Bonum Certa Men Certa

Fedora's Recent Choice of Codenames Hurts the Project

KDE gives credibility to my recommendations to users, but the names do not

KDE on Fedora



Summary: Fedora considers names for its next release and many are likely to make it seem like it doesn't take itself seriously

HAVING USED many versions of Fedora over the years (rarely on a long-term basis such as years at a time) and installed it for others (more versions and more times than I can remember), I feel like I know enough about this project, which I've followed closely since its first release. I am not trying to have a cheap shot at Fedora. Red Hat was actually my first distro (before Fedora) and that's how I was introduced to GNU/Linux.



Once upon a time release names were simple to remember and not controversial. Look at early names of Fedora releases.

Coverage about Fedora has increased somewhat in recent days, especially because of codename selection. Android has some tasty codenames and Ubuntu plays with animal names and the alphabet, so why not Fedora? Well, the two-word convention is being adopted again and some final candidates are awkward, to say the least.

Fedora continues to lead on innovation, or terms of freedom with compromise (thanks to Red Hat). Unlike counterparts, it has conferences (which Ubuntu no longer has, just virtual ones). Some hardware components come with Fedora preinstalled and sold over the shelf/bulk ordered (see below), so why not choose 'professional'-sounding names? As one who covers news about GNU/Linux I must say that writing about a distribution called "cow" (“Spherical Cow”) is unlikely to attract new users. Help me out here, guys. I am trying to 'recruit' new users. I understand that Fedora wants to be fun and playful, but this is probably costing them more than they realise.

Related/contextual items from the news:



  1. Fedora 20 Release Name


  2. Flock 2013, and re-attaching the tentacle
    You may have noticed I started out tweetin’ and bloggin’ up a storm, and then disappeared for a while. This is because, after attending some useful and interesting (and sometimes even both!) presentations for a couple of days, I discovered the glory and magnificence that is Badges.


  3. Fedora 20 Will Likely Have Another Goofy Codename
    It's time to vote for another Fedora codename, this time for Fedora 20, and it's likely to be yet another weird/goofy codename to succeed recent names like Beefy Miracle and Spherical Cow.


  4. Re: Default offerings, target audiences, and the future of Fedora
    Eric (a fellow Fedora board member) has a post describing his vision for what Fedora as an end goal should look like. It's essentially an assertion that since we have no idea who our users are or what they want, we should offer them everything on an equal footing.


  5. 2.4GHz Haswell COM takes Fedora to extremes
    Acromag announced a ruggedized COM Express module based on Intel’s 4th Generation Core i7/i5 (Haswell) CPUs, clocked at 1.6 or 2.4 GHz. The COM Express Type 6 module runs Fedora Linux, supports up to 16GB onboard RAM, and boasts thickened PCBs, SODIMM lock-downs, and heat dissipation solutions to protect against shock, vibration, and temperature extremes.


  6. Fedora 20 Could Be Called Santa Claus
    Fedora had some interesting names in the past and others have been completely uninspired, but now it's time to vote for the name of the next version.


