What’s in a Name? In the Linux World, Much Silliness - byrdboashe

A chromatic by any other name would smell as sweet, As Shakespeare's Juliet so famously said, but what if its name were Pink Farting Weasel?

It Crataegus laevigata embody a little-celebrated fact, but that was actually the moniker presented to versions 2.6.23-rc4 through 2.6.23-rc6 of the Linux gist, which is perhaps just atomic number 3 notable for its zany naming conventions as it is for its powerful software.

The Linux world as a whole tends toward the silly or at any rate light-hearted when it comes to naming versions and releases, in fact. Ready for a break from the serious? Here's a quick tour of more or less of the more entertaining examples.

Linux Kernels

Yes, "Pink Wind Weasel" real is one example in a very long list of what you power call extremely creative name calling that have been bestowed upon Linux kernel releases over the years. I remember reading astir the inspiration buns last twelvemonth's "Flesh-Eating Bats with Fangs," but others are harder to fathom. "Greased Weasel" was the first; later we saw "Zonked Quokka," "Woozy Numbat," "Sliding Götterdämmerung," "Homicidal Nanus Hamster," and "Man-Eating Seals of Antiquity," among umteen many. Prepare for some serious oral sex-scratching if you presume peruse the full list connected Wikipedia.

[Related: From Warthog to Pangolin: Up Close With Ubuntu Mascots]

Ubuntu Linux

Newcomers to Linux are often first struck by the peculiar names given to the individual releases of Ubuntu Linux, however, which traditionally has been the nigh nonclassical distribution for beginners. Last we've had "Unconventional Meerkat," "Fashionable Narwhal," and "Imaging Felis pardalis," for example; upcoming improving adjacent will be "Precise Pangolin." There's actually a long bank line of such batty mascots for Ubuntu releases, in fact, going backwards to the distribution's first "Warty Warthog" release back in 2004. Want to see to it the full batting order of all 16, complete with pictures? Then check out my recent close-up look. You won't live frustrated.

Debian Linux

Underlying Ubuntu, of course, is Debian, which numerous consider the granddaddy of all Linux distributions. Though non supported animals, Debian release names be given to exhibit a silliness all their ain. Beginning with the inaugural "Buzz" unfreeze of Debian back in 1996, other fun examples over the years have included "Potato," "Oaken," and "Sarge." Last, we've seen "Lenny" and "Squelch"; coming rising next is "Wheezy." Serious-minded software? You recko. Unplayful name calling? Not much.

Fedora Linux

Homburg Linux English hawthorn be related to the business-focused Red Hat Go-ahead Linux (RHEL), but that doesn't mean it has to stand by to serious Oregon formal names itself. Cases in point: "Moonshine," "Werewolf," and–future day up–"Husky Miracle." Why be boring, right?

Other Distributions

Linux Mint–currently the No. 1 statistical distribution out there–is notable for its usance of women's names for its diverse releases, but we can't forget to look at the names of the distributions themselves every bit healed. A quick read shoot down the DistroWatch popularity name is a good admonisher of complete the assignment fun that has been had over the years, giving us the likes of Puppy Linux, Gentoo, ArchBang, CrunchBang, Clonezilla, DoudouLinux, and Yellow Dog Linux, to diagnose exactly a few. And don't forget Tux, the official Linux mascot.