Open Ballot: Does Tux help or hinder Linux?
Penguins are cute, right? Pretty much everyone agrees with that, but whether a penguin makes a good mascot for an operating system - that's open to debate. On the one hand, Tux's cheerful face and relaxed posture could be the perfect way to express what we love about Linux. It's not too corporate, it's fun, and it's happy to welcome anyone into its fold. But on the other hand, it could be argued that such a toy-like mascot stops big business from taking the community seriously. Would a more conventional logo make us look more professional? How about a different, more powerful sort of animal?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and we'll read out the best in our podcast. (If you are an actual penguin, please note that in your message, and we will put on the appropriate voice.)
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Your comments
Are you serious?
Tobi - August 16, 2011 @ 4:20pm
It must be hard to come up with a new question every fortnight, but this one?
Here a few suggestions to improve participation and trolling (which is more or less the same on the internet):
1. Is Ubuntu trying to become the OS X of the poor man?
2. Are software patents threatening Linux?
3. Is Google still our friend?
4. Is Linux Mint the better Ubuntu?
5. Will 2012 be the year of MikeOS on the desktop?
And no, Tux does not hinder Linux. Free (as in beer) is what hinders Linux adoption for a lot of companies. With the exception of Red Hat there are not many people you can blame / sue when something goes wrong and that is important for companies. And I guess when it comes to desktop computers for the office, all the person making the budget for the next year does is multiply the price of a Windows license with the number of desktops in the company, as that is basically all he knows.
PS: Great podcast, please go on even if you can't find any questions...
Suited to Linux
Martin Greaney (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 4:40pm
As a logo, Tux is perfect: neat, bold, compact. It stands out well in the logo lineups in e.g. hosting adverts.
The informal sense in Tux might hold some companies back, but we've always got other logos to stand in front of Tux: Ubuntu, Centos, Red Hat. We can hide Tux from the execs if needed. I don't think admins will be put off at all.
Also, I think in this world of social networks, trendy companies and transparency, a more relaxed attitude can seem modern, open and honest. As time goes on, this will be a help rather than a hindrance.
Maybe staring at his arse rolling down a ski-slope undermines this somewhat, so don't show Tuxracer to your CTO...
On Mascots
Patrick G Horneker (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 5:01pm
Tux has been well established as the mascot for everything Linux. While I recognize the penguin as a good mascot, it can be taken as something that is not serious, especially when it comes to the professional image. But then, that is my own opinion.
I use a black and white cat as a mascot for my website, and the PCLinuxOS distribution used the bull for its mascot for the 2010 edition (and eliminated it for 2011).
But then, there are far more pressing issues we need to deal with when it comes to Linux. Take marketing for starters.
Red Hat and Attachmate (formerly Novell) have had successes in marketing Linux through their enterprise solutions.
Google's success with Android placed Linux-powered devices into the hands of millions.
Ubuntu, of course, is still the popular distribution for those of us who use Linux.
However, there are many people and business out there that still rely on Microsoft for their IT solutions. When you go into a store to purchase a desktop or laptop in the States, unless it is a Mac, you will still find Windows installed on the machine. Of course, we can create restore discs and replace Windows with whatever distribution we want.
Then there is the issue of patents.
Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility is an example of how big the issue of patents are when it comes to Linux. It is obvious that Microsoft wanted to buy Motorola Mobility simply for its patents, and not to make smartphones.
The Open Invention Network was established as a means of enabling developers to use patented technologies with Linux without repercussions from the patent holders.
Attachmate's acquisition of Novell brought some patents into its portfolio, but the UNIX source code was not included in the transaction. (Thank God!)
tux is doing a great job
PaulS (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 5:03pm
I think Red Hat has already covered that with their logo of a triceratops being smacked on the horn so we already have a corporate distro with a respectable logo.
Compared to the paperclip, that silly dog and the spandex MS butterfly (don't even google that) I think tux is respectable enough.
But no, you're right, the only reason not everyone is using Plan9 yet is because Glenda looks like a rabbit with myxomatosis.
