@jupiter_rowland Well I don't think I'm the ActivityPub inventress, though I certainly played a big role in its standardization and etc. The history of the name "ActivityPub" is one of those things that could be lost to time tho, so here's what happened, per my memory: 🧵
- @evan developed Pump.io's API experimenting towards a new, simpler, better design to replace OStatus called the "Pump.io API" https://github.com/e14n/pump.io/blob/master/API.md - @erincandescent sets up "ActivityPump" doc, converting Evan's api docs into more formal protocol format/language, using ActivityStreams2 - In the SocialWG, MicroPub was also being standardized; there was hope the two specs would converge, and @rhiaro suggested we rename to ActivityPub, a big name upgrade anyway
Ultimately the merge between MicroPub and ActivityPub didn't happen, but they did learn from each other, and ActivityPub did keep its improved name. The "Pump" language was awkward; Pump.io had an infamously awkward (but I don't think intentional) tagline along the lines of "Pump.io pumps your life through your family and friends" or something else that made me think yes, actually dropping the name "pump" might be a good idea, and ActivityPub seemed good
I'm not much of the ActivityPub inventress; I did shape it a lot, and guided it through the process. Ultimately, ActivityPub's core design ideas came from @evan, though really I think they really derive from the kind of design that comes out of actor model systems (even though AP deviates in various places from the actor model, it's best when it follows it)
@cwebber it was intentionally awkward. Like, this is a terrible way to describe any software, and although not explicitly sexual, it was cringey. I do think the analogy with a pump is fitting. I was actually hoping the bad name would get people to set up their own servers!
@cwebber it has an indelible Christine stamp on it. I don't actually know how much of the voice and flavour is @tsyesika ; it would be really interesting to do a `git blame` on the doc!