DrIFT... 
... the software formerly known as Derive.
[machine generated code]

DrIFT was previously called Derive.  However, I was threatened with legal action for infringing the trademark DERIVE(TM), registered by Soft Warehouse Inc.. We've exchanged a series of mails (some of them more courteous than others) and the upshot is that I have been instructed to ...
... immediately cease and desist any distribution of, or reference to, your software under the name, Derive. Please take whatever measures are necessary to cause the removal of the name Derive (in reference to your software) from any Web page, or any place else, whether under your control or someone else's. Please notify everyone who has received your software not to refer to your software as Derive.
I didn't know that free, purely-academic source code could infringe on the world of industry. Not wanting to get dragged through the courts, I planed to rename my code. I suggested "Haskell Derive", but the guys at S.W.Inc. said
You asked whether naming your software `Haskell Derive' would be satisfactory, and you explained your reasoning for wishing to adopt that name. We believe that we understand your reasoning, but the critical point is that including `Derive' as part of your software's name in *any* manner is not permissible. That fact is not changed by adding other words to `Derive', nor by your belief that the word `derive' is an accurate description, using the correct terminology, of the purpose of the software.

In pursuit of your academic research project, please rename your software to avoid using `Derive' or any other word that might cause a reasonable likelihood of confusion with `Derive'

So, I was stumped. The software derives instances from types, I'd like a descriptive name, but can't use the word `derive'.   Not being able to think of a name myself, I set up a little web form and asked for suggestions.  Many of these were funny, some unrepeatable, but the best useable suggestion was
 DrIFT (Deriving Instances From Types)
which I think  is really clever.  Sooner or later I'll get round to updating all sources & documentation to this name.


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nww@dcs.gla.ac.uk