The noble penguin can be
Mike K (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 5:04pm
The noble penguin can be made into a great logo, yes - but its standard Tux representation is just childish and cartoon-y.
Tux for ever
towy71 - August 16, 2011 @ 5:27pm
I'm sure that Tux is a good thing and will outlast us all ;-)
Solid system
Grzegorz W. (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 5:55pm
I perfectly agree with prevoius posts.
Company needs another company, which will guarantee that system will work and can provide timely support in need.
In this scenario system (distro) will be rather branded by company providing the distribution rather than by generic penguin logo.
Beside, Linux is not a new thing and every IT Manager or Director has already established opinion about it, and if Linux logo plays important role in his/her opinion, it would pretty much mean that manager is stupid.
Beside what IMHO opnion matters:
- A lot of anoying bugs in Desktop, Example: I use Linux on my laptop in 2 scenarios: either I use my laptop stand alone or I plug it into dock station and I use connected monitor with higher screen resoution (compare to what is natively on my laptop). This is not very odd/strange scenario, isn't it? But it never works well on all my linuxes. Every time I must trigger xorg configuration and even if I get proper resolution in both cases, there are still glitches here and there mostly in desktop environment. Now if I want to plugin my laptop to yet different dock with yet another monitor, all linuxes are totally confused and this scenario never works (this is not add either - I can have one dock at work, the other one at home and also ocasionally run laptop on vacations). From the other side it all works perfectly on Windows XP dated from 2002 year! So I ask who cares in xorg or among linux desktops developers? I have the impression that there is lack of solid testing and a lot of youg developers who preferes working an all kinds of fancy stuff or fountains instead.
- The other important factor are relatively weak Office Suits. GNU Office or Koffice/Calligra are more like toys, LibreOffice is better but (I'm sorry) are well 8-10 years behind MS Office. If you don't believe me try to import and analyse in Excel vs. Libre Spreadsheet the csv file with 100 columns and 1.5M rows.
- Yet another factor is architectural. Linux/Unixes mostly believes in shared libraries concept, what is generally good. But it mostly mean that you are enforced to use one particular version of software (those provided by distro reps). Once you upgrade to certain version (which may introduce annoying bug) it is not easy to step back. I now there are backports repos, but I did not heard about repos prividing older versions of programs that those available in disto main repository (yes there are few such cases in FreeBSD ports - but that is all I heard about). For this case atomic updates concept (see last distowach.com articles) looks promising, but it is still yet to mature and be adopted by big names distros.
PS: Sorry for long post :)
Personal taste
No Name (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 5:59pm
I think the current penguin looks more like windows xp... I think tux needs a make over to make it look more sheek, more with it. I mean, it looks cute but look at both mac and windows... I don't think you could call either of those symbols cute.
Tobi got it right
Badwolf9 (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 6:17pm
See post of Tobi.
+1.
Tux isn't much of a mascot.
TooMuchFreeTime (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 6:19pm
This question strikes me as a little odd: Apple has an "apple" symbol that everyone seems to recognize because it is on their products and their commercials. I think people would also recognize the "flag" of MS with the 4 colored squares for the same reason. But with Linux each distro has a different symbol. Puppy Linux has a puppy, Ubuntu has 3 (abstract) people holding hands to form a circle, and you can check Distrowatch for others. Do you see the Tux penguin on Ubuntu's website? On Linux Mint's website? Fedora's website? It's not clear to me how someone outside the Linux community knows to associate the Tux penguin with Ubuntu or any other distro. Where would they have seen Tux? Until Tux gets branded on everything Linux, he isn't much of a mascot. It's too easy to work with Linux and never see him.
Tux good OR bad?
Yorkshire Tyke (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 6:30pm
I like the Tux logo, and I also like the IBM Linux logo (Linux in yellow/gold lettering on a Black disc inside a blue ring).
Is not the logo for an alternative to Microsoft/Apple O.S. only mudded by
the different distro logo's out there not to mention the desktop logo's.
But at the end of the day does "linux" do the job that the business folks want doing?
