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View Full Version : Should we take the emphasis off codenames and put it on release versions?



Old Pink
October 19th, 2007, 06:29 PM
I understand the Ubuntu names, such as Dapper Drake, Edgy Eft, Feisty Fawn, Gutsy Gibbon and Hardy Heron are "codenames".

Usually codenames are used only before release, but still people are "using dapper" or "upgrading to gutsy" rather than "using 6.06" and "upgrading to 7.10"

I guess there's no harm in calling them by codename after release, just interested in everyone's thoughts on the matter.

I'm personally OK with calling them either. :)

corney91
October 19th, 2007, 06:35 PM
Definately codenames. They're easier to remember than numbers, although the numbers are more informative.

n3tfury
October 19th, 2007, 06:36 PM
the codenames are a little goofy, but i've grown accustomed to them.

BDNiner
October 19th, 2007, 06:37 PM
I like the ubuntu numbering system where it corresponds to the date it was released. I have been using ubuntu long enough to know the code names, i have to look it up whenever some one refers to ubuntu by one of its code names.

aysiu
October 19th, 2007, 06:38 PM
If Apple can say Leopard or Panther (instead of 10.4 or 10.2 or whatever the real numbers are), I don't see why Ubuntu can't use animal codenames and just put an adjective in front.

So Apple happens to have cat names, and Ubuntu uses any animal it wants. I don't see what the problem is.

The only weird thing is that we refer to the releases by the adjective describing the animal instead of the animal itself.

Lster
October 19th, 2007, 06:44 PM
The only weird thing is that we refer to the releases by the adjective describing the animal instead of the animal itself.

I find that a little weird too. I've never heard of a Gutsy before? ;)

SomethinSnappy
October 19th, 2007, 06:44 PM
Call me unimaginative, but I find more use in the version number. Its just more Intuitive.

glupee
October 19th, 2007, 06:47 PM
code names FTW!

I'll go as far as saying that we should get rid of the numbers, they're for squares! :lolflag:

aysiu
October 19th, 2007, 06:49 PM
I didn't see the "it doesn't matter to me either way" option in the poll.

Acglaphotis
October 19th, 2007, 07:19 PM
Codenames are easier to rememeber

argie
October 19th, 2007, 07:25 PM
I think the main website should show just numbers, but the wiki should stay the way it is with code names. Also, I like using the codenames, they're nicer.

Also: Gutsy Gibbon. Seven point ten. Feisty Fawn. Seven point zero four. Also, it's still useful, the letter saying when in the Ubuntu timeline the release is.

lyceum
October 19th, 2007, 07:26 PM
Names make it fun :)

mikeypizano
October 19th, 2007, 07:34 PM
I agree, the names make it more fun! Its still better names then Windows XP

lyceum
October 19th, 2007, 07:45 PM
I agree, the names make it more fun! Its still better names then Windows XP

yeah, Vista is a cool name, but what was the XP for? Xtra Power? I really never got that. Now animal names, that make good sence! :popcorn:

gn2
October 19th, 2007, 07:53 PM
yeah, Vista is a cool name, but what was the XP for? :

Windows eXPerience.

Apparently.

lyceum
October 19th, 2007, 08:06 PM
Windows eXPerience.

Apparently.

I never would have guessed that...

jr.gotti
October 19th, 2007, 08:12 PM
Eh...doesn't really matter. Once people getter over the initial shock of an OS named "ew-boon-too / ew-bun-too" trying to be taken seriously, nothing surprises them :P

You'd be surprised how many people i know that wont touch ubuntu because it "sounds funny."

"Want me to install Ubuntu for you?"
"...whats that? sounds ridiculous."
::After days of convincing::
"Alright, fine!!! What version am I getting?"
"...Gutsy Gibbon?"
"..."
"..."
"...p*ss off"

=]

popch
October 19th, 2007, 08:21 PM
what was the XP for? :

ten (roman) prayers.

vista SP2 will be known as Windows second sight.

