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{{dablink|This article is for Tux the [[Linux]] mascot. For other uses, see [[Tux (disambiguation)]].}}
{{subpages}}
{{dambigbox|Tux the [[Linux]] mascot|Tux}}
__NOTOC__
[[Image:Linux_Tux_Logo.png|thumb|150px|right|Tux  the official Linux penguin. This image depicts him as most commonly appears and as originally drawn by Larry Ewing. Also see [[Tux/Gallery|"A pictorial history of Tux".]]]]


[[Image:Linux_Tux_Logo.png|thumb|200px|right|Tux the penguin, the Linux mascot, as he most commonly appears.]]
'''Tux''' the [[penguin]] is the official logo and cartoon mascot for the [[Linux]] computer [[operating system]]. First drawn in 1996 by Larry Ewing, the fun-loving character has a special place in many people's imaginations, both inside and outside of the global Linux community.


'''Tux''' the [[penguin]] is the official logo, and cartoon mascot, for the [[Linux]] computer [[operating system]]. The character was first drawn in 1996 by Larry Ewing.
[[Image:Penguin-angry-tran.1.gif|thumb|150px|right|An early sketch of Tux, depicting how Linux's early developers felt their operating system was gearing for competition with other operating systems.]]


[[Image:Penguin-angry-tran.1.gif|thumb|200px|right|An early sketch of Tux, depicting how Linux's early developers felt their operating system was geared up for competition with other operating systems.]]
==Quest for a Linux logo==
==Origin and development==
Tux originated from a discussion on the "Linux kernel" [[mailing list]]. On May 1, 1996, early Linux contributor Matt Hartley began a thread entitled "Linux logo", which included an image by David Christiansen showing the planet Earth as seen from outer space, along with the captions "LINUX" and "Take your computer to another dimension."<ref>{{cite web
Tux originated as the result of a discussion on the [[Usenet]] "Linux kernel" [[mailing list]]. On May 1, 1996, Matt Hartley began a thread titled "Linux logo", which included an image by David Christiansen showing the planet Earth as seen from outer space, along with the captions "LINUX" and "Take your computer to another dimension."<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0119.html
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0119.html
| title=Linux logo
| title=Linux logo
| author=Matt Hartley
| author=Matt Hartley
| date=1996-05-5
| date=1996-05-5
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/historic-linux/ftp-archives/sunsite.unc.edu/Sep-29-1996/logos/lin64.jpg
| url=http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/historic-linux/ftp-archives/sunsite.unc.edu/Sep-29-1996/logos/lin64.jpg
| title=lin64.jpg
| title=lin64.jpg
| author=David Christiansen
| author=David Christiansen
| date=
| date=
}}</ref> The next day Alan Cox posted a message suggesting that the Linux logo should be "a picture of the [[BSD Daemon|BSD daemon]]" &mdash; the logo for another open source operating system &mdash; "flat out on the floor with stars around its head and a penguin in boxing gloves standing on top."<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> At one point, [[Linus Torvalds]], the software engineer behind Linux, had casually mentioned his fondness of penguins, and list-users began to rally around the idea.
 
The next day, [[Alan Cox]], a highly-esteemed [[hacker]], posted a message suggesting that the Linux logo should be "a picture of the [[BSD Daemon|BSD daemon]]"&mdash;the logo for another open source operating system&mdash;"flat out on the floor with stars around its head and a penguin in boxing gloves standing on top."<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://lkml.org/lkml/1996/5/2/110
| url=http://lkml.org/lkml/1996/5/2/110
| title=Re: Linux logo (LKML)
| title=Re: Linux logo (LKML)
| author=Alan Cox
| author=Alan Cox
| date=1996-05-2
| date=1996-05-2
}}</ref> In response, Mark Lehrer, posted that because Microsoft's [[Windows 95]] &mdash; then the dominant commercial PC operating system &mdash; instead of FreeBSD was Linux's real competition, the logo should instead show a penguin smashing a window.<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> Mark Lehrer countered that FreeBSD was not Linux's real competition.  Microsoft's [[Windows 95]] was&mdash;then the dominant operating system worldwide, in fact&mdash;so the logo should instead show a penguin smashing a ''window''.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://lkml.org/lkml/1996/5/4/3
| url=http://lkml.org/lkml/1996/5/4/3
| title=Re: Linux logo
| title=Re: Linux logo
| author=Mark Lehrer
| author=Mark Lehrer
| date=1996-05-4
| date=1996-05-4
}}</ref> Alan Clucas replied that these two ideas should be combined, with a Linux logo victorious over both its counterparts.<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> Alan Clucas then suggested that these two ideas would be best if combined, with a fighting penguin victorious over ''both'' its operating system competitors.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://lkml.org/lkml/1996/5/5/13
| url=http://lkml.org/lkml/1996/5/5/13
| title=Re: Linux logo
| title=Re: Linux logo
Line 34: Line 38:
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