Mike K is right; too cartoonish
Pelican (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 7:11pm
While the penguin is a beautiful and noble bird, and could work fine for a symbol of Linux, the currently popular version is just badly, badly designed and needs a refactoring.
To go a little further, why not base an improved logo on a different species? The emperor penguin itself is just one variety of this amazing creature; and for my money a less-overused one like the fast-swimming Humboldt penguin or the psychedelic-colored Royal penguin would offer a more interesting basis for a logo.
If you think this is too much detail, I would submit that such thinking is the problem here. The Linux logo looks amateurish; and I can't help but wonder if a better logo would attract more design-oriented users. Maybe then promised improvements to GIMP will happen within two years of being announced. Maybe then Ubuntu's backgrounds won't always come off as both Apple-imitating and lame. Maybe then video editing (yes including the vaunted OpenShot) wouldn't be so miserable, convoluted, and borderline useless.
Compare to the bigger distros...
simon - August 16, 2011 @ 7:12pm
Compared to the bigger distros like Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat and Suse these all have corporate-quality logos that state their intentions.
Tux is cute yes but (if they started it) I'd take any of the other logos booting up on Android phone as opposed to him.
Yes! No!
Huw - August 16, 2011 @ 8:01pm
Well it didn't stop me trying Linux, even though I think it's a really, really stupid logo for an OS.
Selection mechanism
Linuxrich (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 8:05pm
If a potential user can't see past 'our' mascot then do we really want them joining the fold?
Is it recognizable? Yes.
Not-So Anonymous Tux (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 8:08pm
What a logo consists of, is of little importance. The main point is "brand" recognition, and in that regards, the Tux logo is simply outstanding. I can't even watch a TV documentary about penguins without thinking of Linux (but that may tell more about me than anything else).
Certainly doesn't hinder
Rhakios - August 16, 2011 @ 8:11pm
Among all the reasons I have been given for not using Linux, Tux doesn't make an appearance. Neither has he been mentioned as a reason to stop using it.
On the other hand, he does provide simple brand recognition, as a number of people have noticed the Tux badge on some piece of hardware I've been using (laptop, netbook) and asked if that means I use Linux.
Tux is great
heiowge (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 8:20pm
I'd like to see the windows logo try and beat up tux! Or the apple try and bite him. It just wouldn't work. But we see plenty of Tux smashing windows wallpapers don't we?
Time for an overhaul
Darcy Casselman (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 8:35pm
I don't think there's anything wrong with having a penguin mascot, but Tux needs a bit of a redesign. He's an overweight little fellow with what I've always felt was an air of insufferable smugness. Which may be appropriate, but perhaps not the image we should be projecting.
I think Tux is good
aSheepie - August 16, 2011 @ 9:17pm
I think, given the diversity of distros with their own, personal, logos that Tux is a good thing. It represents a distinctive, overlying unity in the Linux world. So what if it's not so "corporate" as the MS or Apple logo - I don't think that's a bad thing, it separates itself from any one particular enterprise and gives people the opportunity to create their own take on Tux whilst still keeping the them of a penguin, a more corporate logo probably wouldn't give that flexibility. Also, I quite like penguins, though my girlfriend, who used to be a zoo-keeper, describes them as "fat little birds that stink of fish, with beady eyes and viscous beaks".
hmmm....
Anonymous Penguins (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 10:13pm
Sounds like my cousins! lol
Tux is instantly recognisable
Padfoot (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 10:33pm
Tux definitely does not hinder. Anyway, to change it now would be tantamount to Apple changing names to Crapple and their logo to a pig taking a dump!
Tux is instantly recognisable, amazingly enough, to most people, even if they do not actually know what Linux is.
Here in Australia, I am seeing more and more products packaged with "compatible with Windows, OSX and Linux" stamped on the box, along with the logos, and might I say, Tux look right at home there.
The issue (as others have mentioned) is saturation. Where is Tux on the different distro's websites/packaging/documentation etc.
Perhaps the solution could be for Linus to require, in the kernel licensing, that Tux be prominently displayed on any product's/distro's website/packaging/documentation.
