Do You Agree That Kubuntu Should be Renamed - If So, What Name?

[NoWorries]

Oops almost forgot. IF you must rename it... "K OS" is better so you are not linking it to any distro that people might abandon in the future.

That sounds very cosy or should I say Kosy

I remember that some do not like KDE applications always starting with K. I used Blue because KDE colour is Blue and Blue Systems are now supporting Kubuntu. I used Lin as an abbreviation for Linux and OS as an abbreviation for Operating System.

For Kubuntu to increase in Market acceptance, I believe that it has to have:

• an appealing product name,
• an appealing presentation, ie no longer a vanilla KDE look,
• a comprehensive range of default applications that satisfy the diversity of users needs

Increased Market acceptance is what we all want to achieve.

[benny_fletch]

I used Blue because KDE colour is Blue and Blue Systems are now supporting Kubuntu. I used Lin as an abbreviation for Linux and OS as an abbreviation for Operating System.

With that thinking in mind why not simply call it BlueLinux. It might just be me, but don't most people know Linux is an operating system (at least those who are familiar with the term). BlueLinOS reminds me too much of PCLinuxOS or Lindows (just my opinion though).

I also agree it might be a bit premature to be thinking about a rename (since kubuntu is still very much ubuntu w/ kde). On the other hand, I guess it is never too early to have a plan.

[Snowhog]

Okay, let's plan on planning to have a pre-meeting meeting to develop a set of pre-development development concepts. Let's all meet on Tuesday to set a meeting date.

[Teunis]

Linuks

A problem is the first 'i', compared to other European languages English speakers pronounce it very different , Linnuks would consolidate the differences

Jokes aside, the differences in pronunciation have to be addressed and such a name has to be relatively short, probably only 2 or 3 syllables.
As Ubuntu has shown it does not have to refer to it's heritage, Linus, Unix and KDE.
For an OS build on DOS the name Windows was descriptive, short and simple and many languages translated it.
The next Linux could do with a similar universal, real or artificial, word.

[perspectoff]

Canonical's repositories

Finally, let's not forget Canonical is still paying for the servers with the Kubuntu repositories, even though many mirrors pay their own bandwidth it's still a non-trivial contribution!

Extremely, extremely important.

Speed of access and accessiblity to repository downloads is very important.

... not that I think that Debian or Mint repositories are slow in comparison...

Further, the co-branding is important, too.

Ubuntu Edge had quite a high visibility for a short while. Kubuntu beneifited from that visibility, to a small extent, IMO.

I, for one, am looking forward eventually to a KDE-based tablet (Vivaldi?) and cell phone, but at this time perhaps the public mindset is that only Ubuntu is making strides in that direction. If Kubuntu piggybacks that impression (until something KDE-based on a tablet / mobile phone actually appears to be easily usable and becomes mature), then I believe this is a benefit.

In the US, Red Hat is the dominant business-oriented Linux distro, still. Red Hat / CentOS / Fedora server market share is dropping rapidly to Ubuntu, though, because, I think, business wants the vertical integration that Ubuntu seems to be poised to offer: mobile / laptop / desktop / cloud.

Kubuntu must appear to offer that same vertical integration, IMO, to continue to appeal not only to business, but also to schools (Brazil), government (France and Germany), and scientists. Kubuntu has had to work harder to make sure it is compatible with Ubuntu's many incarnations yet still offer all of KDE's advantage. That has been no small task but that integration has been one its major values, IMO.

Can that be done with Debian? Probably so (and that consideration is being discussed in another thread), but certainly Debian lacks some of the public visibility that Ubuntu enjoys (courtesy of Canonical). Kubuntu may not appear to be an officially supported part of Ubuntu (the impression one may get from reading this thread), but it still enjoys a good deal of the visibility of Ubuntu.

Would Mint be so popular if it also didn't market itself as an Ubuntu derivative, either? Probably not, if you accept my premise.

[Snowhog]

αΩ Linux - The First and Last Linux you will ever need!

[NoWorries]

With that thinking in mind why not simply call it BlueLinux. It might just be me, but don't most people know Linux is an operating system (at least those who are familiar with the term). BlueLinOS reminds me too much of PCLinuxOS or Lindows (just my opinion though).

