some HW stack to accommodate the 'common' style to program. The second expansion are the smartpins, another of those unconventional thoughts of Chip.
So to get the full potential of P1 or P2 you need to "rethink" the way you usually would attack a problem with a MC.
I still have the opinion that P2 or even Propeller2 would be perfectly fine for a name, but Marketing should underline and bold claim that Parallax Processors and the different approach, the rethinking, will provide a better, brighter and futureproof solution for all your MC and signal processor needs. Or something along the line...
Comments
Hehe... yes, this is not about hurting anyone's feelings, we are all just throwing our two cents worth into the pot.
But the thing to remember for everyone though is the difference between a part number, a label, and a logo. The part number is what the manufacturer uses to identify that exact part, not the family, nor the architecture, but that chip with x specifications as per datasheet in that package. This is the part number that distributors also use and it can be quite long or short, as long as there is no confusion.
Now the label can be nice and simple like "P2", just like we have it now, nice and bold.
But a logo can be text or a graphic or combo but if only text then it needs to be stylized, even a little, to identify this as belonging to Parallax. Also given the constraints of laser etching on chip packages we would either want a simple clean white on black logo or more than one kind to suit documentation and sales etc.
So for those that say they like the current one, well it's not actually a logo, it's a text label done in Eurostile bold.
Time to play with that text. See what can happen.
-Phil
Notice many part numbers contain family member information, esp related to Memory Size, they are NOT minimal-length chosen.
Yes, something that focuses on 8 cores has to help sale efforts.
Hyper may be already over-hyped, and there is already HyperRAM / HyperFLASH and HyperBUS in this space, (and P2 does not include native HyperBUS support either... )
HC8 I'm less sure of, as that is maybe too close to the existing Freescale HC08 MCU family brand.
PC8 or P8C may be better ?
http://www.efx-tek.com/topics/hc-8.html
-Phil
Sure, beyond this p2. Chip has made the Verilog so the output can scale to give different family members.
See here for one series of examples (it is from 2 years ago now.. )
https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/164364/prop2-family/p1
Obviously, P2 has to hit critical mass (and have a tolerable errata) before new family members are rolled out.
Or, some single large customer beats a path to their door, and makes an offer they cannot refuse...
Well, technically, Parallax already has 3 similar structure Propeller MPNs already: P8X32A-Q44, P8X32A-D44, and P8X32A-M44. Hasn't seemed to cause any issue for the P1. I don't see why "P2X8C4M64P" for the P2 would worry people as it follows a similar structure. If Parallax is leaving P2 development alone after the first release, then there is no reason to call it anything but P2 as the MPN will not be what causes people to choose it; the content in the datasheet will.
IgniteX
TrumpX - Erna can work out the part #
XBOSS - kind of rhymes with XMOS, but sounds tougher
Those are my only other ideas. Since nothing is humorous, we should probably stick with coffee- or Italian-sounding words, or maybe names that strongly suggest lethal prowess, without conjuring notions of anyone being on the receiving end of force.
The Force
ForceX - no, that doesn't sound right
What would Steely Dan have done in an age of rage?
CivilCore
Legion - too nefarious, but would probably be liked today
I'd shy away from "8", since we may have parts with 16 or 4 cores, as well.
P2 isn't so bad. It doesn't trigger.
Therefore I think P2 is a perfectly fine designation. It's a shortening of Propeller 2, and that's fine.
XBOSS it is, just brilliant Chip
Mike
I actually prefer P2 the best. Nice and simple.
I suggested the name "Turboprop" for the P2 when I first heard of the new design.... oh... some time ago.
The flow of names would have been a no-brainer after that:
P1- Prop.
P2-Turborop
P3-Ramjet
p4-Scramjet
P5-Hyperdrive
etc.
I'll be long gone by the time we had to get into the etc. so it seemed like a good Idea at the time.
"Parallax PRO"
or
"Parallax PRO 2" if you like.
Keeps the propeller name heritage, whilst (hopefully) appealing and positioning the chip for wider markets.
The name will fit on the IC package too!
The Octalax, "Eight-cores running in parallel." (a portmanteau of octo + Parallax)
The Tarantulax (portmanteau of tarantuala + Parallax, the spider insider)
{But they don't scale well to 4 & 16.}
TP4/8/16: TurboProp family w/4/8/16 cores, resp.
TJ4/8/16: TurboJet family w/4/8/16 cores, resp.
The Synchrolax-8, etc. (lazy-susan memory x particle accelerator + Parallax)
Note: Synchrotron, as applied to chips, might also qualify for trademark protection.
"Synchronize your tasks to work together as one."
The JuggulaX-4/8/16 (juggle + Parallax)
"Keep all your balls up in the air."
