I've read a few chapters of some Cocoa programming books and documentation, so I'm ready to start work on a simple Mac OS X alarm clock application. The first step, which often takes me longer than the actual implementation, is to come up with a cool name for it.
I could just call it "Alarm Clock", but that would show a lack of imagination. I did Google searches of some synonyms and related words, like "Alarm Time", "Wake Up", "Alarmist", but all were already used by someone else's alarm clock application. I also looked into some alternate spellings, like "Alarm Clok", but again, somebody else had the same idea.
I considered some platform-specific names, like "Cocoalarm", "Aqualarm", and "Alarm X", but all those were already in use or they put me at risk of legal action from Apple. (If those %\$#@ers at Apple hadn't removed the good-old Alarm Clock desk accessory from Mac OS in the first place, none of this would be necessary.)
"Strawberry Alarm Clock" is a cool name. But I think it's taken.
I've released some freeware under the fictitious business name "Sleepless-Night Software". "Sleepless-Night Alarm Clock" does have a certain ring to it, but would be too big for the application menu title.
So I'll keep thinking about names. I can't start the work until I've got a good one.
[UPDATE: I've settled on the name "Rouser". Until I think of something better.]