I was thinking of having a word that did not have too many strong consonants such as K and X. For example we have popular products such as Android and ipad which are not harsh sounding words.

[PaulW2U]

Kubuntu may not be an official part of Ubuntu,

Incorrect. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DerivativeTeam/Derivatives,

To partially quote from that web page - Kubuntu is fully integrated into the Ubuntu project and contributes significantly and directly towards the project.

[Teunis]

True about the Konsonants.
What about Magic, Millennium, Helsinki (where Linus was born) or Karate (Linus' wife was a national champion)?
Talking about magic, what about REISUB

[GreyGeek]

Okay, let's plan on planning to have a pre-meeting meeting to develop a set of pre-development development concepts. Let's all meet on Tuesday to set a meeting date.

On google hangout!

[Simon]

Random Thoughts...

Well I guess you could go with only a complex logo, like that musician did years ago, where you couldn't actually "pronounce" the name. Funny thing was that kind of backfired, since all the radio DJs started calling him "The musician formerly known as...". That would be silly to call it "The OS formerly known as Kubuntu."

As I stated before the name really shouldn't be attached to the OS and could simply be Kos or Kosy and whatnot. I was bored and decided to take off my doctor's cap and toss on my marketing and promotions cap. IF I actually had a say in the renaming of this IDE/OS hybrid and it was not just a hypothetical situation, I would submit the following per release naming;

KDE + Debian

"K Toy" - Now a lot of you might think this is degrading and calling the OS a toy, but as you know Debian gets the release names from "Toy Story". This might not be a good idea for a business model.
"K Magic" - This referes to the Debian "magical smoke" logo.
Finally I gave some thought about "K Deb" but leaves Ian out in the cold and his wife in charge, that wouldn't be any more P.C. to call it "K Ian".

KDE + Red Hat

One might think that combining a Red Hat with a Blue K might make something like a Purple Hat... well there is a group of elderly women in a tea social called that. In fact, I don't comprehend Red Hat since that generates images of the Red Hat Society... which is another tea social. I pondered this one and came up with images of breakfast cereals and department stores... not that I would want to attach that to an operating system either.

KDE + Slackware

Naming convention on this one is a lot more simple than the prior. First you are dealing with a humorously named OS thus making the renaming much easier.
"K Ware" - "Kool Ware" - "Klacks"

Well I guess I will take off my marketing and promotions cap now and put on the sleepy time cap.

[Teunis]

Or we could go the way football teams do with their stadiums, name them after their sponsor.
Something like (Blue)Shell, Coke or Mountain Dew maybe?

Years ago someone extracted the overriding colour from all pictures he found on the net and the average colour was... the human skin
I don't think the net has changed much so a logical sponsor might be a porn peddler

[PaulW2U]

Rick Spencer and Jono Bacon, very senior Canonical employees, have just confirmed to me in a UDS session that the Ubuntu flavours are and always will be part of the Ubuntu community. Why all the talk about a new name?

Sadly I will now to resign from these forums. I'll be reporting my post to the admin/moderator team so that my account can be disabled. I'm very disappointed with the views of many of the forum members here. I really don't know why some of you are here.

Please move on, stop bashing Ubuntu/Canonical.

[sithlord48]

does this mean i have to reopen my G+ account ?

[SteveRiley]

Rick Spencer and Jono Bacon, very senior Canonical employees, have just confirmed to me in a UDS session that the Ubuntu flavours are and always will be part of the Ubuntu community. Why all the talk about a new name?

I would offer that discussion of a new name is more of a symptom of broader feelings of abandonment. Yes, the flavors contribute much to *buntu and Canonical. But Canonical appears to be distancing itself from what is traditionally considered to be a Linux distribution. Such movement will only increase the difficulty of remaining a flavor over time.

Sadly I will now to resign from these forums. I'll be reporting my post to the admin/moderator team so that my account can be disabled. I'm very disappointed with the views of many of the forum members here. I really don't know why some of you are here.

Just because you disagree with some our members doesn't mean you need to leave KFN. I emailed you privately to ask if this is really what you wish. We are always sad to see a member depart.