this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2026
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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).
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'Gimp' as referring to someone with a disability, is offensive. That's not the only use of the word.
Or are you on the camp that we should rename IDE connections 'master' and 'slave' because a dark-skinned person might have a problem with that?
I understand exactly what it means. I am pointing out that it has more than one meaning.
The point of my original comment (which you apparently missed) was that GIMP has been called GIMP for years/decades... if in that time nobody has actually been offended by the name, then why is it important to change it now?
Let me give you an example- let's say I make a piece of software called Web Output Parser, or WOP. Obviously 'wop' is a potentially offensive term, as it was once a slur that refers to people of Italian descent.
If my WEb Output Parser is used by millions over 15+ years, and not one single Italian-descent person reports offense, am I under some obligation to change the name to avoid a future offense that hasn't occurred in almost two decades? Does the fact that the pejorative use of the word has gone out of common vocabulary make any difference?
That's why I say it's performant. Renaming GIMP would cause a problem for millions of people who use, modify, and distribute GIMP, all to avoid an offense that hasn't happened in almost 20 years.