Cheers.
Additional to above
Padfoot (not verified) - August 16, 2011 @ 10:39pm
Perhaps in the form of a "Powered by Linux" logo.....
Cheers.
It's silly
Inspector Gadget (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 1:50am
Never have liked Tux and nor do I like KDE's Kthis Kthat. Both are really silly and need fixing.
Fat bastard
Adam Griffiths - August 17, 2011 @ 3:50am
Microsoft: Sleek stylised font, flying a flag for it's OS.
Apple: Fruit, healthy, perhaps with the bite out of it a reference to Adam's descent from Eden - tenuous.
Tux: Fat bastard cartoon character.
I don't think he's necessarily bad for Linux. Penguins are cool. Fact*. But a sleeker version might change some perceptions.
...And before anyone starts ranting about me being 'fat-cist', I have the typical spare tyre of a desk-worker. Yes, I would be perceived better without it.
*How is this a fact? Have you ever seen another animal look nearly as good as a penguin does in shades?
A Great Question
Computer User (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 4:02am
Except that you're asking the wrong people. Fan is short for "fanatic" and they are prone to overzealousness and errors in judgment such as groupthink. The question is whether Tux helps or hinders Linux with the implied follow on of 'getting regular computer users to give it a whirl.' Not only is the penguin silly and childish, but those who recognize what it represents [probably] associate it with concepts like 'super geeky' and 'not friendly to normal people.' My guess is Tux serves far better as a deterrent to winning over average users (isn't that the goal?) then it does in attracting them.
...And the great thing is that even once Linux starts winning over regular computer users [in respectable numbers] there will always be super geeky distros to keep the fanatics comfortable in their cozy little fraternities.
Yes
Penguin Behind the Wall (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 5:42am
For a simple reason: The cute penguin helps non-Linux users to memorise that Great OS
@Padfoot
Adam Griffiths - August 17, 2011 @ 6:00am
I think the first part of your comment has to be hyperbole, but the latter, that could be genius. Would all the device manufacturers etc etc give up not having to pay for their software and OS if they had to put a penguin on the box?
I don't think so.
However, it was a cooler logo, they wouldn't have to think about it.
@Adam Griffiths
Padfoot (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 8:50am
Agreed. I should have qualified the first part of my post with "from my personal experience".
Regarding the look of Tux, well that is all subjective. Personally, I really like Tux the way he (assuming Tux is a he here, now that's an interesting side question for you all, is Tux a he or a she????) looks, whereas others don't.
Personally I don't think Tux should be swapped out for another or have his/her looks changed. As it is, Tux in his/her current format is recognisable and associated with Linux. The brand recognition is already there. To change now would be a step backwards and brand recognition would have to be build again from scratch.
Cheers.
Plus, think of....
Padfoot (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 8:55am
Plus think of the poor overpaid and underworked.......correction......overworked and underpaid ;) guys at LXF Towers as they would have to redesign all their magazine and website logos!!!!
Now, why?
Ray Woods (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 9:32am
Now, why did I start using Linux. I don't remember penguins having anything to do with it...
It had more to do with using an efficient, stable OS as opposed to the Blue Screen Monster.
Give me Tux, much better than a set of warped windows.
Really?
dazfuller - August 17, 2011 @ 12:34pm
How can you hate penguins? And do people really look at an operating system and think "well, it's stable, secure and efficient but I'm not sure about the penguin"! How many people actually see the penguin anyway?
Maybe we could go for something more professional, how about something like a half-eaten apple left out to rot? Or how about a chequered flag that looks like something my granny would wear? What about if we just used the word Linux but used a different colour for each letter?
LOVE THE PENGUIN!!!
Nice trolling guys :)
SpaceDustTeapot (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 2:04pm
Ofcourse tux helps Linux hes the mascot. When people see tux they know people are talking about Linux and not mac or windows because tux is the logo and nice trolling guys.
Too many logos.
