Why I Hate The Tux Linux Mascot

23 May 2021 | ~2 minute read

I’m sure most of you know what Tux is, but for the uninitiated, Tux is the unofficial Linux mascot and I HATE him.

Every time I see his stupid bloody face on a website, background image, or anywhere for that matter, it makes me cringe. Look at him, he’s ridiculous!

Why I hate Tux

Now don’t get me wrong here, I love Linux, I just hate Tux. He’s a ridiculous mascot; he looks daft, he’s childish and honestly, I think he makes a mockery of Linux.

He’s so bad that when he was entered into 3 different Linux logo competitions, he didn’t win a single one. From Wikipedia:

Tux was originally designed as a submission for a Linux logo contest. Three such competitions took place; Tux won none of them. This is why Tux is formally known as the Linux brand character and not the logo.

Wikipedia

Look at it this way; say you’re exploring Linux for the first time, you look it up and see that stupid penguin staring back at you. Would you take the project seriously? I wouldn’t, and in fact, I didn’t for a long time because of Tux.

Eventually I decided to get over myself and try Linux, and I’m glad I did. But how many people has the community lost because of this? I dread to think.

Look, I get it, Tux is supposed to be a bit of fun. But it’s gotten to the point where Tux has become synonymous with Linux. I’m not trying to be a killjoy - I do think there is a place for Tux in Linux land. I just don’t think it should quite so prevalent.

Is there another option?

Definitely. But I don’t know what that is. What I do know though, is that having a gormless looking penguin as the mascot for Linux isn’t the right call. To me, Tux is our Clippy.

What do you think? Am I being a killjoy here? Is Tux the right mascot for Linux? Feel free to let me know your thoughts…

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