Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name • Hacker News Board

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#51

Post by lucaspiller » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 4:50 AM UTC

tedmiston wrote: post #37

ajmurmann wrote: post #11

Obligatory link to Patio11's gem of an article about this: https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-... Edit: phone typo

The only feasible way to handle a name given that, at least what I can think of, is a single unbounded textbox that's also optional. Actually, I guess it really must be a foreign key M{0,}:N as a many-to-many to allow for having multiple names.

If you require users to divulge their real name (i.e. financial institutions), it's probably a better idea to have two fields:

- Your legal name

- What you'd like us to call you

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#52

Post by franciscop » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 4:57 AM UTC

franciscop wrote: post #41

As a Spaniard, I have 3-word first name and 2 family names. No middle name. Now shove that into a non-space-enabled, 2 inputs web form. For plane tickets which basically could leave me stranded in any country. I normally get some trouble trying to retrieve them in the airport in those auto-check-in machines that are being deployed all around Asia. I mean, they can spend thousands of dollars in those machines but don'…

I will even add that what you know as nicknames in other countries are deemed as real names here. My first full name is "Francisco de Paula", but in Spain everyone calls me "Paco" (historical reasons and all) the same as with a handful of other names. But the thing is it doesn't have a nickname status but rather these kind of names are used everyday in professional and personal spaces. I also gave up that fight and for everyone internationally I'm Francisco ( heck I even got http://francisco.io/ ). But that is not even so different as many Chineses/Korean/Vietnamese people choose international names as well that differ from their real name.

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#53

Post by franciscop » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 4:58 AM UTC

callalex wrote: post #45

franciscop wrote: post #41

As a Spaniard, I have 3-word first name and 2 family names. No middle name. Now shove that into a non-space-enabled, 2 inputs web form. For plane tickets which basically could leave me stranded in any country. I normally get some trouble trying to retrieve them in the airport in those auto-check-in machines that are being deployed all around Asia. I mean, they can spend thousands of dollars in those machines but don'…

This has an interesting parallel to having a spectrum of gender pronouns.

Well the first family name comes from the father and the second one from the mother (who doesn't get hers deleted when marrying). I've heard that some Argentinians can choose freely whether the first family name is the mother's or the father's.

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#54

Post by aestetix » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 5:02 AM UTC

I did a talk on this topic at Harvard a couple years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iprHlKR6Eo

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#55

Post by franciscop » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 5:03 AM UTC

mdadm wrote: post #47

wlesieutre wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Names: https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-... Time: http://infiniteundo.com/post/25326999628/falsehoods-programm... Addresses: https://www.mjt.me.uk/posts/falsehoods-programmers-believe-a... Geography: http://wiesmann.codiferes.net/wordpress/?p=15187&lang=en

> Names: https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-... 32. People’s names are assigned at birth. 33. OK, maybe not at birth, but at least pretty close to birth. 34. Alright, alright, within a year or so of birth. 35. Five years? 36. You’re kidding me, right? I must know what case there is of this, and who exactly was the poor soul to stumble upon it...

As far as I know, in the US when you get married (most?) women get the husband's last name. And it might change if they divorce/marry again.

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#56

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 5:19 AM UTC

lucaspiller wrote: post #49

dawnerd wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook's policy is so weird. I have a ton of older test accounts that literally include TEST and other such very obvious fake text in the name.

Just need to name your kids Testy McTest. Problem solved!

[deleted]

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#57

Post by pix64 » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 5:32 AM UTC

overgard wrote: post #23

I'm always amazed by the lack of historical perspective that "real name" policies entail. Like, holy shit, how many historical people used pseudonyms well before the internet because impactful speech can be a very dangerous thing to the speaker. And yes I know you can be anonymous on Quora, but that's only useful if you trust that no government entities can lean on Quora for information. (HINT: shouldn't trust that).…

The solution is to choose a "normal" pseudonym.

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#58

Post by titanomachy » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 5:42 AM UTC

parennoob wrote: post #50

stormy wrote: post #15

Unless their policy has changed, it's a temporary restriction of the account until the user helps work with a mod to verify the name. Happened to me way back in 2010, because my real name sounds terribly fake: Stormy Shippy

I don't know about Quora's "work with a mod to verify the name" policy works, but I have heard from at least one friend that Facebook makes you give them a scan your driving license or other Government ID in order to show that your slightly unusual name is actually what you say it is. Which is just absurd. A random social network should never be so powerful as to demand your Government-issued IDs for some bogus "real…

You probably won't have to worry about it unless you become famous.

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#59

Post by DCoder » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 5:55 AM UTC

ubernostrum wrote: post #14

protomyth wrote: post #5

I should get a couple of people from around here (Native American reservation) to sign up and see how messy their policy is. If you cannot validate names, then you probably should not use a real name policy. It bad enough Facebook (and I guess Quora) causes people pain, don't add your own wounds.

I have a friend who, courtesy of some... let's say unique parents, was graced with multiple middle names and then multiple hyphenated (and unhyphenated) family names as her parents divorced, remarried and she moved between households. Then she got married herself and tacked her husband's last name onto the end of it. Her legal name at this point clocks in at enough words and characters to not fit in most government d…

Re: Quora has blocked me because it doesn't think Theodore Ts'o is my real name

#60

Post by Senji » Sat, Oct 08, 2016, 6:01 AM UTC

pix64 wrote: post #57

overgard wrote: post #23

I'm always amazed by the lack of historical perspective that "real name" policies entail. Like, holy shit, how many historical people used pseudonyms well before the internet because impactful speech can be a very dangerous thing to the speaker. And yes I know you can be anonymous on Quora, but that's only useful if you trust that no government entities can lean on Quora for information. (HINT: shouldn't trust that).…

The solution is to choose a "normal" pseudonym.

Choose a Jewish name for added shenanigans.