A guided tour of some notable and peculiar Linux distributions
Even if the syntax suggests otherwise, the name of the classic Linux tool awk does not stand for awkward, and it isn't even a reference to the bird known as the Auk, but rather, the name is derived from the names of its authors, Alfred Aho, Peter Weinberger, and Brian Kernighan. Cryptic names are a long-established Unix tradition [1].
Developers often believe the names of their tools are self-explanatory, or they think the name is not of interest to the users anyway. Many developers of the 500+ Linux distributions worldwide clearly subscribe to this school of thought [2] (Figure 1). Even several very early Linux distros bore cryptic abbreviations (LSD, LST, DLD) or really curious names like Yggdrasil (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Only a small excerpt from the extensive family tree of Linux distributions. You'll find this graphic at http://futurist.se/gldt/.
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