Why it is called Exponential
This page is for journalists who explain the product's name. It sticks to what the sources say. Several reporters have been tempted to fill the gaps with a story; this page tells you where the gaps are.
Contents
- What happened
- The words of the announcement
- What changed and what did not
- How to write about it
- What the sources do not say
What happened
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 11 August 2025 | The project website announces the new name | https://exponential.earth/about/project |
| 12 August 2025 | The README, composer.json and lib/version.php change in the repository; one commit renames the product in 332 files of bin/, doc/, design/ and the translations | August 2025 |
| 28 August 2025 | 6.0.10, the first release named Exponential | The 6.0.x releases |
The words of the announcement
From https://exponential.earth/about/project, quoted on Who is 7x?:
"At the specific request of Ibexa we are changing this projects name to 'Exponential' or 'Exponential (CMS)' effective as of August, 11th 2025."
The same page and the README carry the notice: "This project is not associated with the original eZ Publish software or its original developer, eZ Systems or Ibexa".
For the platform line the README adds that it was rebranded "to avoid any trademark issues" (Brand and naming rules).
What changed and what did not
| Changed | Did not change |
|---|---|
| The product name in the installer, administration, command line, translations, documentation and package server | PHP class names such as eZContentObject and eZINI |
| The README and the package description | Database tables such as ezcontentobject |
The constant EDITION in lib/version.php, which reads Exponential | Script names such as bin/php/ezcache.php |
Extension package names such as ezwebin and eztags |
The rename "touched text, not identifiers" (The product is called Exponential).
That is why readers still see eZ in code: it is a prefix of real identifiers, and renaming them would break every
site and extension.
How to write about it
Good: "The project renamed the product Exponential in August 2025, at the request of Ibexa, according to the
project website."
Good: "Exponential, as the software has been called since August 2025, ..."
Avoid: "Exponential, formerly known as eZ Publish, the CMS by Ibexa ..." (suggests a link to Ibexa)
Avoid: "eZ Publish rebrands as Exponential" (eZ Publish was not the actor)
Avoid: "after a trademark dispute" (no source says there was one)Name the old product in the past tense only (Writing about the eZ Publish years).
What the sources do not say
- Why Ibexa asked, or how the request was made.
- Whether there was any legal procedure. Do not write "dispute", "lawsuit" or "forced".
- Who chose the word "Exponential" or what it is meant to evoke.
If your story needs any of these, ask 7x and the Foundation and attribute their answer (Questions to ask 7x).
Related pages
- Not associated with eZ Systems or Ibexa
- Brand and naming for media
- The product is called Exponential
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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