Why Linux is portrayed as a Penguin?
this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2023
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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The penguin's name is "Tux" and he's the official Linux mascot.
I think Linus Torvalds picked it a long time ago, he said he wanted something that was non-threatening, so hence the penguin lol.
The debate about Linux vs GNU/Linux imo, is one of the stupidest and pedantic debates I've ever heard. Maybe it mattered 30+ years ago when things were much less developed and only hardcore nerds and programmers used it, but now days it's only important to grognards and neckbeards.
Hot take, but it's like those pretentious music enthusiasts that will argue about what precise genre an artist fits into. "I would say they are post-progressive indie skitzo-pop. No way! They are clearly more neo-grunge sca-punk with post-rock elements" who cares?? Have your ultra-precise categories in your personal music collection all you want, but acting like it's based on some hardcore objective truths of the universe is stupid.
Nobody is confused when I say I run Linux as my OS. Actually, people do get confused but it's not because of GNU/Linux, it's because they haven't ever heard of Linux and thought that Windows and MacOS were the only 2 OSes for computers.
If somebody genuinely pulled an "um, actually" on me for saying Linux vs GNU/Linux, I would scream laugh loudly and then change the subject.
Yeah, but should you pronounce it Gee-en-yoo or Guh-no͞o? Huh? That REALLY tells me where your allegiances lay.
Ñu
Nü
Nee!
We demand a shrubbery!
Ño.
I pronounce it GNU
I honestly didn’t know people pronounced it any other way than gee-en-you. It’s in all caps, so I figured you said each letter.
Now that I think more about it though, I don’t know why I assumed that. I don’t say AWOL as ay-doubleyou-oh-el. I don’t say SNAFU as es-en-ay-ef-you.
I’m just going to call it the OS for yaks from now on and never think about it again.
This is how I am with "GUI"...I just call it Gee-you-eye. I finally went to a class on the subject for real and some people were calling it a "Gooey"...and I...no. Just fucking no. It's not a "Gooey".
I've spent nearly 20 years in academia and professional software development and have never heard anyone pronounce it Gee-you-eye, funnily enough.
Gonna try it this week and see how many people look at me like I'm crazy.
Edit: spelling
Yeah at this point I don’t care if I’m right or wrong. I’m going to pronounce it Gee-you-eye.
I think the distinction is kinda pointless anyways. As long as the information is conveyed I don't really care about acronym/initialism pronounciation.
For whatever reason, I always drop the G and just call it the UI. This thread is making me think that I don’t actually say anything the right way.
I had textbooks in college (25 years ago) that always had little blurbs about the acronyms and their pronunciation. GUI, we were instructed, was pronounced gooey. WYSIWYG is wiz-ee-wig, etc. It was on tests IIRC.
Like much of my early language skills, I learned it from Sesame Street:
"Remember: No g-news is good g-news with Gary Gnu!" 😛
You mean you don't pronounce it "GNU's Not Unix" to all of your compatriots?
Holy smokes. 1000x this. You want Linux to be popular, stop gatekeeping it and being a hipster. OSX is a great example of how to make a Unix like OS popular with NORMAL people.
Grandma doesn't care what kernel she's running and ... Hint hint, neither do I. I just want my computer to work and be easy to maintain.
I run Ubuntu, not because it's the best, but became it just works. I might swap to Mint or PopOS, but that takes time out of my life which I'd rather spend coding or working out.
You want Linux to win on the desktop, you have to get manufacturers to make it the default, and good luck getting Dell or HP to change.
Heck most folks don't even own a computer now a days.
Be happy Android won on mobile and Linux won on servers. ❤️
HP released the Dev One laptop running Linux once.
Niiiice
Um actually it's called ska, not sca
I was about to draw out nukes over it.
I wonder how far back Richard Stallman set the free software movement by being absolutely cock slamming terrible at naming things. "I'm going to name my operating system after the sound my throat makes while swallowing a whole goldfish."
If that bothers you, you should read the GNU FAQ page... About half of it consists of variations on "but why GNU/Linux", including my personal favorite where they discuss why it's not GNU Linux: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#whyslash and how you need to pronounce the slash: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#pronounce