The operating system previously known as postmarketOS has been renamed to Nura, as announced during a conference. The decision followed a year and a half of deliberation, with team members expressing challenges in outreach due to the complexity of the original name. The previous name was noted for being long, difficult to pronounce in various languages, and grammatically awkward, leading to confusion in its representation.
The descriptive nature of the name, while initially beneficial, became limiting as the project evolved, particularly when devices like the PinePhone were sold with postmarketOS pre-installed. The team emphasized the importance of trademarking the new name to protect against misuse, and a trademark application for Nura has already been filed.
The team expressed appreciation for the history of postmarketOS but believes that a simpler name would enhance recognition beyond the hacker community. The logo will remain unchanged, as it aligns with the project's mission.
A selection team, including members Pablo, Pan, Ranny, and Sriram Ramkrishna, evaluated over 300 name suggestions from the community. After multiple rounds of assessment, Nura was selected based on a voting process that considered the names' connotations across different languages. Nura received a mean score of 0.4 on a scale from -2 to 2.
Additionally, the logo has undergone minor updates for improved legibility, and the transition to the new name across user-facing strings will take time. Contributions to update references to Nura are encouraged from the community.