At this point [[Linus Torvalds]], the software engineer who had initiated the development of Linux, unhappy with the idea of officially endorsing the mocking of other operating systems, posted his favorite penguin image, and requested that someone with artistic skills design a logo using a similar image under an appropriate license, while emphatically stating that this concept was final.<ref>{{cite web
Although parodies of other operating systems seemed by far the most popular, little real progress was being made. Besides, Torvalds could not bring himself to endorse the mocking of other operating systems. So he made a general plea for someone artistic to design a logo based on his favorite image of a penguin and release it under a free license,<ref>See [ftp://ftp.cs.helsinki.fi/pub/Software/Linux/Kernel/v1.3/ccpenguin.jpg ftp://ftp.cs.helsinki.fi/pub/Software/Linux/Kernel/v1.3/ccpenguin.jpg] for the original image posted by Torvalds.</ref> emphatically stating that his penguin concept was final.
| url=http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0499.html
| title=Re: Linux logo thread on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML)
| author=Linus Torvalds
| date=1996-05-5
}}</ref> (The model image referred to by Torvalds is still available as of April 13th, 2007 from its original location on the [[University of Helsinki]]'s [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] server. [ftp://ftp.cs.helsinki.fi/pub/Software/Linux/Kernel/v1.3/ccpenguin.jpg])


Dale Scheetz posted a prototype drawing, which showed a penguin holding up the Earth.<ref>{{cite web
==Tux takes shape and is named==
Not long after, Dale Scheetz posted a prototype of a penguin holding up the Earth, combining Christiansen's original idea with Torvalds'.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0930.html
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0930.html
| title=Linux Logo prototype.
| title=Linux Logo prototype.
| author=Dale Scheetz
| author=Dale Scheetz
| date=1996-05-9
| date=1996-05-9
}}</ref> Torvalds replied that the penguin did not appear strong enough to hoist an entire planet, and in fact looked like it was in imminent danger of being squashed. He went on to describe the penguin that he envisioned &mdash; a cute, cuddly animal, sitting after eating a grand feast of herring, content and smiling after a small burp. The penguin was not to be fat, but instead gorged with fish.<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> Torvalds was doubtful, however, saying the penguin looked too weak to hoist an entire planet&mdash;the bird appeared in imminent danger of being squashed, in fact!  The penguin logo, Torvalds thought, should instead be cute and cuddly. He envisioned the bird sitting, content and smiling, having just let out a small burp after a grand feast of herring. The bird was not to be fat, just happily gorged with fish.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0855.html
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0855.html
| title=Re: Linux Logo prototype.
| title=Re: Linux Logo prototype.
| author=Linus Torvalds
| author=Linus Torvalds
| date=1996-05-9
| date=1996-05-9
}}</ref> Torvalds later noted that he was not looking for a "Linux Corporate Image", but for something fun that could be extensively modified but still recognizable. He has often expressed his affinity for penguins, once jokingly claiming that after being bitten by a ferocious penguin he developed a disease called "penguinitis", which "makes you stay awake at nights just thinking about penguins and feeling great love towards them". He claimed to have had a similar experience while visiting the Canberra zoo with Andrew Tridgell, where a small [[pigmy penguin]] nibbled on his finger.<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> It was Larry Ewing who then drew the original version of the Linux penguin&mdash;on a computer running Linux, of course.<ref>A complete description of the methods Ewing used is on his website, [http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/notes.html http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/notes.html].</ref> 
| url=http://www.sjbaker.org/tux/#why1
| title=A Complete History of Tux
| author=Steve Baker
| date=
}}</ref>
 
Larry Ewing drew the original version of Tux on his [[486]] [[DX2/50]] computer running Linux, using version 0.54 of [[The GIMP]] graphics program. Because his monitor was an 8-bit display with limited graphics capabilities, the final smoothness was rendered using software on an SGI Crimson workstation. (A complete description of the methods Ewing used is on his website. [http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/notes.html])


