The name that sucks for an OS is not Linux but Ubuntu!

[MSWindosNT]

While the Operating System called "Ubuntu" is indeed great, so great that it has changed the Linux world but I feel sorry for the name i.e. "Ubuntu", it sucks. There is another thread here that Linux as a name of an OS sucks, I don't agree with that. The name Linux is an appealing and attractive name for an OS. Its short and stylish. While with all my due respect to the Canonical company and all the people working for the OS I wish if they change the name from "Ubuntu" to something stylish like Linux. :)

[SunnyRabbiera]

I like the name ubuntu, its much better then "vista" or some numberation like in windows

[MONODA]

I actually think that the name Ubuntu is great. In Zulu it means "Humanity towards others" or, "I am who I am because of who we all are". Which I think are very meaningful and tell something about the OS and the philosophy behinde it.

[Paul820]

While the Operating System called "Ubuntu" is indeed great, so great that it has changed the Linux world but I feel sorry for the name i.e. "Ubuntu", it sucks. There is another thread here that Linux as a name of an OS sucks, I don't agree with that. The name Linux is an appealing and attractive name for an OS. Its short and stylish. While with all my due respect to the Canonical company and all the people working for the OS I wish if they change the name from "Ubuntu" to something stylish like Linux. :)

You need to get out more.....

[Savasplace]

I have to say I like Ubuntu - and of course I like the sound that's played when Ubuntu starts.
The whole african thingy is way to cool ... and the elephant skin wallpaper also rocks.

[jrharvey]

I kinda agree here. I think that ubuntu as an OS is great but like everything else, to become wide spread they must change their image. People like a good name and a good image. Look how the name OSX just flows and personally sounds pretty profesional. I think to attract more people they will have to change the theme of the OS and maybe even the name. In OSX they usually just put a giant X as the cover. It is simple and effective. Its a shame that apple already took that because X would go good with Linux. Companies spend billions every year to portray a good image even if the product sucks.

[~LoKe]

I think the name "Linux" is badass. I almost switched to Debian because I was too embarrassed to say "Ubuntu". ^^;

[Praadur]

As I've said in another thread, I agree with this on a marketing level.

This is why we have detergents with names like 'Daz', and OSes with names like 'OS X' or 'XP'. A marketable name needs to be more about symbology and something short that can be presented in a flashy way rather than the actual name itself. Thus a name like Canonical Lux, or even Linux Mint and CentOS, will do well to grab the attention of the end user.

Make it short, make it flashy, have it grab their attention and make sure the person buying thinks the name is important, that's all there is to it.

I don't want to see Ubuntu really 'marketed' though, and a name like Ubuntu is actually a measure of anti-marketing. The reason I say this is because Ubuntu is a word steeped in culture, it's not short, it's not jazzy, it has meaning...

What I want out of a distro is something that at least upholds some of my ideals, and Ubuntu does that by virtue of its very name. So whilst the general populace who value things by money and such won't find any worth in a name like Ubuntu, I do. I'd hope I'm not the only one, too.

Certainly, a marketable version of Ubuntu could be created to sell to the end users, something that changes Ubuntu to fit the methods stated above. I think as a model LinuxMint suits this already. But I wouldn't ever want to see Ubuntu replaced.

Ubuntu is a word of strength, as it portrays the egalitarian and even mildly anarchistic nature of FOSS. Swap that for something soulless, unimaginative and corporate? No thanks. I don't think we should stop people creating their own CorpUbuntu, but I don't think we need to change the direction of the main distro, either.

[Casual Fan]

Yeah, and Amazon.com, Monster.com, Google.com, and Yahoo.com are all dumb names too. Those companies are going to surely flop. :rolleyes:

[jrharvey]

Even if the name isnt the best then I will still use ubuntu. Now that i think about it, the name ubuntu really does have a good meaning behind it though. Its really hard to say whats better, a flashy name or a meaningfull name. Kinda like architecture. Whats better, a pretty image or a meaningfull image?

[Paul820]

There is no way on earth they would change the name of ubuntu to something different just because a select few find the name embarrassing or weird. The name is fine, it means something and everyone knows what it is.

[~LoKe]

There is no way on earth they would change the name of ubuntu to something different just because a select few find the name embarrassing or weird. The name is fine, it means something and everyone knows what it is.

Hardly. If you spend a fair amount of time in the support forums, you'd see people calling it "ubunto" or "unbuntu" all the time. It's extremely annoying.

[bufsabre666]

its not the word but its what it means that matters to me and i think ubuntu is perfect

[Paul820]

@~LoKe
Things like that don't really bother me, maybe english is not their first language or maybe they are not that good at spelling or it could be a typo( unlikely :) ), who knows. I do know the name of something is not worth losing sleep over especially as nothing will be done about it.

