this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I honestly didn’t know people pronounced it any other way than gee-en-you. It’s in all caps, so I figured you said each letter.
Now that I think more about it though, I don’t know why I assumed that. I don’t say AWOL as ay-doubleyou-oh-el. I don’t say SNAFU as es-en-ay-ef-you.
I’m just going to call it the OS for yaks from now on and never think about it again.
This is how I am with "GUI"...I just call it Gee-you-eye. I finally went to a class on the subject for real and some people were calling it a "Gooey"...and I...no. Just fucking no. It's not a "Gooey".
I've spent nearly 20 years in academia and professional software development and have never heard anyone pronounce it Gee-you-eye, funnily enough.
Gonna try it this week and see how many people look at me like I'm crazy.
Edit: spelling
Yeah at this point I don’t care if I’m right or wrong. I’m going to pronounce it Gee-you-eye.
I think the distinction is kinda pointless anyways. As long as the information is conveyed I don't really care about acronym/initialism pronounciation.
I had textbooks in college (25 years ago) that always had little blurbs about the acronyms and their pronunciation. GUI, we were instructed, was pronounced gooey. WYSIWYG is wiz-ee-wig, etc. It was on tests IIRC.
For whatever reason, I always drop the G and just call it the UI. This thread is making me think that I don’t actually say anything the right way.