Gregory's ServerStop using "Zoom" as a general term for video conferencing.
Stop using "Google" as a general term for searching the web.
 69 comments
@tobtobxx @garritfra About windows I remember the "Mac Vs PC" commercial TV. Assuming that PC was fucking Windows. Even people here used to say "That computer is slow because is a PC in my house I use mac" and I said "No, it is slow because has a fucking Windows, no because it's a PC". I could understand that from people who only used the computer for work but from a person who called himself "Computer scientist" was a bit disappointing for me. while this is true that trademarks get overruled when there's a public use but the cultural damage would (is?) already done by teaching everyone that we make progress through corporate sponsorship and deregulation (including open source, Google will use it to create more power) @tobtobxx @garritfra I think that the Windows thing is because the word existed way before Microsoft invented their OS. The same isnโt true for the word Google. @tobtobxx @garritfra This is probably not likely to happen. For example, "Kleenex" has long been used conversationally as a general term for any tissue used to blow snot out of your nose. BUT if any other company tried to slap "Kleenex Tissue" on their box, they would be smacked really hard. @garritfra I tend to say "let me duckduckgo that for you" and people stare at me astonished lol @mgiagante @garritfra In my opinion is better to say "Let me search that for you". Now DDG seems to be a good company but Google was a good company in the past. I think is better to keep a neutral way.  @jrballesteros05 @mgiagante @garritfra I think the point is to emphasize that google is not the only search engine. @mgiagante @garritfra I've tried saying "quack" as a verb for ddg but even people who know ddg don't always get it. "dugkduckgo" is just not easy to say. I've also said "let me Google that" and immediately texted them a link to a ddg.gg/?q=x , which dilutes the trademark, at least. @travisfw @mgiagante @garritfra Trademark dilution through a generic trademark is definitely a thing that some companies fight against. There was a time when โNintendoโ was becoming a generic term, and they fought against that, and the term game console won out. 
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@garritfra: totally agree. It's hard for people though. I don't even use google to search. @kzimmermann My favorite, from days past, was "I need a new modem." "Ok, here is one for $12." "No, it is much bigger than that." "Ah, you mean the desktop computer." @souldessin unbelievable! I would have pardoned if they confused the modem with a router, but this... holy crap. Reminds of the time someone in my first company opened a ticket to fix the coffee maker because "it has LCD screen and blinky buttons"   @garritfra no do it so that they become generic and therefore unprotected as trademarks! :ablobcatbongo:โ
@garritfra or do so that those companies lose their copyright protection through generalization @garritfra I don't disagree, but it's probably a losing battle. (Cf. stop using "kleenex" as a general term for video conference; stop using "xerox" as a general term for photocopying; stop using "velcro" for a generic term for "hook-and-loop fasteners"; stop using "zipper" as the generic term for "clasp locker"; &c. &c.)
 @garritfra and stop using 'Hoover' as a term for vacuuming. There are quite a few that crept into the language.  @danie10 @emacsomancer true, yes, but none of these examples raises a systemic power issue like google does  @garritfra add to thus Facebook - social media I have been working on this https://codeberg.org/DigitalSkills/DigitalSkills/src/branch/main/about.md Taking the UK digital skills framework and applying that to using free / privacy friendly software, tools etc. @garritfra No problem, I am getting some help from a few of the free software foundation people.@noisytoot @garritfra  @garritfra @zleap Also: "Gmail" for email Generally, don't use specific terms for referring to classes that they are in. @garritfra And please... stop using "content" to refer to films, music, writing, and other deep labors of love created by humans. I don't think a lot of people realize that the term "content" debases the creative output of a great number of people. @garritfra How about the term "podcast"? It comes from the iPod, which isn't nice. The problem is that the neutral alternatives are often longer. "Google" is shorter than "search online", "youtuber" is shorter than "digital video content creator". @fortifieduniverse What would you suggest as an alternative? Content feels appropriate to me, if a bit cold. Something like "art" can be a better descriptor, but damn does that sound pretentious. @cirno @garritfra I feel like of the accurate descriptions, "art" probably has the most possibility for pretense... but "music", "film", "writing", "photography", etc., don't really feel pretentious to me at all. I just feel like "content" devalues the thing that it describes, and turns it all into a bland sea of sameness.   @garritfra@fosstodon.org Okay Google shill Stop using Kleenex as a general term for tissue paper. Stop using Jello as a general term for gelatin. Stop using Tylenol as a general term for acetaminophen. Stop using Dry Ice as a general term for solid carbon dioxide. Stop using xerox as a general term for photocopy. Stop using heroin as a general term for diamorphine. Itโs called a generic trademark. We do it all the time. @garritfra Canon, Xerox, Unitas, and many more brands have been used in different parts of the world the same way for ages. It looks like a thing we tend to do. @garritfra but what are alternative terms? Many I've seen proposed are worse. At least now, we, the people, turned brands into a commons. Which is something brands try to avoid at all costs, because it harms their trademark. If I "zoom", I enlarge something. Most people I know "use Teams" (because that's the only thing about it that somewhat works and too many company admins love MS...). Trouble with "googling" is, the alternatives are really bad. @garritfra Sadly, most likely, 99.8% of the people in the world are unaware that other search engines exist.  @garritfra I don't think most people use "Google" as a general term for search. It's not like "Kleenex" where if I ask for a "Kleenex" I don't really care what brand of tissue you toss me. When I tell someone "Google this" I typically usually literally mean "Use Google specifically because I know what Google is going to give you." |
@garritfra yes