[FuturePilot]

I like the name and the philosophy behind it.

[~LoKe]

@~LoKe
Things like that don't really bother me, maybe english is not their first language

"Ubuntu" is not an English word.

[Paul820]

I never said it was, but people who speak a different language try to spell something with how they pronounce it.

[Black Mage]

Well my first time hearing it, I was like "WTF, U got some type of STD". But after I got use to using it, I'm very comfortable with the name.

My dad still can say the name right and gives it wierd african names.

[swoll1980]

I kinda agree here. I think that ubuntu as an OS is great but like everything else, to become wide spread they must change their image. People like a good name and a good image. Look how the name OSX just flows and personally sounds pretty profesional. I think to attract more people they will have to change the theme of the OS and maybe even the name. In OSX they usually just put a giant X as the cover. It is simple and effective. Its a shame that apple already took that because X would go good with Linux. Companies spend billions every year to portray a good image even if the product sucks.

mac is screwed. The name OSX sounds cool but OSXI or OSX 11 Sounds retarded they kind of painted themselves into a corner.
As far as Ubuntu goes I think the name is perfect. It's the only one that actually means something. And as far as short or easy to say you have Ubuntu 7.10 vs Microsoft Windows XP Home edition. and as far as the "X" on the box
couldn't you just put the ubuntu logo on something then put the 7.10 under it you wouldn't even have to use the name just the three people holding hands would be enough

[Polygon]

is the name windows any better? i mean....how does a window relate at all to an operating system? Not even an application window, but like a glass window in a house (their logo)

a name is a name. If someone doesnt want to use it because the name sounds 'weird' to them....then its their loss.

[bufsabre666]

is the name windows any better? i mean....how does a window relate at all to an operating system? Not even an application window, but like a glass window in a house (their logo)

a name is a name. If someone doesnt want to use it because the name sounds 'weird' to them....then its their loss.

it was originally a windowing program for DOS thats where windows came from but still yeah, they should come up with something new, and seriously if a name is ganna put you off its time to grow up

[samwyse]

OS X is just Operating System 10. It looks fine on paper, but boring when pronounced.

[Erik Trybom]

There are lots of ugly names out there that have created a name for themselves, so to speak.

Take Volkswagen. Is that supposed to be a good name? To an English speaker it sounds like something out of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. But its historical heritage and good reputation makes it a well-known and respected brand.

You can make a long list of names that sound strange in English. Glenfiddich Whiskey, wtf? Peugeot, how's that supposed to be pronounced? And what about Bvlgari, is that V meant to be there or is it just a spelling mistake?

I think Ubuntu is a well-chosen name with a strong recognize factor and a nice meaning. It doesn't need to be beautiful, it just needs to stand out so that Canonical can create a brand around it.

[fatality_uk]

ADIDAS! HAAGEN DAZ! Pretty sure these were thought, odd when they first came to prominence!

[mikewhatever]

While the Operating System called "Ubuntu" is indeed great, so great that it has changed the Linux world but I feel sorry for the name i.e. "Ubuntu", it sucks. There is another thread here that Linux as a name of an OS sucks, I don't agree with that. The name Linux is an appealing and attractive name for an OS. Its short and stylish. While with all my due respect to the Canonical company and all the people working for the OS I wish if they change the name from "Ubuntu" to something stylish like Linux. :)

Comparing the word Ubuntu to Linux, OSX or whatever, is purely subjective and extremely dumb. In what way is 'Linux an appealing and attractive name' and Ubuntu isn't? I very much hope Canonical knows better then trying to please every single user. People will get used to the name and learn to accept it.

[conehead77]

Hardly. If you spend a fair amount of time in the support forums, you'd see people calling it "ubunto" or "unbuntu" all the time. It's extremely annoying.

No problems with pronunciation in my language :)

Maybe they should rename it for the english speaking world :KS

[bufsabre666]

No problems with pronunciation in my language :)

Maybe they should rename it for the english speaking world :KS

yeah but our language is based on your language, i dont know anyone who has a problem with pronouncing ubuntu, and i know alot of people who are bad at pronouncing, i have a friend who pronounces "cache" as "chad"

[Casual Fan]

"Ubuntu" is not an English word.

It is now.

[Linuxratty]

So for those of you who don't like Ubuntu as a name,what would you call it?

[Steveway]

No problems with pronunciation in my language :)

Maybe they should rename it for the english speaking world :KS

Exactly, the original pronounciation is the same we would use.
But if I talk about Ubuntu here then I normally say Ubuntu Linux instead of only Ubuntu.
It just sounds more professional and the others then have a slight sense of what I'm talking about.

[some_random_noob]

I actually think that the name Ubuntu is great. In Zulu it means "Humanity towards others" or, "I am who I am because of who we all are". Which I think are very meaningful and tell something about the OS and the philosophy behinde it.

