I'll be applying engineering naming here, so things like Fried Chicken will become "Hot Dead Bird".
First off, the Maxi/SMK/NEC/Wong Linear switch -> http://deskthority.net/wiki/SMK_vintage_linear
![Image](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IBCXhRrLyWU/T4iTOFcX0kI/AAAAAAAAFWk/hqu4lOItvJc/w636-h477-no/2012-04-13+16.23.21.jpg)
My proposed name is <company> Ribbed Flange Switch. So, the pic above would be a Maxi Switch Ribbed Flange Switch.
In the case of any tactile or clicky switches that can be added in such as Wong Ribbed Flange Tactile Switch. Labeling switches as linear in this case is not necessary because the majority of switches are linear (and thus extraneous).
Thoughts?
(This doesn't solve the lineage, but it is clear there are at least "branding" differences between each of the switches that are nearly identical)