Phil Airtime
October 19th, 2007, 08:21 PM
I don't rate the code names; I think they sound a bit daft personally. I tend to call versions by their numbers and if I'm talking rather than typing, it's "seven-oh-four" or "seven-ten".

Acglaphotis
October 19th, 2007, 08:21 PM
"ew-boon-too / ew-bun-too"
=]
it's oo-boon-too.

PS: PRONOUNCING NAZI STRIKES AGAIN.

jr.gotti
October 19th, 2007, 08:23 PM
eh, when I see a double-o I think more of a long "o," as in home. but "ew" i think more of as "oo" in "too."

lyceum
October 19th, 2007, 08:29 PM
ten (roman) prayers.

vista SP2 will be known as Windows second sight.

:lolflag:

Phil Airtime
October 19th, 2007, 08:30 PM
Absolutely everyone I know who talks about Linux says "you-bun-too". It's hard to switch to saying "oo-boon-too", especially when it looks wrong and makes you sound like Vic Reeves on Shooting Stars. I'm from the north of England; perhaps it sounds good in other dialects...

cogadh
October 19th, 2007, 08:34 PM
Codenames, definitely. It's more fun and interesting that boring version numbers that are really only dates anyway.

Ultra Magnus
October 19th, 2007, 09:39 PM
+1 for codenames - I like them because:

1) They are kind of a tradition now anyway and they're easy to remember
2) Even if people think "gutsy gibbon" sounds dumb - the name atleast grabbed their attention
3) So much stuff nowadays sounds like it was named by a humourless commitee - Vista or leopard really puts across the soullessness (my speel checker didn't like that) of the product - Just telling people I have "Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon" on my computer makes it sound way more fun

Acglaphotis
October 20th, 2007, 01:33 AM
Absolutely everyone I know who talks about Linux says "you-bun-too". It's hard to switch to saying "oo-boon-too", especially when it looks wrong and makes you sound like Vic Reeves on Shooting Stars. I'm from the north of England; perhaps it sounds good in other dialects...

Meh, where i live we speak spanish, so we read/talk phonetically and ubuntu is spoken like ooboontoo so no one gets it wrong : ).

crimesaucer
October 20th, 2007, 01:51 AM
I like the numbers better... like xubtunu 7.04, xubuntu 6.10...


Plus, it's the release date so to me it's more of an accurate way to remember the versions in order.


All though I don't mind the names Edgy, Feisty, Gutsy... and it's the way ubuntu has been so why change it.


What might be cool though, is if instead of naming it "Feisty Fawn", or "Gutsy Gibbon"...just name it "Feisty" and "Gutsy" and then make a mascot icon similar to "Tux"...but as the current release, like a cool looking Fawn or Gibbon. Then it's name would be "Feisty" or "Gutsy" just like the penguin's name is "Tux", and it would be known as 7.04 "Feisty" and 7.10 "Gutsy" with a visual mascot icon of what animal it is.

Tomone
October 20th, 2007, 04:22 AM
I like the codenames. They're more fun, more definitely differentiate each version, and maybe give more character to the releases. I was going to say that for releases older than a year or so, it would easier to refer to them by the numbers, but if they keep naming them in alphabetical order like they have been, it wouldn't be too hard to do the math (alphabetical math?) to figure out the number.

moffatt666
October 20th, 2007, 02:29 PM
I like both. The names reinforce the 'linux for humans' aspect and are easy to remember and the numbers tell you the release date. Simple.

fuscia
October 20th, 2007, 02:40 PM
though i suppose there's little hope of 'humping hyena' being adopted, i prefer the codenames. they're goofy and generate lots of silly threads. numbers, with the exception of you know what (it's square root is eight something), are booooooooooooring.