I agree with you 100%.

What kind of a name is Vista? I mean, they should call it "LBW". It could stand for "large brick wall" or something, that way it describes its philosophy. Sure Ubuntu sounds stupid, but it's the meaning which is important.

[brunovecchi]

I like the name Ubuntu, but the way I think it's pronounced. I've heard english speaking people pronounce it, and don't like it that way. I'm not saying that there's a right way to say it, I just happen to like the way I pronounce it.

[zipperback]

While the Operating System called "Ubuntu" is indeed great, so great that it has changed the Linux world but I feel sorry for the name i.e. "Ubuntu", it sucks. There is another thread here that Linux as a name of an OS sucks, I don't agree with that. The name Linux is an appealing and attractive name for an OS. Its short and stylish. While with all my due respect to the Canonical company and all the people working for the OS I wish if they change the name from "Ubuntu" to something stylish like Linux. :)


There is a great deal of importance and meaning in the word Ubuntu.

It is very appropriate to use it for a Linux distribution.

- zipperback
:popcorn:

[billgoldberg]

To OP:

Yeah, that's just how I feel about it.

While the word linux pretty decent for an OS, ubuntu is not.

When people that visit me ask what operating system I'm using (most think microsoft is the only one) I alway tell them linux. I used to say ubuntu but most immediatly started making fun of it.

But hey, the OS is great and it's not like xp, vista or leopard are such great names.

[original_jamingrit]

Ubuntu is a great name, even if you don't know what it means. Because if you don't know what it means, and see "humanity towards others"or a similar definition. Then you'll say "Oh, so is that what this OS is about?"

As for the Linux kernel, I remember reading somewhere that Linus Torvalds was originally going to call "Freakix" or something silly like that, but the guy who was hosting the source for it for him on ftp just called it "Linux" after Linus. Linus says, "I thought it was kind of egotistical, but that was back before I had a big ego."

When you know enough about what you're doing, it really doesn't matter. As far as open source software goes, you can legitimately choose your software of choice based solely on the name. For example, I like Slackware; even though Zenwalk and GoblinX areSlackware-based and are supposed to be better for desktop usage, I like the name Slackware better. It's not very hard to take a system and configure it to whatever your needs are.

Besides, it's more fun that way. :)

[hhhhhx]

one of the reasons i use mint. :lolflag:

[Linuxratty]

one of the reasons i use mint. :lolflag:

I wanted to use Mint but it would not install.

[hhhhhx]

I wanted to use Mint but it would not install.
hmm.. strange. mint is basicly a dressed up version of ubuntu, so it should work the same. Did u get the right version (i got the wrong version the first time i tried)

[iPower]

supermega linux operatingsystem 7.10 (with gnome) ? :)

[Pandemic187]

As I've said in another thread, I agree with this on a marketing level.

This is why we have detergents with names like 'Daz', and OSes with names like 'OS X' or 'XP'. A marketable name needs to be more about symbology and something short that can be presented in a flashy way rather than the actual name itself. Thus a name like Canonical Lux, or even Linux Mint and CentOS, will do well to grab the attention of the end user.

Make it short, make it flashy, have it grab their attention and make sure the person buying thinks the name is important, that's all there is to it.

I don't want to see Ubuntu really 'marketed' though, and a name like Ubuntu is actually a measure of anti-marketing. The reason I say this is because Ubuntu is a word steeped in culture, it's not short, it's not jazzy, it has meaning...

What I want out of a distro is something that at least upholds some of my ideals, and Ubuntu does that by virtue of its very name. So whilst the general populace who value things by money and such won't find any worth in a name like Ubuntu, I do. I'd hope I'm not the only one, too.

Certainly, a marketable version of Ubuntu could be created to sell to the end users, something that changes Ubuntu to fit the methods stated above. I think as a model LinuxMint suits this already. But I wouldn't ever want to see Ubuntu replaced.

Ubuntu is a word of strength, as it portrays the egalitarian and even mildly anarchistic nature of FOSS. Swap that for something soulless, unimaginative and corporate? No thanks. I don't think we should stop people creating their own CorpUbuntu, but I don't think we need to change the direction of the main distro, either.
Very true. I must admit, Praadur, you make some excellent points.

The difference between Ubuntu and Mac OS or Windows is that while Mac OS and Windows are intended to be marketed, commercial products, Ubuntu is more communal. It has enough loyal users that changing the name, to be honest, would be a horrible idea at this point. You may like a name change, but trust me - in the overall picture, that would be a terrible idea. After all, the Ubuntu people aren't really gaining revenue from the Ubuntu project, so expanding their number of consumers wouldn't make as much sense as it would for a corporation that charges for their software. They may be gaining some revenue, but any they may be gaining is like pennies to Microsoft - or even less, perhaps.

