6 ms·

To add on to this -- the about page acknowledges how "many are confused" about the name but effectively brushes it off because "kerberos is a good name", then "

To add on to this -- the about page acknowledges how "many are confused" about the name but effectively brushes it off because "kerberos is a good name", then "it's not actually kerberos, but kerberos.io", followed by "it's a mouthful so we'll just say kerberos" (and the HN submission just says kerberos) I feel like the name really might be an impediment to the project. Not that people can't ever re-use names, but this really feels like a pointless impediment to discoverability.

rjzzleep 5y ago
It actually is a really good name. But yeah, I had the same confusion.
- vhodges 5y ago
  A better name for a multi-headed security system would be Cerberus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus
  - rjzzleep 5y ago
    That might be something they would be willing to change their name to. It's also a commonly used name although probably nowhere near as bad to google as Kerberus.
  - srswtf123 5y ago
    I think Siemans has that under the Cerberus Pyrotronics brand.
  - pjc50 5y ago
    Same dog, different language.
    - wyager 5y ago
      It’s pronounced about the same in either case. “Cerberus” in Latin is pronounced “Kerberus”, just like “cent” is actually pronounced “Kent”.
    - vhodges 5y ago
      Thanks, that I did not know.
      - pjc50 5y ago
        All the Greek patheon have dual Latin/Greek names. Mercury/Hermes etc.
  - chedabob 5y ago
    Already taken by this Android app though https://www.cerberusapp.com/ https://www.cerberusapp.com/
    - woleium 5y ago
      that's abandoned now I think
- dvfjsdhgfv 5y ago
  It's a name that fits the project description well, but it's a very bad name for an open source security-related project. They could have as well named it OpenCV.
austincheney 5y ago
I wonder if MIT trademarked Kerberos. https://web.mit.edu/kerberos/ https://web.mit.edu/kerberos/
- spinax 5y ago
  US: quick search says Yes, at one time however it's was abandoned in 1994: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm6z3m.2.7 https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm... Current US trademark holder is a financial group: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm6z3m.2.2 https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm... Edit: it appears the USPTO has sent a notice refusing activation on the above due to requirements not met if I read this correctly: https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88758894&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88758894&caseType=SERIAL_...
Spooky23 5y ago
It’s a uniquely bad name as Kerberos is used by almost every working adult, but hardly anyone understands it. Usurping a vaguely familiar and confusing thing that is prevalent seems to be a bad choice.
Santosh83 5y ago
Much ado about nothing. We're adults and tech literate people and we can juggle more than one conflicting identifier in our heads considering we deal with stuff like C++ routinely. If the project is technically good and they market it well, people will get used to the name and learn to distinguish between this and the auth protocol.
- collsni 5y ago
  Java and JavaScript
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago
  We are adults and we can deal with being sneezed on, therefore lets get sneezed on as much as possible for no reason at all!
wigster 5y ago
just rename as Fluffy
- mirekrusin 5y ago
  BigBro?
- woleium 5y ago
  Or Argus
  - throw0101a 5y ago
    For anyone wondering: > Argus Panoptes (All-seeing; Ancient Greek: Ἄργος Πανόπτης) or Argos (Ancient Greek: Ἄργος) is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. The figure is known for having generated the saying "the eyes of Argus", as in to be "followed by the eyes of Argus", or "trailed by" them, or "watched by" them, etc. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Panoptes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Panoptes > Argus Panoptes or Argos was a hundred-eyed giant in Greek mythology. He was a giant, the son of Arestor, whose name "Panoptes" meant "the all-seeing one". He was a servant of Hera; one of the tasks that were given to him was to slay the fearsome monster Echidna, wife of Typhon, which he successfully completed. * https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Argus_Panoptes/argus_panoptes.html https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Argus_Panopte...
indymike 5y ago
Changing the name would be excellent marketing.
_huayra_ 5y ago
They could just call it kerbaros instead to clear up the confusion. /s This reminds me of the way the word for "today" in French is aujourd'hui. "hui" meant "today" in old French, but it sounds like oui ("yes"). If you split it apart, aujourd'hui means something like "of the day of today". "of the open source video surveillance software of Kerberos"
Nzen 5y ago
Or they could make it a multi-part name, like Bronze Kerberos. That way, they can keep the connotation they want, but _
Nzen 5y ago
Or they could make it a multi-part name, like Bronze Kerberos. That way, they can keep the connotation they want, but avoid the problems of squatting on a used name.
Wistar 5y ago
The documentation introduction is where the name confusion is mentioned. https://doc.kerberos.io/ https://doc.kerberos.io/

rjzzleep 5y ago

It actually is a really good name. But yeah, I had the same confusion.

