Hey Noah, Sensitive topic, so I'm going to try and be uber clear...
- I don't think there is any doubt that CouchBase introduced confusion into the ecosystem with the naming of its company, projects, conferences, and general marketing. This is something that I heard a lot from companies with no direct ties to CouchDB when I was an independent consultant, then consulting at Bocoup, and now at Cloudant. CouchApps was the other messaging and sales hurdle. - I do not think that CouchBase the company intended to do any harm to the CouchDB ecosystem. Couch.io and CouchOne certainly wouldn't have. They are a company and therefore have the right to pivot their offerings as they see fit. They are not SCO. - Whether Damien the individual intended to do harm to the project or ecosystem is something that only he knows. I know it's hard but we have to separate the issues of Damien the individual and CouchBase the company - there is a reason Damien posted on his own blog instead of CouchBase's. - I worry about the precedent that CouchDB could set by going to legal. I could see it scaring off other companies who are interested in investing in this space. - However, I could see justification and good form in the CouchDB team all agreeing to send a letter to CouchBase asking that they make a clearer distinction between themselves and CouchDB. Especially in their marketing, conference naming, etc. Depending on their reaction you may or may not want to ping legal. Like Newson I should mention that I am a Cloudant employee, and while we do not compete directly with CouchBase (completely different model and offering), we do operate in the same space. Whatever the team decides to do, please do it with good form. Cheers, -- Sam Bisbee