The new mascot still needed a name. Humorously, one of the earliest suggestions, from Henning Schmiedehausen, was to call the penguin "Homer", because of its resemblance to the television character [[Homer Simpson]].<ref>{{cite web
Once completed, the new mascot needed a name. Humorously, one of the earliest suggestions, from Henning Schmiedehausen, was "Homer", because to him the bird resembled television character [[Homer Simpson]] .<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9606.1/0155.html
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9606.1/0155.html
| title=Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 1)
| title=Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 1)
| author=Henning Schmiedehausen
| author=Henning Schmiedehausen
| date=1996-06-10
| date=1996-06-10
}}</ref> As a joke, Tux was later re-drawn by Anton Johansson as an image of Homer morphed into a penguin. There were also some early references to the penguin as "Linnie". However, "Tux", coined by James Hughes, soon caught on. This name had a two-fold meaning, both as an acronym for '''T'''orvalds '''U'''ni'''x''', and as a pun based on the shortening of [[black tie|tuxedo]], which penguins are often said to be wearing.<ref name="Let's name the penguin post 1">{{cite web
}}</ref> As a joke, Tux was later re-drawn by Anton Johansson as Homer Simpson morphed into a penguin.<ref>{{cite web
| name=historyoftux
| url=http://www.sjbaker.org/tux/#why1
| title=A Complete History of Tux
| author=Steve Baker
| date=Accessed April 18th, 2007
}}</ref>  Some then suggested "Linnie" as the penguin's name, but it was "Tux", coined by James Hughes, that soon caught on. This name has a two-fold meaning: as an acronym for '''T'''orvalds '''U'''ni'''x''', and as a pun based on the shortening of [[black tie|tuxedo]], which penguins are often said to be wearing.<ref name="Let's name the penguin post 1">{{cite web
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9606.1/0175.html
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9606.1/0175.html
| title=Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 2)
| title=Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 2)
| author=James Hughes
| author=James Hughes
| date=1996-06-10
| date=1996-06-10
}}</ref><ref name="Let's name the penguin post 2">{{cite web
}}</ref> <ref name="Let's name the penguin post 2">{{cite web
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9606.1/0392.html
| url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9606.1/0392.html
| title=Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 3)
| title=Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 3)
Line 77: Line 76:
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


Like Linux itself, Tux has never been static. From the beginning, people have decided to "play with" and re-draw him in "goofy" ways. Among his creative castings, Tux has been a [[skateboard|skateboarder]], a [[ninja]], and a [[pipe]]-smoker.  He has appeared in magazines, television broadcasts, video games and other software, and on mouse-pads.  His persona has been emblemed onto clothing, stickers, and other paraphernalia. Sculptor [[Eric Harshbarger]] made a 25" [[Lego]] model of Tux,<ref>{{cite web
==Continued "distributions" of Tux==
[[Image:Tux_image_gallery_GFDL.jpg|thumb|275px|right|Ever since Tux's beginning, he has been re-drawn and re-set in seemingly endless ways. Click on the image above to be brought to a gallery of some of his creative renditions.]]
Tux was therefore born of what Torvalds had often expressed as his affinity for "flightless, fat waterfowl". He once joked he had caught "penguinitis" after being nipped by a ferocious one, saying his "disease" caused him to "stay awake at nights just thinking about penguins and feeling great love towards them".<ref>{{cite web
| name=historyoftux
| url=http://www.sjbaker.org/tux/#why1
| title=A Complete History of Tux
| author=Steve Baker
| date=Accessed April 18th, 2007
}}</ref> Some years later, Torvalds confessed he had not been looking for a "Linux Corporate Image", but for something fun that could be extensively modified yet still be recognizable.
 
