2009-02-21

Ubuntu names

Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution and deserves to be. It is the most user-friendly desktop version of Linux. Of course it has its problems, but I switched over from Mandriva to Kubuntu (Ubuntu using KDE) and found it very useful. I now use Xubuntu (Ubuntu running Xfce).

One of the great things about Ubuntu is that there is a major software release every six months. This allows incremental improvements and additions to the software, ensuring that any bugs get fixed up or new features added quickly.

Unlike other software releases, the version number is based not upon an ascending order but upon the release date. The latest version is 8.10, which means it was released in October 2008.

Like a lot of free software, Ubuntu has quirky names for each release. These names are definitely not created by a mainstream marketing department, as you can see:

  • 4.10 - Warty Warthog
  • 5.04 - Hoary Hedgehog
  • 5.10 - Breezy Badger
  • 6.06 - Dapper Drake
  • 6.10 - Edgy Eft
  • 7.04 - Feisty Fawn
  • 7.10 - Gutsy Gibbon
  • 8.04 - Hardy Heron
  • 8.10 - Intrepid Ibex
The names for the next two releases have already been released:
  • 9.04 - Jaunty Jackalope
  • 9.10 - Karmic Koala
Ha! I can't wait for Karmic Koala. What a name.

As far as 10.04 is concerned, here's a list of adjectives and Animal nouns.

  • Mysterious Minnow
  • Mighty Monkey
  • Mystical Magpie
  • Magic Manta
  • Merry Mantis
  • Magnificent Mockingbird
  • Maximum Mouse
  • Major Moose
I like "Magnificent Mockingbird". "Mighty Monkey" could result in the version being dubbed "King Kong".

So what are you waiting for? Come on people, ditch Windows and install Ubuntu Linux! (and that includes you Sam Norton).

4 comments:

Sam Charles Norton said...

:) soon... soon...

Sander said...

shouldn't the name of ubuntu 10.04 start with an 'l' instead of an 'm' to keep the alphabetical order?
In that case I have a proposition: Loyal Labrador :)

Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight) said...

DAMN IT!

And I thought I was soooo smart.

Yes. L it should have been.

Don J. Thorpe said...

10.04 will be awesome! It will be the next LTS! If Ubuntu keeps it up, Microsoft will have some major trouble to compete with! It's about time too! Here's my proposed name:

Lethal Liger!

When I hear that name, I imagine a liger betting ready to pounce on it's prey! :-) In this case Microsoft's market share....