I think they're being serious. Names are important, not as much as the underlying technology, and I think some people legitimately would be embarrassed trying t

I think they're being serious. Names are important, not as much as the underlying technology, and I think some people legitimately would be embarrassed trying to pitch a DB with the name Cockroach, or their phobia could be so extreme that the name itself does affect them. People can argue all day about the name, and HN can get all upset that its brought up everytime a post about CockroachDB is made, but that should say something about the name itself. If the name warrants comments on it, then maybe that means there is some significance to its name and to the general populace. I think someone should fork it and use Palmetto Bug in the name instead in some creative way. It'd be keeping the spirit of the original name while also not having the same immediate disgust some people have with the name. In South Carolina, a common name to refer to cockroaches is the Palmetto bug.