Linux = Ubuntu ?

[malspa]

From time to time I've heard the complaint that for many people the term "Ubuntu" has become synonymous with "Linux."

When I started with Linux, I think the only Ubuntu version that had been released was Warty Warthog (Ubuntu 4.10), and I hadn't even heard of Ubuntu yet.

I guess things have changed, though.

But, have they really changed that much? How long does it take before a person realizes that Linux is more than Ubuntu? Are there really very many Ubuntu users who don't know that?

Have "Ubuntu" and "Linux" really become synonymous for a large number of Linux users? Or is that idea just something that's being put out there by a few bloggers, etc.? Because it seems to me that one simple web search on the word "linux" would be enough for a person to realize that Ubuntu is only one of many Linux distros. Are there lots of people who are being mislead? Do any of you think this is a problem that Linux people should be concerned about? Very interested to see any comments coming from these forums about this.

[jrusso2]

I don't know the other day a woman told me Ubuntu was not Linux but was related to it.

[Seti]

Some people also still think the Earth is a flat plate. I really don't care what most people think.
Ubuntu is certainly a type (brand?) of linux, but Ubuntu != Linux, any more than Slackware = Linux or Debian = Linux.

[kenweill]

It's just a false information.

Most people think that Trojans, worms, and other malwares as virus. They generalize it all as viruses, even though, they are not.

Same as hackers and crackers. You rarely heard media calling crackers as the bad guys. But most refer hackers as the bad guys.

[Cope57]

From time to time I've heard the complaint that for many people the term "Ubuntu" has become synonymous with "Linux."

When I started with Linux, I think the only Ubuntu version that had been released was Warty Warthog (Ubuntu 4.10), and I hadn't even heard of Ubuntu yet.

I guess things have changed, though.

But, have they really changed that much?

Define they.

How long does it take before a person realizes that Linux is more than Ubuntu?

The time it takes to be removed from n00b status. The could take a short time, or indefinitely.

Are there really very many Ubuntu users who don't know that?

Most likely, yes. Many new Ubuntu users whom have never tried a Linux distribution before 2004 are still new to Linux itself.

Have "Ubuntu" and "Linux" really become synonymous for a large number of Linux users?

I have been using the Linux kernel with many distributions before Ubuntu was created. Linux has always been the kernel, some do not know any better.

Or is that idea just something that's being put out there by a few bloggers, etc.?

I am guessing it is from a few Ubuntu users, as well as those that use other operating systems.

Because it seems to me that one simple web search on the word "linux" would be enough for a person to realize that Ubuntu is only one of many Linux distros. Are there lots of people who are being mislead?

I do not believe they are being mislead, but stating information that is not truthful. Reminds me of some Windows users which believe that Internet Explorer is the Internet itself. Not a true statement, but people believe what they want, and spread their ignorance to others.

Do any of you think this is a problem that Linux people should be concerned about? Very interested to see any comments coming from these forums about this.

I am not concerned about how people perceive distributions. If the distribution has the Linux kernel, there will always be an individual that states that the distribution is Linux instead of saying it is running the Linux kernel.

So no, Ubuntu is not synonymous to Linux.

[swoll1980]

Once I found Ubuntu it took about 5 minutes, literately, to discover that it was just one of many distributions that used the Linux kernel, and GNU system tools.

[malspa]

i don't know the other day a woman told me ubuntu was not linux but was related to it.

lol!

[2hot6ft2]

And some people only think
car = (insert any car mfg. here)
truck = (insert any truck mfg. here)
and the list goes on and on.

It doesn't bother me, as long as I know the difference that's what counts for me.

[swoll1980]

And some people only think
car = (insert any car mfg. here)
truck = (insert any truck mfg. here)
and the list goes on and on.

It doesn't bother me, as long as I know the difference that's what counts for me.

tissue = Kleenex
pine scented cleaner = Pine-sol
dish soap = Dawn
laundry soap = Tide

[kaldor]

"Click on your computer's start menu in the bottom left" is a phrase that always annoys me; as if every computer runs Windows.


I've often heard comments like "Linux is ugly because it is brown".