It is not surprising, then, that the Tux character has never been static. Like the Linux system itself, he changes with the input of creative contributors. From the beginning, people have felt free to "play with" and re-draw the character in a variety of "goofy" ways. Each has creatively cast Tux in a different light, including a [[skateboard|skateboarder]], a [[ninja]], and a [[pipe]]-smoker.  They have given Tux appearances in magazines, television broadcasts, video games and other software, mouse-pads, on clothing, stickers, and other paraphernalia.   Sculptor [[Eric Harshbarger]] made a 25" [[Lego]] model of Tux,<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/penguin.html
| url=http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/penguin.html
| title=Linux Penguin - LEGO
| title=Linux Penguin - LEGO
| author=Eric Harshbarger
| author=Eric Harshbarger
| date=
| date=
}}</ref> and anyone can make a plush toy out of him (see photo at right) from freely available cut-out patterns.<ref>See http://www.free-penguin.org</ref>
}}</ref> and anyone can make his or her own plush toy (see image gallery at right) from free patterns which are available.<ref>See http://www.free-penguin.org</ref>
 
People have even gone so far as to get Tux permanently etched onto their bodies, as a tattoo.<ref name="Tux tattoos">{{cite web
| url=http://olliver.family.gen.nz/tattoos.html
| author=Suzzy Olliver
| title=Tux (the Linux penguin) tattoos
| date=Retrieved 2007-04-15
}}</ref>


Tux may even have competing romantic involvements, Gown and Penny, two female penguins who have appeared in several open source games.  Tux's status remains unclear, however, since the gals are not official Linux projects.  
Most recently, some have suspected Tux to have competing romantic involvements. Gown and Penny, two female penguins, have appeared in several open source games.  Tux's status remains unclear, however, since the gals are not official Linux projects.


[[Image:Tux_linux_mascot_doll.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A Tux the penguin doll]]
==Why a Linux mascot?==
Exactly why the early players in Linux's development felt they needed a mascot for their budding operating system remains a mystery.  Irrespective, their fish-gorged penguin has certainly captured imaginations, both inside and outside of the global community of Linux fans.
 
==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}
Line 98: Line 110:


==Subtopics==
==Subtopics==
[[Larry Ewing]]
*[[Larry Ewing]]


==External links==
==External links==
* [ftp://ftp.cs.helsinki.fi/pub/Software/Linux/Kernel/v1.3/ccpenguin.jpg ccpenguin.jpg] Torvalds' original penguin image. At his recommendation, Tux is based on this image
* [ftp://ftp.cs.helsinki.fi/pub/Software/Linux/Kernel/v1.3/ccpenguin.jpg ccpenguin.jpg] Torvalds' original penguin image. At his recommendation, Tux is based on this image
* [http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/notes.html Larry Ewing's description of how he drew Tux]
* [http://www.babytux.org/gallery.php Tux image gallery] - ''many'' interpretations of Tux.


[[Category:CZ Live]]
[[Category:CZ Live]]
[[Category:Computers Workgroup]]
[[Category:Computers Workgroup]]

Latest revision as of 15:31, 23 September 2013

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This version approved either by the Approvals Committee, or an Editor from the listed workgroup. The Computers Workgroup is responsible for this citable version. While we have done conscientious work, we cannot guarantee that this version is wholly free of mistakes. See here (not History) for authorship.
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This article is about Tux the Linux mascot. For other uses of the term Tux, please see Tux (disambiguation).
Tux the official Linux penguin. This image depicts him as most commonly appears and as originally drawn by Larry Ewing. Also see "A pictorial history of Tux".

Tux the penguin is the official logo and cartoon mascot for the Linux computer operating system. First drawn in 1996 by Larry Ewing, the fun-loving character has a special place in many people's imaginations, both inside and outside of the global Linux community.

An early sketch of Tux, depicting how Linux's early developers felt their operating system was gearing for competition with other operating systems.

Tux originated from a discussion on the "Linux kernel" mailing list. On May 1, 1996, early Linux contributor Matt Hartley began a thread entitled "Linux logo", which included an image by David Christiansen showing the planet Earth as seen from outer space, along with the captions "LINUX" and "Take your computer to another dimension."[1] [2] At one point, Linus Torvalds, the software engineer behind Linux, had casually mentioned his fondness of penguins, and list-users began to rally around the idea.

The next day, Alan Cox, a highly-esteemed hacker, posted a message suggesting that the Linux logo should be "a picture of the BSD daemon"—the logo for another open source operating system—"flat out on the floor with stars around its head and a penguin in boxing gloves standing on top."[3] Mark Lehrer countered that FreeBSD was not Linux's real competition. Microsoft's Windows 95 was—then the dominant operating system worldwide, in fact—so the logo should instead show a penguin smashing a window.[4] Alan Clucas then suggested that these two ideas would be best if combined, with a fighting penguin victorious over both its operating system competitors.[5]

Although parodies of other operating systems seemed by far the most popular, little real progress was being made. Besides, Torvalds could not bring himself to endorse the mocking of other operating systems. So he made a general plea for someone artistic to design a logo based on his favorite image of a penguin and release it under a free license,[6] emphatically stating that his penguin concept was final.

