ZeroMQ

The Zen of Zero

The Ø in ØMQ is all about trade-offs. On the one hand, this strange name lowers ØMQ’s visibility on Google and Twitter. On the other hand, it annoys the heck out of some Danish folk who write us things like “ØMG røtfl”, and “Ø is not a funny-looking zero!” and “Rødgrød med Fløde!” (which is apparently an insult that means “May your neighbours be the direct descendants of Grendel!”). Seems like a fair trade.

Originally, the zero in ØMQ was meant to signify “zero broker” and (as close to) “zero latency” (as possible). Since then, it has come to encompass different goals: zero administration, zero cost, zero waste. More generally, “zero” refers to the culture of minimalism that permeates the project. We add power by removing complexity rather than by exposing new functionality.