Guidelines for release names
From FedoraProject
This page documents how Fedora releases should be named.
Summary
- Names are suggested by the community.
- The fedora-devel-list mailing list was previously used for suggestions.
- Beginning with Fedora 11, name suggestions are solicited through a wiki page.
- To suggest a name, a community member must:
- Show how the name meets the "is-a" test. For example, "Schnozz is a ____, and so is Keister."
- Names for releases N and N+1 must be related, and names for releases N and N+2 cannot share the same relationship.
- The "is-a" relationship must be reasonably novel. For example, "is a brand of automobile" is reasonably novel. The relationship "is a brand of automobile only manufactured in Uzbekistan" is much better. The relationship "is a word with seven letters" is not sufficiently novel.
- Preference is given to names showing relationships never before used in a release.
- Names of living people or well-known trademarks or goods will be rejected by Red Hat Legal. Try to find a more unusual link.
- Document preliminary searches showing the name is not encumbered by trademarks or other use that makes it a bad or risky choice.
- Show how the name meets the "is-a" test. For example, "Schnozz is a ____, and so is Keister."
- Names are vetted:
- by the Fedora Design team for applicability to theming
- by the Fedora Board to make sure the name ballot is of sufficient size and composition.
- Typically, the Board has a private vote on the entire name roster (after initial vetting)
- The top results are sent on to Legal.
- by the Red Hat Legal department for a more intensive trademark search
- The final release name is decided through a community vote.
- Problems are resolved through the Fedora Board and the FPL.
Suggestion table
The first row is a template provided for educational purposes only.
| Name | "Is a..." | Links out | Tested | Initial Approval | Themeable | Board Approved | Legal Approved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your suggestion -- this is a dummy | foobarific muttonchop | frobozz, whatsit |  | ||||
| Yokuts | Indian Tribe that settled Visalia CA, Robert Laughlin was born in Visalia, CA | Yokuts, Laughlin |
Release Names
- Name suggestions for Fedora 17
- Name suggestions for Fedora 16
- Name suggestions for Fedora 15
- Name suggestions for Fedora 14
- Name suggestions for Fedora 13
- Name suggestions for Fedora 12
- Name suggestions for Fedora 11
- History of Fedora release names