GaggingForIT (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 2:46pm
Others have already said as much, but with every distribution having it's own logo, Tux is a bit sidelined and thus doesn't mean that much to Joe Public. Only Ubuntu is starting to gain real traction amongst the public as an O/S name and logo they recognise beyond Windows and Mac OS/X. Of course, Android sits on Linux but again it's the name of the distro (if you can think of Android as a distro) that's become well known, not the Linux O/S underneath.
For the masses to notice Linux, we'd probably need every distro to include it in it's name, i.e. "Ubuntu Linux", "Fedora Linux", as currently it's assumed or implied, but rarely stated explicitly. Tux could still be shoe-horned in somehow, but I don't see it helping.
Tux is, I'm afraid, a little meaningless in the grand scheme of things - that little green robot has already shot to fame and left Tux holding the shopping...
Maybe...
gwil - August 17, 2011 @ 7:23pm
...Tux should be replaced with a Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard or a Lion
you don't understand
Penonymous Anguin (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 8:50pm
The penguin is important, I can't go into any more detail on this public forum.
But just take it from me... it is of the upmost importance...
If you're asking the question...
Old Ben Knobi (not verified) - August 17, 2011 @ 9:01pm
...then you already know the answer. Tux is a puerile choice for a professional logo. If you want credibility in the corporate and professional world then have a suitable logo.
However, technical staff will choose Linux on its own merits; Tux is only a drawback when providing information to (non-technical) management.
Tux for Linux
cargod_hera (not verified) - August 18, 2011 @ 3:55am
I don't think Tux is a hinderance to Linux at all and if seeing a cute, little penguin gets even one more person to try a Linux distro, more power to him.
Bookish
Upkeep (not verified) - August 18, 2011 @ 8:39am
Tux is just fine. Having a penguin as a mascot hasn't harmed Penguin Books has it? No-one accuses them of being childish. Hmm, that's an open invitation to the next troll, isn't it? Argh! Fail!
Tux
craigy (not verified) - August 18, 2011 @ 8:41am
Tux should stay as the mascot for Linux. No one ever buys Linux. They buy a distro, which other companies have added their own corporate logos to. These logos are what sell Linux in the corporate world.
Tux was actually one of the reasons I was drawn to Linux in the first place.
@Tobi
Anonymous Penguin (formally Joshua) (not verified) - August 18, 2011 @ 9:12am
1) Yes
2) Yes
3) No
4) Yes
5) Definitely
Yes - one Tux to join them all
Where is the tea? (not verified) - August 18, 2011 @ 11:50am
Looking into the kaleidoscope of lizards and puppies and complicated geometric shapes that symbolize the different distros one might forget that they are the part of one large family. Tux is something that represents something that is common for all. It's either a penguin or a gnu antelope to do the job.
Tux is cartoonish
Inkayacu - August 18, 2011 @ 4:14pm
Regardless of whether you want group A or group B "joining the Linux fold" (how arrogant!), or whether there is mass corporate adoption of Linux, or whatever ... taken just on its own merits, Tux does look childish. Even updated versions where Tux is inside of an apple and looks cross-eyed also look childish.
Even if I never have anything else to do with Windows or Apple, I myself would prefer a sleeker, more elegant logo. Whether that is a "mascot" or not, and whether the mascot remains a penguin, is a whole 'nother issue, but the execution of any logo/mascot in my opinion should look less like something for kids.
I personally would also prefer monochrome, but retain a full color option for whoever wants it.
If it is the remain a penguin, designs in the vein of the Mandriva penguin (linked to in a comment above) are a good start. More stylized, simpler, cleaner silhouettes would be a plus.
Tux - Best Mascot Ever
san (not verified) - August 18, 2011 @ 5:40pm
Those who think Tux is not suitable as a mascot because it is not "corporate" enough, needs to wake up. If a business/corporation chooses to ignore Linux because of the mascot, instead of looking at the merits of using a proven technology, they are the loosers not Linux.
Tux is a perfect mascot for a system that is disruptive. Changing the mascot will not change the success of Linux, but it will kill a symbol of where Linux came from. Tux belongs right there with the Apple logo - if anything needs changing it is some business suits perception. Relax and enjoy!