Shred4X, Shred8X, Shred16; or the Shredder4X, etc.
"Shred your problem by dividing it up into manageable tasks."
Stratolax-4/8/16 (from the B-52 Stratofortress w/8 engines + Parallax)
"Fly high with Parallax! Fire up the Stratolax family.")
<Names based on the chip inventor's name, Chip Gracey>
The PropChip-4/8/16 or TurboChipper-4/8/16 (Prop/Turbo + Chip Gracey)
The ScramChip (scramjet + Chip Gracey)
SpinChip (Spin/SPIN + Chip Gracey)
Chip's Chip -or- ChipsChip (Chip G. + microchip)
The Chipeller -or- Chippeller (Chip + propeller)
"Chip away at your problem by dividing it up."
Chip's Symphony#4, Symphony#8, Symphony#16 --> CS4/8/16
The Grace4X, Grace8X, GraceEight, Gracy-Eight (from Gracey + Crazy Eights)
Chiplax (For when you're constipated from programming. Sorry.)
The TurboSusan (from turbocharged + Lazy Susan)
The TurboSpinner-4/8/16 (from turbo + spin/SPIN)
"The TurboSpinner running the TurboSpin language."
{Commence language wars, but it still has "spin" = "rotate"}
StellaX-4/8/16 (stellar + Parallax, since multiple cores can fuse tasks like the sun does particles)
Controllax-4/8/16 (from microcontroller + Parallax)
Revolution: RevFour, Rev-Eight, Rev-16 (revolve + solution)
SpinCycler-4/8/16 (from the spinning HUB/SPIN + wash cycle)
The Whirlax-4/8/16 (from whirl + Paralax)
The Revolt-4, The Revolt-8, The Revolt-16 (from revolt * revolution)
"Coding for one core is revolting. Don't settle. Revolt! Join the revolution and put a new spin on things."
CentraFuser-4/8/16 (Separate tasks by centrafugation (spin separation) such that they can be fused to work as one)
"Separate your tasks and then fuse them together."
SpinFuser-4/8/16 (from spin/SPIN + fusion)
- - - - - - - - - - -
I guess the better ones are CentraFuser, JuggulaX, Revolt, SpinFuser, StellaX, Stratolax, Synchrolax/Syncrotron and TurboSpinner (all with -N appended, where N=number of cores), with Honorable Mention going to Chip's Symphony#8 (and so on).
Just some proverbial spaghetti tossed against the wall, none of which is expected to stick. I think that "P2" is pretty much a "done deal" or "set in stone" (or above purified sand sealed in epoxy resin) at this point. However, I suppose the mark could be, for example, CF8 for CentraFuser-8, SF8 for SpinFuser-8, R8/RV8 for Revolt-8, SX8 for StellaX-8, and so forth and so on. Well, appending "16" (w/o a hyphen) would increase the letter count/total to either 3 or 4 characters, which wouldn't make things as bold.
By the way, with Chip's penchant for bucking the status quo and thinking differently, something with the word "Revolt" or "Revolution" in it might resonate with him. The word "revolution" obviously has a double meaning (revolve + revolt), making it quite applicable (considering the Lazy Susan/eggbeater architecture and the somewhat radical programming paradigm, not to mention the plethora of smart pins thrown in the mix/mixer). We soon could have the Revolution-8 (RV8). Hmm, I like that. "Synchronize your tasks with the Revolution family (RV4, RV8 & RV16). Don't settle. Revolt!" Catchy. Sign me up. Where/When can I get one?
+1 (clever in it's simplicity)
And later the Core p4-16128K and Core p16-962M
It's all in the way you sell it!
"You use the Parallax Pro 2 because it's Pro-fun, Pro-creativity, Pro-maker, and still Pro-fessional."
is something you have to do, to program Propellers. This is already true for the P1 and one reason why most us forumistas are here. The unconventional way of Chip to think about things realized a MC unlike all the other offerings and a language to match this unconventional processor.
That might be why C has such a hard time here, because it does not really fit the different programming style the Propeller needs.
The P2 basically expanded in two directions, the first is to provide some 'common' used features like interrupts and at least some HW stack to accommodate the 'common' style to program. The second expansion are the smartpins, another of those unconventional thoughts of Chip.
So to get the full potential of P1 or P2 you need to "rethink" the way you usually would attack a problem with a MC.
I still have the opinion that P2 or even Propeller2 would be perfectly fine for a name, but Marketing should underline and bold claim that Parallax Processors and the different approach, the rethinking, will provide a better, brighter and futureproof solution for all your MC and signal processor needs. Or something along the line...
Mike
Rather than "amateur" how about "eight cpu cores and so advanced that it's simple to use"