Tux takes shape and is named

Not long after, Dale Scheetz posted a prototype of a penguin holding up the Earth, combining Christiansen's original idea with Torvalds'.[7] Torvalds was doubtful, however, saying the penguin looked too weak to hoist an entire planet—the bird appeared in imminent danger of being squashed, in fact! The penguin logo, Torvalds thought, should instead be cute and cuddly. He envisioned the bird sitting, content and smiling, having just let out a small burp after a grand feast of herring. The bird was not to be fat, just happily gorged with fish.[8] It was Larry Ewing who then drew the original version of the Linux penguin—on a computer running Linux, of course.[9]

Once completed, the new mascot needed a name. Humorously, one of the earliest suggestions, from Henning Schmiedehausen, was "Homer", because to him the bird resembled television character Homer Simpson .[10] As a joke, Tux was later re-drawn by Anton Johansson as Homer Simpson morphed into a penguin.[11] Some then suggested "Linnie" as the penguin's name, but it was "Tux", coined by James Hughes, that soon caught on. This name has a two-fold meaning: as an acronym for Torvalds Unix, and as a pun based on the shortening of tuxedo, which penguins are often said to be wearing.[12] [13]

Continued "distributions" of Tux

Ever since Tux's beginning, he has been re-drawn and re-set in seemingly endless ways. Click on the image above to be brought to a gallery of some of his creative renditions.

Tux was therefore born of what Torvalds had often expressed as his affinity for "flightless, fat waterfowl". He once joked he had caught "penguinitis" after being nipped by a ferocious one, saying his "disease" caused him to "stay awake at nights just thinking about penguins and feeling great love towards them".[14] Some years later, Torvalds confessed he had not been looking for a "Linux Corporate Image", but for something fun that could be extensively modified yet still be recognizable.

It is not surprising, then, that the Tux character has never been static. Like the Linux system itself, he changes with the input of creative contributors. From the beginning, people have felt free to "play with" and re-draw the character in a variety of "goofy" ways. Each has creatively cast Tux in a different light, including a skateboarder, a ninja, and a pipe-smoker. They have given Tux appearances in magazines, television broadcasts, video games and other software, mouse-pads, on clothing, stickers, and other paraphernalia. Sculptor Eric Harshbarger made a 25" Lego model of Tux,[15] and anyone can make his or her own plush toy (see image gallery at right) from free patterns which are available.[16]

People have even gone so far as to get Tux permanently etched onto their bodies, as a tattoo.[17]

Most recently, some have suspected Tux to have competing romantic involvements. Gown and Penny, two female penguins, have appeared in several open source games. Tux's status remains unclear, however, since the gals are not official Linux projects.

References

  1. ↑ Matt Hartley (1996-05-5). Linux logo.
  2. ↑ David Christiansen. lin64.jpg.
  3. ↑ Alan Cox (1996-05-2). Re: Linux logo (LKML).
  4. ↑ Mark Lehrer (1996-05-4). Re: Linux logo.
  5. ↑ Alan Clucas (1996-05-4). Re: Linux logo.
  6. ↑ See ftp://ftp.cs.helsinki.fi/pub/Software/Linux/Kernel/v1.3/ccpenguin.jpg for the original image posted by Torvalds.
  7. ↑ Dale Scheetz (1996-05-9). Linux Logo prototype..
  8. ↑ Linus Torvalds (1996-05-9). Re: Linux Logo prototype..
  9. ↑ A complete description of the methods Ewing used is on his website, http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/notes.html.
  10. ↑ Henning Schmiedehausen (1996-06-10). Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 1).
  11. ↑ Steve Baker (Accessed April 18th, 2007). A Complete History of Tux.
  12. ↑ James Hughes (1996-06-10). Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 2).
  13. ↑ LD Landis (1996-06-12). Re: Let's name the penguin! (citation 3).
  14. ↑ Steve Baker (Accessed April 18th, 2007). A Complete History of Tux.
  15. ↑ Eric Harshbarger. Linux Penguin - LEGO.
  16. ↑ See http://www.free-penguin.org
  17. ↑ Suzzy Olliver (Retrieved 2007-04-15). Tux (the Linux penguin) tattoos.

Other software mascots

Subtopics

External links

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