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Re: [LUG] debian code names

 

On 16/07/10 18:44, Rob Beard wrote:
On 16/07/10 18:17, Paul Sutton wrote:


I suppose they might get away with using Ken (being a well used male
name), but um... not so sure about Barbie, was it used before the
plastic dolls came out?

Rob

Dunno i was more in to star wars / lego. However i expect Barbie and Ken
as a name is a trade mark like windows is a trademark of Microsoft and
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Paul


Yep I was more of a Lego fan.

Doing a quick search it suggests that the name Barbie was a short form of "Barbara" which was the name of daughter of the creator of Barbie.

Ken on the other hand, well that has many meanings (according to Wikipedia anyway!). In Japanese architecture it is the distance between pillars of traditional-style buildings (amongst other things). According to Wikipedia in the 16th Century the ken was about 197cm but around 1650 it was reduced to 181.8cm.

So yeah there's probably a good case for prior art with the name Ken, but maybe not so much with the name Barbie (unless anyone knows of maybe the name Barbie originating from somewhere else?).

Probably plenty of names left in the Toy Story films though so I'd guess there are a few years left until they need to come up with something new.

Rob

The names, at worst, will be trademarks and will only apply to dolls. Trademarks have to be used or they lapse - so unless you know someone else was drunk or stupid enough to register Barbie as an OS name and is still using it commercially then you are free (until the men in white coats arrive) to use it. Ken is also a (scottish*)word for knowledge or wisdom so that might not be too bad as an OS.
Tom te tom te tom

*or tibetan if you are heavily  into yetimology...

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