[6lowpan] Usage of "6LoWPAN" in vernacular

[Carsten Bormann <[e-mail]>]

On Jul 23, 2011, at 21:10, Timothy J. Salo wrote:

> "6lowpan", I believe, fails the test of speaking to a broader audience
> and having longevity.  Today, few people know what 6lowpan means, and
> in the future it will be merely an interesting (or not-so-interesting)
> historical footnote.  Using "6lowpan" feels sort of like using a
> development code name for a marketing name.

I find that position interesting, because it reflects a perception that is quite different from mine.

Let's ask the universal arbiter in all matters terminology:

http://www.google.com/search?q=zigbee
"zigbee - Google Search" -- 7,100,000
http://www.google.com/search?q=802.15.4
"802.15.4 - Google Search" -- 2,020,000
http://www.google.com/search?q=6lowpan
"6lowpan - Google Search" -- 388,000

Depending on your google cookies, you may get different numbers, but one thing is clear:

While 6lowpan does not have the age and the marketing power of zigbee, it sure shows a presence.

If you google recent journalistic news, you find gems such as

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/android-bulb-to-run-on-6lowpan-standard/
"Google's Android Bulb to Run on 6LowPAN Standard : Greentech Media"
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/7/prweb8635665.htm
"ZigBee/802.15.4 Module Revenues to Approach $1.7 Billion in 2015" -- “One of the most disruptive developments over the past couple of years is the emergence of IPv6/6LoWPAN,” 
http://www.infoworld.com/d/data-center/10-technologies-will-change-the-world-in-the-next-10-years-184
"10 technologies that will change the world in the next 10 years | Data Center - InfoWorld"

And 6lowpan has already started a family:
Kerry Lynn named his brilliant IPv6 over MS/TP proposal "6lobac".

I'd say the term 6lowpan definitely has arrived, and we should not hesitate to use it as a shorthand for the "IPv6 right to the embedded/wireless sensor node" approach.

Gruesse, Carsten