Hello,
First post here, long-time user here, love GNOME!
I was just wondering why GNOME Software is called Software.
Usually, I like the simple names of GNOME core apps, but I always found that one in particular a little off and confusing. First, because pieces of software in GNOME are called “applications” anywhere else. Secondly, because it doesn’t actually make it clear that it is a place to get applications, “software” being such a generic word in a digital context. It is also quite a technical term and not that end-user friendly.
I don’t know if any user testing have been done, but I’m not sure new users can understand that this is the place to get new applications from the name alone if they haven’t been told. If I’d see something called “Software” among many apps, it just sounds to me like some technical utility. And even telling it, “open Software to get new apps”, “just get it in Software”, “you can install this with Software” – it makes for a confusing sentence because “software” is just a general noun and doesn’t sound like the name of an app.
It would be much clearer if was called something along the lines of “Store” (even though that sounds too commercial), “Library”, “Repository”, “Catalogue”, “Collection”, etc.
“Open the app library”, “Get it in the app catalogue”, “You can find this in the repository” would be far more understandable than “It’s in Software”.
What are everyone else’s thoughts on this? 