PostmarketOS is rebranding as Nura

As someone who used PostmarketOS previously, and would be interested in returning...

1. Congrats to them on a name change.

2. Bummer about not getting the .org domain name, but if the current registrant hasn't been using the name, there is some ICANN trademark pressure that can help the registrant be reasonable with the price.

3. Is the effort into branding a sign that there's also imminent big news on device viability for daily drivers?

Idk, I think the new name sounds too corporate, like some shitty startup or wellness brand. PostmarketOS was a bit of a mouthful but it gave you some idea of what the project was. Well, if they think it's a way to reach more people, then more power to them.

I did think postmarketOS was a bit of an awkward name but it was also widely recognised, at least in Linux nerd circles. I guess this will cause a bit of confusion in the short term but hopefully lead to broader recognition in the longer term. Though the obstacles to Nura's growth are probably not primarily branding-related.

Nura it also means "light bulb" in Hebrew (נורה).

Either way, I don't mind that much, I do think "Nura" is more catchy than "postmarketOS", it also rolls off the tongue much better IMO

I'm torn; the old name was awkward, but renaming is a painful breaking change. Oh well, it's done now.

Was the original name some kind of nod to PostgreSQL?

I'd be so happy to install this on my phone. I miss the time when I was using Samsung Dex. Incredible to not hold my computer around anymore. But Samsung... not open-source, buggy.

I kind of still prefers postmarketOS

I thought the old name was fine, it was usually just PMOS abbreviated... Nura seems totally unnecessary but we'll roll with it or some fork if someone creates an alternative

This sucks. I like postmarketOS and I liked the old name. I even have the pmOS pinephone and the old t-shirt

Now they'll embark on their most difficult challenge yet, persuading me to remember that they changed the name.

Significant improvement on the old name, it no longer sounds inherently obsolete when you say it.

FYI: they don't accept AI contributions.

From experience, AI is a 10x (or more) booster for getting a new device up and running - or porting mainline Linux to those super old (3.x) kernel forks.

I'll not contribute back anymore - this is a real bummer, but I guess they made their choice.

Context: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49704503#49745309

https://docs.nura.eco/policies-and-processes/development/ai-...

Open source continues its streak of picking atrocious names. Just off the top of my head, in recent memory we have Raku, Kodi, Luanti, Valkey, and now Nura.

Naming things is famously hard, but sometimes it feels like the Good Idea Fairy visits these projects and they aren't product-savvy enough to realize that humans are social, fickle creatures. You need to pick a name that your users won't be embarassed to say in a board room. There is a fairly sizable body of research-backed evidence that picking a cringe name reduces initial trust/comprehension.

Lukewarm take: "I'm a Raku developer" makes one sound like someone with poor hygiene who watches far too much anime.

Edit: also “floorp” the Firefox fork and “xonaly” the search engine. Who could forget those gems.

logo still sucks

Wow now that is an even worse name than “postmarketOS”. Congratulations.