I cringe every time I see it
tcr179 (not verified) - August 18, 2011 @ 9:03pm
I cringe every time I see it. It looks like it’s been designed for the cover of “Baby’s First Reading Book”.
Tux Rocks..
Prolific Puffin - August 18, 2011 @ 10:46pm
This is a fatuous question, but I love Tux as a mascot. I even named one of my cats after him.
Michelin and AFLAC may both want to reconsider theirs however...
Tux is good
fraxinus (not verified) - August 19, 2011 @ 4:24pm
(S)he deserves greater prominence.
Having said that, many years ago a 12"-high inflatable penguin used to sit on a bookshelf in a corner of my office.
I had not even heard of Linux then - never mind using it and trying to inflict it on as many other people as possible.
This may, however, be of no real significance.
(By the way, the captchas on this forum are sometimes rather demanding!!!)
I Like Him
Troy (not verified) - August 19, 2011 @ 11:51pm
I like him a lot.
Leave him alone.
He's hurting no one.
Besides
Troy (not verified) - August 19, 2011 @ 11:53pm
if he doesn't stay, all my Tux sh-wag will become meaningless. We can't have that can we?
Keep Tux
doublecountry (not verified) - August 20, 2011 @ 8:16am
No question, Tux is a great mascot and should stay.
NO! It Should Stay!
Mr Penguin (AKA Gallefray) (not verified) - August 20, 2011 @ 5:09pm
(I am a real penguin :D)
I think, Speaking for all penguinkind, that it should stay! the reason for this, is that this mascot, is the only mascot of a big libre project (that we can find), that is a penguin!
Hydrocephalus is no laughing matter.
Anonymous Big Headed Penguin (not verified) - August 21, 2011 @ 12:50am
His head is too big.
Keep him!
Anonymous Tux (not verified) - August 21, 2011 @ 2:18am
I'm relativity new to the Linux world, but must say I like Tux! Even before I thought of trying Linux, every time I saw a penguin in a store I thought Linux.
I can't say the same thing whenever I see a window or an apple.
Now having said that, while looking into different distros to try, I don't recall seeing Tux on any distros website.
I seem to only find Tux on Linux news/review websites, which is fine by me, but I think it would help if the different distros adopted Tux somehow into their logos.
It doesn't say much for a business to dismiss an operating system purely based on a logo/mascot.
I also disagree about him seeming childish. People were constantly saying Windows XP was too Fisher Price like when it first came out, but in the end it became one of (if not the) most popular Windows OS around.
Leave The Penguin Alone
Anonymous (not verified) - August 21, 2011 @ 4:09pm
Hands off the penguin.
I forgot...
Prolific Puffin - August 21, 2011 @ 8:52pm
If there is a LINUX logo/mascot that needs changing, it is XFCE.
I get the idea of it being small, hence the mouse, but mice are vermin. There are plenty of other small, swift creatures out there that do not evoke mental images of women standing on chairs (in 50's sitcoms, as Douglas Adams suggested), New York Subways, nor the movie "Willard".
How about a ferret? They could use the acronym "eXtensible Ferret Computer Environment"...
Acronyms aside, I would like to see just a logo, like KDE...
I love Tux the Tux
Anonymous Tuxlover (not verified) - August 22, 2011 @ 8:41pm
For me, Tux was one of the things hich led me to Linux. It is a great symbol!
Better than an apple on the back of my netbook
Franklindemann (not verified) - August 24, 2011 @ 5:19pm
Having one of your tux stickers on my red coated lenovo
netbook certainly adds to the geek factor.
Half of the people I meet think it's cute, the other really
knows what it stands for (mostly other non-linux geeks).
nuh uh
Blue Tux (not verified) - August 25, 2011 @ 5:40am
I have been looking into Linux for a bit now and am excited about it all. I know almost nothing about it but hope to join the fray.
When I see the ubuntu logo I get excited and interested.
But I have always thought Tux was awful looking.
