this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2026
253 points (96.0% liked)
Linux
64925 readers
288 users here now
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.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 7 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
To be honest, this seems like a stupid fix to a non-issue.
There's already Latex, and the purists calling it Lateh only make it seem like they know and are ashamed.
Or Uranus being pronounced not as your-anus but urine-us. The "alternate/kid-friendly" option is just plain worse. It also teaches kids certain words are bad, which is a bad idea for a multitude of resons I won't get into.
I say keep GIMP GIMP, loud and clear. No need to be ashamed, because it isn't shameful.
Attempting to avoid this absolute non-issue by ingenious pronounciation or rebranding just exacerbates the issue.
It's called "GIMP" and not "Fuck Me then Go Out The Door". Wether or not GIMP was a moment of "funny humor" or not is beside the point. The "official" explanation is perfectly belieavable, and therefore suitable enough. Just run with it.
If an idiot asks "Why's it called like [insert-here]", just say it's a fucking coincidence and you don't care. Call them dirty-minded for bonus points.
wait what? Latex is used in tons of non-sexytime things, surely nobody's raising an eyebrow at that?
amer*cans
Well, people still do. Yet it hasn't been rebranded. And GIMP should follow.
The "TeX" part is intended to be Greek though, and TeX predates LaTeX.
It's always been pronounced "Lah-tek" or "Lay-tek" (not "Lateh"). That's because it comes from Greek where X makes a K sound.
Knuth's book states plainly that the X sounds like the 'ch' in the Scottish word "Loch". (Or the 'h' in hawk-tua for more modern readers.)
Yeah, it seems like a totally unnecessary move.
Yes. Gimp is the photo editor.
I'd heard some sickos in some place use the word Gimp for something bad. Some sick minority are the last people to listen to about the name of software that's used world wide by people who don't know about those sickos.
Which is what the name has not been changed. Put your own house in order.
Not sure if you're kink-shaming or ableist-shaming.
I've only heard the name gimp is used by some in a bad way. I don't know, nor want to know, what they use it to mean.
Literally no usage of the word gimp is bad, unless your kink shaming or being ableist...
Its just a bdsm term primarily.
Another example is Coq, the interactive theorem prover, named after CoC, an abbreviation for calculus constructions, the type theory on which Coq is based, and the co-creator Thierry Coquand in whose native language (French) coq has no sexual connotation and is simply the word for rooster (male chicken).
I have just now seen on Wikipedia to gather this information that it was renamed to Rocq last year after 41 years.
https://github.com/rocq-prover/rocq/wiki/Alternative-names
As is in English?
Look, there's nothing wrong with the word "anus" but if you're actually in the field of astronomy that particular pun starts to get old after about the 10 millionth time. Some people just want to be able to talk about the seventh planet without the room erupting in giggles every time they say its name.
Spare a thought for the poor astronomy student doing thesis work on the volatile gases of Uranus. They know, they get it, they just want to be able to have one serious conversation about it.
I agree with the sentiment, but not the aggressive tone.
Also, *whether.
I pronounce Uranus as Οὐρανός
Soo... our-anus?
ΟΥ in Greek makes sounds like oo as in look,wood etc. It does not lead with a γ sound that would make Uranus sound naughty.
Of course it should also end in -os as -us is a Latin ending.
I thought Uranus was said more like yur than your, no o sound.