Linux Mascot Turns 30

This year, the Linux mascot turns 30. The idea of using a penguin came from Linus Torvalds himself, and Larry Ewing designed the logo.

History of the Symbol's Creation

• Tux was created by Ewing for a logo contest using the first public version of the GIMP graphic editor.
• James Hughes coined the name Tux, encoding the phrase "(T)orvalds (U)ni(X)".

However, images may vary depending on the version and build. For example, in the PaX security-enhanced build, the penguin wears a shield, helmet, and holds an axe.

When choosing the logo, parodies of other companies' logos or certain animals like sharks and eagles were among the most popular options.

At that time, Torvalds casually mentioned his fondness for penguins. The final choice was a penguin holding the Earth in its hands.

However, as the official logo, voting selected a more neutral image by Matt Erickson, which simply read Linux 2.0.

Democracy didn't prevail here; Linus insisted that his creation be chosen as the logo.

For fairness, it is correct to consider Erickson's design the logo, while the well-known penguin serves as the symbol of the Linux operating system.