The Linux naming strategy :)

I had always wondered why ppl keep wierd names for the linux distros and it turns out tht they are not indeed wierd and i googled for the naming strategy of fedora and Ubuntu and here are the results…

Fedora Version Numbers and Release names :

Name n and n+1 must share an is-a (not a has-a) relationship, but n and n+2 must not share the same is-a relationship as n and n+1.

Fedora 10 (Cambridge)

• Cambridge is a city in the United States, as well as being original code name of Red Hat Linux 10 (before it became Fedora Core 1).

Fedora 9 (Sulphur)

• Sulphur is an element that causes an adverse reaction (tarnishing) when it contacts silver. In mythology, it is an element used to drive away werewolves. Sulphur is also a city in the United States.

Fedora 8 (Werewolf)

• Werewolf is the name of a movie about a dude who turns into a werewolf. A werewolf also has an adverse reaction (death) when it comes into contact with silver.

Fedora 7 (Moonshine)

• Moonshine is an independent record label, and also the name of a movie.

Fedora Core 6 (Zod)

• General Zod is a character in the DC Comics universe, as well as an independent record label.

Fedora Core 5 (Bordeaux)

• Bordeaux is a wine-producing region in France, as well as a comic book character.

Fedora Core 4 (Stentz)

• Andre Stentz is a French winery. As such, both Heidelberg and Stentz are distributors of alcoholic beverages.

Fedora Core 3 (Heidelberg)

• Heidelberg is a city in Germany, and also a brand/distributor of beer.

Fedora Core 2 (Tettnang)

• Tettnang is a city in Germany that is a producer of hops.

Fedora Core 1 (Yarrow)

• Yarrow is a plant with many uses. Prior to the use of hops in the flavoring of beer, yarrow was used for this purpose.

The names are selected using a voting procedure ( yeah they are democratic)

Ubuntu Version Numbers and Release names :

The version numbers are easy to comment on its the year followed by the month of release.. like say hardy heron was released in 08 in april so it goes out as 8.04 and the next one is due at october so tht would be 8.10

• Warty Warthog was released in October 2004, release number 4.10.
• Hoary Hedgehog was released in April 2005, release number 5.04.
• Breezy Badger was released in October 2005, release number 5.10.
• Dapper Drake was released in June 2006, release number 6.06 LTS
• Edgy Eft was released in October 2006, release number 6.10.
• Feisty Fawn was released in April 2007, release number 7.04.
• Gutsy Gibson was released in October 2007, release number 7.10.
• Hardy Heron was released in April 2008, release number 8.04
• Itrepid Ibexwill be released in October 2008, release number 8.10
• Jaunty Jackalope will be released in April 2009, release number 9.04

The names are all based on animals and the devs are looking for making sure the characteristics of the animals are into the OS like The Jackalope is known for being so fast that it’s extremely hard to catch, and breeds only when lightning flashes . So they are planning to make the booting or resuming Ubuntu blindingly quick. 😛

I am not sure of the other distros naming. Havent used them much. so if any one has any pointers to them please do share…