vhodges 5y ago
A better name for a multi-headed security system would be Cerberus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus
- rjzzleep 5y ago
  That might be something they would be willing to change their name to. It's also a commonly used name although probably nowhere near as bad to google as Kerberus.
- srswtf123 5y ago
  I think Siemans has that under the Cerberus Pyrotronics brand.
- pjc50 5y ago
  Same dog, different language.
  - wyager 5y ago
    It’s pronounced about the same in either case. “Cerberus” in Latin is pronounced “Kerberus”, just like “cent” is actually pronounced “Kent”.
  - vhodges 5y ago
    Thanks, that I did not know.
    - pjc50 5y ago
      All the Greek patheon have dual Latin/Greek names. Mercury/Hermes etc.
- chedabob 5y ago
  Already taken by this Android app though https://www.cerberusapp.com/ https://www.cerberusapp.com/
  - woleium 5y ago
    that's abandoned now I think
dvfjsdhgfv 5y ago
It's a name that fits the project description well, but it's a very bad name for an open source security-related project. They could have as well named it OpenCV.

austincheney 5y ago

I wonder if MIT trademarked Kerberos. https://web.mit.edu/kerberos/ https://web.mit.edu/kerberos/

spinax 5y ago
US: quick search says Yes, at one time however it's was abandoned in 1994: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm6z3m.2.7 https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm... Current US trademark holder is a financial group: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm6z3m.2.2 https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:gm... Edit: it appears the USPTO has sent a notice refusing activation on the above due to requirements not met if I read this correctly: https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88758894&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=88758894&caseType=SERIAL_...

Spooky23 5y ago

It’s a uniquely bad name as Kerberos is used by almost every working adult, but hardly anyone understands it. Usurping a vaguely familiar and confusing thing that is prevalent seems to be a bad choice.

Santosh83 5y ago

Much ado about nothing. We're adults and tech literate people and we can juggle more than one conflicting identifier in our heads considering we deal with stuff like C++ routinely. If the project is technically good and they market it well, people will get used to the name and learn to distinguish between this and the auth protocol.

collsni 5y ago
Java and JavaScript
ClumsyPilot 5y ago
We are adults and we can deal with being sneezed on, therefore lets get sneezed on as much as possible for no reason at all!

wigster 5y ago

just rename as Fluffy

mirekrusin 5y ago
BigBro?
woleium 5y ago
Or Argus
- throw0101a 5y ago
  For anyone wondering: > Argus Panoptes (All-seeing; Ancient Greek: Ἄργος Πανόπτης) or Argos (Ancient Greek: Ἄργος) is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. The figure is known for having generated the saying "the eyes of Argus", as in to be "followed by the eyes of Argus", or "trailed by" them, or "watched by" them, etc. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Panoptes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Panoptes > Argus Panoptes or Argos was a hundred-eyed giant in Greek mythology. He was a giant, the son of Arestor, whose name "Panoptes" meant "the all-seeing one". He was a servant of Hera; one of the tasks that were given to him was to slay the fearsome monster Echidna, wife of Typhon, which he successfully completed. * https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Argus_Panoptes/argus_panoptes.html https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Argus_Panopte...

indymike 5y ago

Changing the name would be excellent marketing.

_huayra_ 5y ago

They could just call it kerbaros instead to clear up the confusion. /s This reminds me of the way the word for "today" in French is aujourd'hui. "hui" meant "today" in old French, but it sounds like oui ("yes"). If you split it apart, aujourd'hui means something like "of the day of today". "of the open source video surveillance software of Kerberos"

Nzen 5y ago

Or they could make it a multi-part name, like Bronze Kerberos. That way, they can keep the connotation they want, but _

Nzen 5y ago

Or they could make it a multi-part name, like Bronze Kerberos. That way, they can keep the connotation they want, but avoid the problems of squatting on a used name.

Wistar 5y ago

The documentation introduction is where the name confusion is mentioned. https://doc.kerberos.io/ https://doc.kerberos.io/