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This repository was archived by the owner on Aug 22, 2023. It is now read-only.
Jason Stephenson edited this page Apr 17, 2012 · 3 revisions

Welcome to the issa wiki!

FAQs

Why is issa called ``issa?''

In a round about way, the name ``issa'' was chosen because one of the Pointer sisters has that name, Issa Pointer.

Since issa was intended to be used as a connection software between the URSA software and Evergreen, I went in search of a name that had some connection, however indirect, with URSA.

Ursa Major & Ursa Minor are other names for the big and little dippers, so I thought of naming the software for one of the pointer stars that form a line from Ursa Major to Polaris on the tail of Ursa Minor. The reason for choosing one of those stars is because they form a sort of link between the two Ursa constellations, and this software forms a link between URSA and Evergreen.

However, I wasn’t really satisfied with either Dubhe or Merak as names, so I went looking for something else. I was thinking of things associated with pointing and stars and thought of the Pointer sisters. As I was reading off a list of their names from Wikipedia, my then 10-year-old daughter suggested ``Issa.''

Issa stuck because it pretty much rhymes with Ursa and has the same number of letters. Plus, why not immortalize one of the Pointer sisters in software?

Why do you always refer to the software as ``issa'' in all lower-case letters?

Because, why not?