RChickenMan
October 20th, 2007, 02:47 PM
Oddly enough I can't even recall the codename of the version which I ran for literally a year (6.10). Maybe I don't spend enough time around the forums... Of course I know I'm running Gutsy now, but once more releases come through, I'm sure I'll forget. It all looks the same, it all looks like Gnome to me. How am I supposed to remember the cute little name the Ubuntu developers give to a collection of code which aids in my never-ending quest to do basic math really really fast?

I guess the conclusion is... I'm better with the version numbers! To dip into internet forum culture a bit, I feel like a "noob" when I talk about Linux with a classmate and I can't remember what animal name my distro version is named after!

Old Pink
October 20th, 2007, 03:04 PM
I didn't see the "it doesn't matter to me either way" option in the poll.Don't have an opinion? Don't vote.

You can still see the results using the link.

"I don't care" votes are stupid. To vote is to express one's choice or preference. Not to express your lack of preference. :)

Old Pink
October 20th, 2007, 03:31 PM
Oddly enough I can't even recall the codename of the version which I ran for literally a year (6.10).That would be Edgy Eft. :)

daynah
October 20th, 2007, 03:37 PM
I think the codenames also make the os seem friendlier, less geekier. Though there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a geek, nerd, whatever, to solve Bug #1, we need to scrub a bit of the geek body odor off of linux, yes?

Also, the codenames are also like my vocabulary word for the next 6 months. Eft? Gibbon? I had to look BOTH of those up. I'm very thankful for Hardy Heron, I didn't feel stupid this time. ;)

Overbyte
October 20th, 2007, 04:01 PM
We need to scrub a bit of the geek body odor off of linux, yes?

Yes!


Internet Explorer - Microsoft leaves no doubt what their products are. If they made toilet paper it would be called Butt Wiper. Internet Explorer isn't a bad name, but it's not spectacular.

Firefox - On the other end of the spectrum, the name Firefox gives no clue to what it is. Could be a car? 80s video game? Lame comic book superhero? Flaming dish at a wild game restaurant? A browser would probably be your last guess. No matter, it is a much cooler name than the utilitarian Internet Explorer.

Advantage - Firefox

How weird the codenames sound, it does catch attention. "Windows 6.0" sounds geeky, but they decided "Vista", its also seems to be easier and more effective in marketing to the average Joe. :)

Tundro Walker
October 20th, 2007, 09:13 PM
BLASPHEMY!

Codenames are one of the things that makes Ubuntu cool and unique. They get folks interested, involve the community to help name it, raise eyebrows when you talk about it around folks who don't know what it is, etc, etc. It's part of the "style IS substance" that Shuttleworth is focusing on.

Man, Ubuntu w/o codenames...that's like telling an emo kid to cut his hair. Sacrilege! :)

cogadh
October 21st, 2007, 01:28 AM
How weird the codenames sound, it does catch attention. "Windows 6.0" sounds geeky, but they decided "Vista", its also seems to be easier and more effective in marketing to the average Joe. :)
Vista is technically the 8th incarnation of the Windows home desktop:

Windows 1.x
Windows 2.x
Windows 3.x
Windows 95
Windows 98/98SE
Windows ME
Windows XP
Windows Vista

Even Microsoft stopped using version numbers and switched to codenames years ago.

LaRoza
October 21st, 2007, 01:31 AM
Vista is technically the 8th incarnation of the Windows home desktop:

Windows 1.x
Windows 2.x
Windows 3.x
Windows 95
Windows 98/98SE
Windows ME
Windows XP
Windows Vista

Even Microsoft stopped using version numbers and switched to codenames years ago.

How come the next version will be called "Windows 7"?

There are version numbers, but don't try to follow them, they will give you a head ache. Also, Windows 1.x to Windows ME are not Operating Systems, they are just DOS with a graphical software. Windows NT, which you skipped, was the first non-DOS OS MS wrote, and Windows 2000 was based off of that, then Windows XP came, now Vista.

cogadh
October 21st, 2007, 01:44 AM
I said "home" desktop, NT, 2000 and 2003 are considered business/server OSes. I also said that Vista is technically the 8th version. I have no idea why MS counts them differently and is calling the next version "Windows 7". The only thing I can think is that Win 95,98 and ME are all counted as one version, which would make XP #5 and Vista #6.

