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Comment by cwyers | Hacker News Reader

I love the name "Google Play for Work."

Awkward naming aside, it seems like this is very similar to what Apple did in iOS2.0 with iOS Enterprise Developer program.

"Google Play for Work allows businesses to securely deploy and manage apps across all users running Android for Work, simplifying the process of distributing apps to employees and ensuring that IT approves every deployed app"

Leaving aside exactly how it's done, the end goal is the same: If I am Example Inc's CTO, I can now have my staff develop Example Inc Android apps that are neither sold on Play store nor side-loaded.

Apple requires running your own App Store server, I'm fairly certain Google will probably make it more cloud centric.

Glad they're finally stepping up on this front.

I think you are confusing use cases, the iOS Enterprise Developer program is something totally different. It serves companies who want to either test own apps within the organization or use own apps just for internal use (like intranet apps). Meanwhile the program got rather abused for doing test flights and beta tests.

What Google does is different: the company IT can decide which apps are allowed and they can automate installation, e.g. company xy wants to install Salesforce, Trello, and 5 other apps on company devices in addition to the OS apps.

Google Apps has supported private Play channels for ages, allowing you to use the same Play app to install business apps restricted to only users in your Google Apps account. This seems to be more about being able to automatically push those apps to your user's phone.

"Google Play for Work" is as bad as "Playstation" is good. They really shouldn't let this awkward branding stuff happen.

I worked on Windows Live Mobile for Windows Mobile. Thankfully it was renamed.

Good to hear they're working hard in the Department of Redundancy Department.

Could be worse. I still remember when Microsoft maintained both "Windows Messenger" and "MSN Messenger" as separate apps with separate update schedules and version numbers even though it was the same product. That was confusing.

As best i recall it started with Windows Messenger, aimed at intranet use (and with a client bundled with Windows, natch). Then MS used the same protocol to offer a AIM competitor. In the end though what they killed seemed to be IRC...

A bus station is a where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. So what is the purpose of a workstation? And more importantly, what is the purpose of a PlayStation? ;).

A bus station is also where a bus starts. Ditto for trains and train stations. ;)

But you have to wonder what a bus shelter is for if there are air raid shelters too - to protect you from buses??

Actually bus station is where bus does its job (get on and get off people)

I hope that wherever it is you live, buses' primary job isn't getting on and off people.

Soviet Russia is long gone...

I am right now listening to "Google Play Music All Access I'm Feeling Lucky Radio", which is a way better name than "Spotify".

I thought you were joking until I "googled" it!

The name is silly, but it makes sense. Google Play is effectively a package manager. "Google Play for Work" is an enterprise-controlled package manager.

Oh yes, it makes perfect sense if you ignore the fact that "Google Play is a package manager" doesn't make any sense. Google Play should be a thing on which you play, not manage packages.

It could have been called "Google Package Manager for Work."

> "Google Play is a package manager" doesn't make any sense.

It makes totally sense. Google Play is a package manager like apt-get, npm, etc. and Play is a nice name which covers many uses case since it's a playful synonym for "start" or "to start something": "start a game", "start a program", "start an app" or "start work"

The term 'package manager' would be to long and is not learned among the mainstream but again it's exactly this, check Wikipedia:

"A package manager or package management system is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner. It typically maintains a database of software dependencies and version information to prevent software mismatches and missing prerequisites."

https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=9111350&goto=item%3Fid...

On a side note. In a system where "app"/"app store" can be trademarked. We are long past the sense/nonsense debate. So they named it the play store.

Now they had to name an app store for work why not name it "play $anything"?, doesn't matter.

Well it is Play in the "press Play on ..." sense.

Even the icon is a stylized version of the mark found on the appropriate button.

My vote for most awkwardly named software project goes to :

https://github.com/cocaine

GIMP leaves something to be desired as well. There've been others, though I'm blanking on them at present.

My vote for most awkward project mascot is LaTeX 's [0]

A smiling furry with a turtle neck representing a project named latex.

[0] http://www.latex-project.org/

It tells a story of a hasty late strategy decision making.

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