Recent Techrights' Posts

New Article Explains How the GPL Came About and WordPress Having Copyleft Obligations
Having been involved in the WordPress development community since almost the beginning, I know why it chose the GPL and how it restricts abuse by Automattic
Dr Richard Stallman (RMS) Gives Talk in Oxford University in 4 Hours
If you live nearby, go there (it's free as in gratis)
Using a Law Firm's Licence to Exercise Politics Through Frivolous SLAPPs and Nastygrams (to Silence People, Remove Pages, Demand Fake or Forced 'Apologies')
Things must be getting really bad when lawyers act for raving antisemites
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 24, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 24, 2025
Links 24/04/2025: GAFAM Problems and No Peace (or Ceasefire) in Sight
Links for the day
Slopfarms on the Web Almost Always Generate Anti-Linux FUD When They Produce "Linux" Output
Welcome to the dying Web
Richard Stallman's Oxford Talk Has Just Ended, Here Are Some Photos
he might hop over to another European country
Gemini Links 24/04/2025: Birthday and Good Work of Academia in Esotericism
Links for the day
Links 24/04/2025: EU fines Apple and Facebook, Another Microsoft GitHub Security Blunder
Links for the day
IBM Gained Almost 6 Billion Dollars in "Goodwill" Value in Just 3 Months, According to IBM
Congrats to the management!
In Belarus, Yandex is Now Measured as 50 Times More 'Popular' (by Usage) Than Microsoft
Yandex continues to gain, whereas Bing cannot even register at 1%. Last month it was registered or measured at a measly 0.65%.
IBM Cannot Lie to Shareholders Anymore
"I would not be surprised if we see a layoff every quarter this year."
We're Working to Make Full-Site Search Available
This site has over 1,000 'wiki' pages, many thousands of documents, several thousands of videos, and about 50,000 blog posts or articles. We need to make them easier to find/navigate.
Links 24/04/2025: IBM Loses Many Contracts, Intel to Lay Off Over 20% (Not Counting Those Who Leave 'Voluntarily')
Links for the day
Richard Stallman Can Explain to Oxford Artificial Intelligence Society Why LLM Slop is Not Artificial Intelligence and Why It Hurts Society
another 'crop' of LLM slop that damages GNU/Linux and facts
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Promoting Microsoft and Proprietary Software Using Microsoft Operatives
Because nothing says "Open Source" like GPL violations facilitated by Microsoft
Another Site Bites the Dust: "Open Source For You" Becoming a Slopfarm (LLM Slop)
What a shame. Another dead site.
Links 23/04/2025: Crackdowns on Dissent, Palin Loses Libel Retrial Against New York Times
Links for the day
Links 23/04/2025: Hard Times and Digital Amnesia
Links for the day
The GNU/Linux Site Formerly Known as "linoxide.com" is Back... as an LLM Slopfarm!
Better for linoxide.com to go offline than to do this
Get Rid of Back Doors, Don't Obsess Over Bounties and Other Corporate PR Stunts (or Needless Reboot Rituals)
Security as a term has mostly lost its meaning due to repeated misuse for many years
Richard Stallman to Speak in Oxford University Exactly a Day From Now
outsourced to GAFAM
Links 23/04/2025: "Hiding Corruption" and "The Cost of Defunding Harvard"
Links for the day
Microsoft 'Studies' Again? Leon Musolff is Writing Papers With Microsoft.
Even if one can see/find a link to "the study" (in the Bezos-controlled publication), most people won't look any further and just take everything at face value.
Towards GNU World Domination
The FSF led by Geoffrey S. Knauth with his friend Richard Stallman in the FSF's Board [...] Let's encourage people to adopt GNU/Linux. There has never been a better time.
statCounter Helps Visualise Just How Deep in Trouble Microsoft is (Especially in Africa)
Microsoft sabotaged efforts to connect Africans and equip them with GNU/Linux laptops
The Register is Using Linux-Hostile Clickbait in Articles of Linux Proponents
Don't be a "whore" to advertisers, team El Reg
Microsoft Windows in Cyprus Lacking a Future
Most people access the Web there from mobile
Matrix Has a Severe Problem With Illegal Images
If Matrix cannot get the CP problem under control, many projects and people will dump Matrix
Never Try to Justify Strangulation of Women (Not in the US and Not in the UK)
Joint post by Mrs. Rianne Schestowitz and Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Links 23/04/2025: Tesla Profits Plunge 71%, Intel Ready to Lay Off 20% of Staff, Microsoft and IBM Layoffs
Links for the day
Microsoft's Most Profound Issue is That People Moved to 'Mobile' and "App Stores" (Microsoft's Presence There is Negligible)
Expect a wild ride for Microsoft this year
Google News is Amplifying FUD and Lies About Linux (and OpenSSH/SSH) by Promoting Slopfarms With Machine-Generated FUD and Slop Images
Google should know better
Gemini Links 23/04/2025: Librarians, Anubis, and Refactoring a Gemini Capsule
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 22, 2025