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The display name Nick Williams is already in use.

 
Greenhorn
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That's the message I get when I try to sign up with my real name or change my first and last name to my real name.

My name is Nick Williams. That is my real name, not a fictional name. While "Nicholas" is my proper, legal name, I do not go by it and do not like to be called Nicholas. However, "The display name Nick Williams is already in use."

Who cares? My email is unique, my login is unique; different people do have the same names. Do you have any idea how many Jim Smiths or Alan Greens there are in the world? What if someone named "Nicholas Williams" was also already a member here ... I would NOT have even been able to sign up for an account without lying about my name!

The first and last names of people here should NOT be enforced unique. That is poor planning and poor programming. Please remove this constraint so that I can make my name my real name.

Thanks!
 
author and iconoclast
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Hi Nick,

The constraint is not poor programming -- it's there deliberately. If two people have the same display name here at the Ranch, it's hard to tell them apart, and we don't want folks impersonating other folks. It takes all kinds, you know, and we do occasionally get renegades in here who want to be doing that kind of thing.

Now, that said: the other "Nick Williams" registered in 2007 and has never made a single post. On top of that, his email address strongly suggests that "Nick Williams" isn't even his real name. Therefore, I changed the display name on that account, and made "Nick Williams" available, then assigned it to you. I hereby dub thee "Nick Williams".

So Welcome to JavaRanch, Nick!

 
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