BTW - Windows 7 is just an internal use development name. The release name is definitely going to be something different.

cappii
October 21st, 2007, 01:49 AM
Call me unimaginative, but I find more use in the version number. Its just more Intuitive.

Nah... I'm with ya on that one. The number just make more sense to me. Besides, as much as I hate OS X and Windows... I'd rather just have them numbers... let them have silly flashy names to help with advertising... we'll stick with a Distro that just works.

LaRoza
October 21st, 2007, 01:53 AM
I said "home" desktop, NT, 2000 and 2003 are considered business/server OSes. I also said that Vista is technically the 8th version. I have no idea why MS counts them differently and is calling the next version "Windows 7". The only thing I can think is that Win 95,98 and ME are all counted as one version, which would make XP #5 and Vista #6.

BTW - Windows 7 is just an internal use development name. The release name is definitely going to be something different.

I assume that any os with a GUI by default is meant to be a desktop, not a server. 32 bit graphics for a server? Come one MS, get with it! (Actually, they are, finally, releasing a CLI server)

Windows 95, 98, and ME are not one version. Windows 95 is sometimes called "DOS 7", which is technically incorrect. Windows 98 is Windows 95 with the updates. Windows XP is basically the third rendition of NT, and Windows Vista is a completely new line of development, so a continuous version number doesn't make sense. The new Windows will be what MS promised in Vista, the new FS and such.

cappii
October 21st, 2007, 01:54 AM
Vista is technically the 8th incarnation of the Windows home desktop:

Windows 1.x
Windows 2.x
Windows 3.x
Windows 95
Windows 98/98SE
Windows ME
Windows XP
Windows Vista

Even Microsoft stopped using version numbers and switched to codenames years ago.

Actually, 9x and NT are completely different architechtures. You had:

1. NT
2. NT 2
3 NT 3
4 Win 2k (NT 4)
5 Win XP (NT 5)
6 Vista (NT 6)

9x was a separate entity.
Windows
Windows 2.
Windows 3.
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME - Flaws in it, and the smooth operation of 2K after the SP2 was released officially killed the 9x, as ME was hurriedly pushed out.

skillllllz
October 21st, 2007, 02:05 AM
I, personally, find the code-names extremely useful. When searching the web and/or forums for help/info on a specific version of ubuntu, including the code-name as part of the search yields far more relevant results than the version number does.

LaRoza
October 21st, 2007, 02:14 AM
Windows
Windows 2.
Windows 3.
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME - Flaws in it, and the smooth operation of 2K after the SP2 was released officially killed the 9x, as ME was hurriedly pushed out.

For a little nitpicking, as long we are all doing it :D, It was DOS 6.22, then "DOS 7" with Windows 1.x, to 3.x, this is where MS experimented with a GUI, and tried to hide their rip-off of OS/2. Windows 95 was still DOS, but with win.exe automatically started, Windows 98 was essentially Windows 95, and we all know what happened with ME. Now, we have ME II to contend with...

Old Pink
October 27th, 2007, 11:03 PM
Pretty much 75% of people prefer codenames while 25% of people prefer numbers.

Interesting, I wouldn't have said that was the divide on the forums, you hardly ever see releases referred to by number on here.

macogw
October 27th, 2007, 11:41 PM
If Apple can say Leopard or Panther (instead of 10.4 or 10.2 or whatever the real numbers are), I don't see why Ubuntu can't use animal codenames and just put an adjective in front.

So Apple happens to have cat names, and Ubuntu uses any animal it wants. I don't see what the problem is.

The only weird thing is that we refer to the releases by the adjective describing the animal instead of the animal itself.

what s/he said ^