[tuebinger]

I personally like the name Ubuntu. When I say I use Ubuntu, people say, "Ubu-who?" It's a great way to get someone's attention, and a great opportunity to talk up linux. As for Ubuntu being mispronounced, I remember when people used to refer to the Internet as the 'Internets'. Oops, I think I may be dating myself here... :)

[chris4585]

I actually think that the name Ubuntu is great. In Zulu it means "Humanity towards others" or, "I am who I am because of who we all are". Which I think are very meaningful and tell something about the OS and the philosophy behinde it.

+1

also.. i use to say Ubuntu as "u - bun - too" not as "u - boon - too" and it took me pretty much forcing myself to say it right, at first i liked my way of pronouncing it, but now that i've said the right way for so long i like the right way better now

[Pandemic187]

+1

also.. i use to say Ubuntu as "u - bun - too" not as "u - boon - too" and it took me pretty much forcing myself to say it right, at first i liked my way of pronouncing it, but now that i've said the right way for so long i like the right way better now
I never said it wrong, although I guess to me it just seems natural to pronounce it "ooh-boon-too," given that the U can't really be pronounced any way other than "ooh." To me it seems only logical to say "boon" after the "ooh" sound.

[allforcarrie]

Ubuntu is more than just a name, its a concept. Noobuntu! LOL

[SZF2001]

Let's think about this - remember when the "iPod" came out? Everyone wondered what the freakin' hell is an Eye Pod? Now it's a house hold name.

And remember the whole name switch on the Nintendo Revolution? Of course they had to reveal the REAL name, because the Nintendo Gamecube was originally the Nintendo Dolphin, and I think the N64 was something... Bla, I can't remember. Anyway people freaked out when they saw "Wii"... Now it's just no big deal.

If two other stupid names can become plausible and normal, why not Ubuntu?

Hell, ask anyone from ten years ago if they visit "Wikipedia" (unless it started in 97, I sure can't remember it being there) and they'd wonder if you took your meds today.

EDIT: Lol just realized it's 2008.

[PryGuy]

Ubuntu is cool, people, I thing the guy with the nick MSWindosNT should know that!

[K.Mandla]

Complaining about the name of an operating system three years after it's released is petty. If you don't like it, repackage it and call it what you want.

Moving to Recurring Discussions, since this is really just flamebait dressed up to look like an issue that has been discussed many times over.

[Ozor Mox]

I really like the name Ubuntu. You can't please everyone all of the time. If you (OP) hate the name so much, change distributions, or create your own one and call it anything you can possibly think of.

[quinnten83]

I agree with you 100%.

What kind of a name is Vista? I mean, they should call it "LBW". It could stand for "large brick wall" or something, that way it describes its philosophy. Sure Ubuntu sounds stupid, but it's the meaning which is important.

It might sounds stupid if Zulu is not your native language, but not everybody in the world learns English as a first language (cause of, you nkow, other countries in the world).
I think the name is great because it means something and also because it reflects positively on a continent that usually unjustly only gets associated with starving people corruption savagery and war, despite having unequaled natural beauty and generally speaking good people (same as any other continent I presume since I have not been yet).

oo-boon-too FTW!
Also Nelson Mandela explains the meaning of the word, Where else can you get endorsement like that?

[quinnten83]

To OP:

Yeah, that's just how I feel about it.

While the word linux pretty decent for an OS, ubuntu is not.

When people that visit me ask what operating system I'm using (most think microsoft is the only one) I alway tell them linux. I used to say ubuntu but most immediatly started making fun of it.

But hey, the OS is great and it's not like xp, vista or leopard are such great names.

I am sorry, but that just shows their ignorance.
Perhaps if you enlightened them to the meaning they would stop.

[jcconnor]

I call mine Sven. Easy to remember, rolls off the tongue well, is short and can be thrown into conversations randomly and still be appropriate - ala -

"I was using Vista but went back to XP, how about you?"
"Oh I never have a problem with Sven."

"Man, my computer is seriously slow running Vista, how about yours?"
"Well, Sven is incredibly fast."

Try that sometime and you'll be able to quit worrying about names altogether.

[LewisDre4m]

I'm really sorry to say this but I have to agree, I think the name Ubuntu is not a good name. It's not exactly using common English phonetics and most people feel stupid saying it as they are not sure for a long time how to pronounce it. It's not awful but I think it could be sharper and cooler sounding.

Just my opinion

LewisDre4m

[kellemes]

It's not exactly using common English phonetics (..)

Should it? Most Ubuntu users aren't speaking English at home.

[Giant Speck]

z o m b i e s !!!

[bapoumba]

z o m b i e s !!!

Pif Paf Pouf !