More penguinery
Penguin critic (not verified) - August 26, 2011 @ 2:56pm
The problem with Tux representing Linux is:
1 (S)he's fat, which suggests sluggish.
2 Penguins are birds that can't fly, so living a Walter Mitty existence.
3 They mostly live in Antarctica, a continent not renowned for technical leadership.
4 "Tux" is short for "tuxedo" in American (dinner jacket to speakers of English), so either SHE is a cross-dressing American or HE is an elitist American.
So, a good symbol if you approve of a sluggish, deceptive, elitist and low-technical-innovation-level symbol.
But he's still better than the Windows windows.
Tux is Linux
Alois Mahdal (not verified) - August 28, 2011 @ 4:51pm
Normal people (group 1: users, administrators) use applications.
Applications (group 2: app developers) use operating system.
Operating systems and drivers (group 3: OS/driver developers) use Kernel.
Kernel (group 4: Kernel developers) uses Hardware.
...
The first group is the most important for the future of Linux-based solutions. But why should any of them care about Kernel? Normally, all their problems should be solved (and questions answered) by group 3. Maybe there are cases when there's something specific, but that kind of puts them in to the group 2.
If admins want Linux, they should stop talking about it. They should choose and talk about Debian, Red Hat, SuSE or whatever, but apparently they're not in need of Linux kernel alone, they're in need of full-blown OS.
By the way, if Kernel developers in MS decided to have a childish kitty mascot, they could (and who knows, maybe they have their mascot on their intranet pages, parties, t-shirt and anywhere else). But MS obviously wouldn't put it on the box--they're selling OS, not Kernel.
So the answer is: No. Don't blame Tux. Tux is not here to "sell" (or "help distribute") Linux. It's responsibility of OS (or "distro") maintainers to make their product (look) good enough, same Microsoft holds for Windows.
Tux is good
Tuxedo (not verified) - August 29, 2011 @ 1:11pm
Whenever I see a penguin, in print, in the zoo or on TV, I think of Linux. To me, Tux stands for Linux and I wouldn't be surprised if that accounts for other people as well. It is never wise to change a mascotte. People associate the product with it. Did Microsoft ever change the flag? Did Apple ever change the apple?
They didn't. Linux and Tux are a set.
Tattoo
Evaryont (not verified) - September 1, 2011 @ 7:14am
Tux is an excellent mascot, everybody already recognizes Tux as the mascot, so why change it?
This may or may not be biased since I do have a Tux tattoo. :-)
Yes! Tux has been great,
kwatson703 (not verified) - September 9, 2011 @ 8:01pm
Yes! Tux has been great, and has established a singular identity, which is what we need to counter all the FUD around Linux fragmentation. There are plenty of non-serious logos and corporate names that haven't gotten in the way of profits - consider Google, Yahoo!, and GoDaddy. Besides, he's already formally dressed - what more could the C-suite want?
I vote for Tux. He has that
Larry (not verified) - September 12, 2011 @ 2:17am
I vote for Tux. He has that warm fuzzy, non threatening, inviting look. If you want a penguin with macho, check out linuxcnc.org. Their mascot is chips. He's the mascot for the linux EMC project. Now there's a penguin with BUFF!
Chips has a micrometer in on fin and a sledge hammer in the other. Sadly, they took him down on the home page, but you can still view him in the upper right hand corner if you click the wiki tab.
Losing Tux would possibly turn people off
Almunday (not verified) - September 14, 2011 @ 8:59am
It all depends on individual taste I suppose, but on the whole, when many advertisements sport animals, cartoon, puppets or otherwise, like the Meerkats, I think that Tux is quite in tune. A more serious mascot might even turn many people off.
If Tux may be seen as childish by some, who may be too serious for their own good, he could also be seen as signifying that Linux is childs-play, easy to operate and user friendly as well as accessible. Of course it can get more complicated as well, but as long as the experts who love working at the terminal face are helpful and welcoming to newbies who need to stick to the graphic interface, this need not be too much of a problem.
