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Comment by qwertyuiop924 | Hacker News Reader

that... is a way less appropriate name. But it works, I guess.

How so less appropriate? Lack of link to Matrix?

Going out of beta we had to decide on something which was really carrying what the app is, we loved Vector but it has always been a code-name and a nice pun on Matrix :)

Riot is more representative of what the app can do and its ambitions! Break the barriers between apps, give the control back to the user to choose their client, if they want to encrypt, host themselves, tune the notifs, the fact it's open, built on the open ecosystem of Matrix and thus benefiting of all the integrations and bridges built for Matrix.... Sounds pretty revolutionary to me ;)

Worth noting that only the name changed: the app and the team and the openness are still the same (modulo new features)!

People probably associate the word with people rioting in the street which is a terrible link...

I don't get why you would rename Vector, feels like everyone recommending 'Vector' to friends and family has wasted their time.

Also, Riot feels like a way more generic name...

Yeah, I felt the matrix link made more sense. And yeah, I mean, Riot kind of works, but you have to think about it. The connection is pretty obvious with vector.

But at the end of the day, it's just a name, so I'm not too upset about it.

Great :)

Less of a link to Matrix, which many of the initial adopters probably would get.

it doesn't feel to me as a stronger brand later (both are fairly random words for many people if you don't look at an explanation)

violent connotation (CNN headline: "protesters organised using the encrypted Riot app").

potential confusion in tech-y circles with Riot the gaming company (which could totally be in the market to offer a messenger, given that they run one of the biggest online games), for Vector I didn't have any other project in mind.

In the end it's just a name and it won't make or break the app for me, but I personally don't see the benefit of the new one.

I am also surprised considering that most of the TLDs are already taken,

including http://riot.com/ - http://riot.io/ - http://riot.org/

...The namespace conflicts are another problem.

I dunno - there's something distinctly riotous about tearing down the walls of walled gardens! But then again, I'm biased, given i work on it :)

The gardens you're tearing down didn't have especially thick walls. But yes. In any case, it's your project. You can name it what you like, no matter what I think.

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