From the ‘how not to choose a name’ files:
Ok, so the OpenStack Foundation stumbled a little with its first attempt at an ‘M’ name for the first OpenStack release of 2016. Originally chosen to be ‘Meiji’ that name turned out to be a political hot potato and so the Foundation went back to the polls and chose – Mitaka.
In case you’re wondering – Mitaka is a the name of a Japanese city within the Metro Tokyo 
area.
While Mitaka is the second name announced by the OpenStack Foundation as the ‘M’ release, it was actually the fourth choice on the actual list.
As you are all probably aware by now, as a follow on step, the OpenStack Foundation staff assessed the names chosen for legal risk in the order we ranked them. The first two had significant identified problems so we skipped them. The third had no legal problems, but after announcing it as the choice, it came to light that there were significant social issues surrounding the name. The fourth on the list, Mitaka (三鷹) is clear.
The original vote had:
1. Mita (三田) (Condorcet winner: wins contests with all other choices)
2. Minato (港) loses to Mita (三田) by 954–913
3. Meiji (明治) loses to Mita (三田) by 1034–873, loses to Minato (港) by 1052–879
4. Mitaka (三鷹) loses to Mita (三田) by 1094–702, loses to Meiji (明治) by 1012–870
So there you have it , the longer than usual meandering path toward naming the OpenStack ‘M’ release!
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist
