Long Live Panix
With the rebranding from Panix to Xyris now having taken place, I figured it would be good to explain why this has occured, especially since I am quite fond of the Panix name, especially after keeping it for three years now and having decided on the name while I was still in college.
The Panix name is owned by the Panix Internet Service Provider based in New York City. They are the third oldest ISP in the world, which makes their branding quite important as it has been used since 1989. (Wikipedia) In addition to this, all of the Panix related domains are owned by them, which only makes sense considering their company age and area of expertise.
Unfortunately, I failed to do my research, or more likely, I did not think that Panix would ever become big enough for this to be an issue. However, with the recent increase in popularity, no matter how small that popularity is in the grand scheme of things, I figured it would be best to avoid future conflicts now rather than later. Even if Panix (the ISP) never would send a cease and desist, the issue of recognition, discoverability, and domain ownership would all still be issues. So, with that all in mind, I decided it was best to rebrand now.
It’s been quite the journey, even though we’re just getting started. I look forward to where Xyris goes from here.