I think what may really put some corporates off Linux is the simple fact of their ignorance of it, combined with the hold that Microsoft has on the market. Linux has not done itself many favours though in the past by sometimes getting a bit too complicated as I found it to be when I first put my big toe into the water to try it some years ago. However nowadays it has developed much further and with a little investment of time in getting familiar with it, it can stand tall against Windows any day, at least as long as developers do not introduce "improved" interfaces prematurely so that they are more trouble than they are worth, as I have sometimes found.
As others have said, not all distros have Tux within their logos and so the corporate person looking into Linux has plenty of more serious logos to look at. In the end, I think that once the message about Linux gets out and the brainwashed millions cotton on that there is life outside Windows, the discovery that Linux can even be more versatile than Windows and free ought to win hearts and minds.
I love watching Alexandr Orlov the Meerkat humorously encouraging me to check the market. When so much else is so unhappy and serious, he cheers me up and so does Tux. I most enthusiastically vote "yes" to keep him - simples :-)
Hinder
Anon (not verified) - September 23, 2011 @ 1:29pm
I always thought that Tux may be well stabilished among Linux circles, but does not help make it to look like a serious enough software for the less technical or open-minded ones.
A logo doesn't need to feature a powerful animal or complex design. Just look at Apple, Ubuntu, Toyota, HP, and even Windows.
I'm a developer and now a Linux enthusiast, after over a decade using Windows. During these years, I once in a while paid some attention to Linux world, and every time I saw Tux, it made me think: 'software being pulled up by kids'. Terribly wrong perception, I know and I knew it back then, but I couldn't help but notice it that way.
If I were to give a solution, I'd keep Tux as an "inside" logo, more community oriented. Where more open publicity takes place, I'd use something more polished, serious-looking.
Nothing is permanent
BuddhaTux (not verified) - September 23, 2011 @ 7:42pm
Loved and voted for it back in the day, but a new cool modern penguin design would be very welcomed.
"We should not complain about impermanence,
because without impermanence, nothing is possible." ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Tuxedo Junction
banjoboye (not verified) - September 26, 2011 @ 6:56am
Please Save Tux!
Linux is such a blessing and a curse: it is both remarkably powerful, and exasperatingly balkanised. With all these disparate factions, Tux is a needed anchor, a hope of harmony, cooperation and continuity. Tux needs a new manager.
Get Tux some decent press
banjoboye (not verified) - September 26, 2011 @ 3:37pm
Right, Hands Off the Penguin; unless you can get him some decent press. How's that going to happen when every distribution has its own logo? Not sure, but it is your duty. He belongs on every retail hardware box, for example, right next to to Mac and PC logos.
Here's an idea: Give Tux a voice. When you release your new hardware, choose the two most popular distributions to print under Tux:
Caption his image to clue in the masses:
"Linux Compatible, including Ubuntu, Mint and many others."
He's going to get badly stressed out when Windows 8 arrives: M$ is doing their level best to exclude him from your next NTFS volume. And yes; I am voting twice.
Now do your duty.
Enterprise does not get it
Anonymous (not verified) - December 23, 2011 @ 2:14pm
Now come on....
do you really think enterprise does not take it serious and professional because it is a draw and cartoon-y?
They just do not understand the whole thing. It is simple as that.
Tux should continue being the LINUX KERNEL MASCOT.
An apple with a bite and a rainbow inside looks pretty professional right? Come on....
Penguin is good. Tux is not.
Mohammed Sami (not verified) - May 3, 2012 @ 6:54am
I agree with Mike K. Penguin is a great animal. It just needs to be depicted right.
tux is epic
Just an anon (not verified) - January 19, 2013 @ 6:14pm
Tux is epic, esp tin foil hat and hardened tux. If I wanted another slick and shining focus group created product I would stop using linux. I do not think for a second apple is any less kiddy and the windows logo is just gay. Stop trying to make linux something it's not.
How come no one mention linux is the number 2 most used os on the planet? Seems some people don't feel a logo is the deciding factor.
If a company won't use a product based on it's logo then it should probably get out of the economy before it's retardation spreads and messes up my portfolio. If it is based upon the product not meeting their needs is another thing all together.
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