# Does FreeBSD need a cool alias or another name?



## Anthie (Oct 31, 2013)

BOS: Berkeley Operation System
FreeOS: Free Operation System


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## Savagedlight (Oct 31, 2013)

NNNGH. New Names Never Glorify Heroes.


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## cpm@ (Oct 31, 2013)

The Operating System List which originated in RFC-952 and ended with RFC-1700 is no longer defined by a RFC. That's all we have about Operating System Names (IANA database).


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## Anthie (Oct 31, 2013)

FreeBSD is pronounced a bit long.


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## Beastie (Oct 31, 2013)

When we take over the entire universe, it will be universally known simply as "The OS"


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## ManaHime (Oct 31, 2013)

Beastie said:
			
		

> When we take over the entire universe, it will be universally known simply as "The OS"



I think you are wrong there... They will most likely remove the 'O' in 'OS' and it is most probably going to be known as "The System".


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## ronaldlees (Oct 31, 2013)

I usually shudder when I see a word or sentence that starts with "free".  It's usually anything but.  

I've gotten used to FreeBSD, and it's never failed to produce the "free" part.  So it's Ok.  Anything else with "free" in it, hits me like a carnival style marketing campaign.   FreeNix?  FreeOS?  Ughhh.  If they changed the name from FreeBSD, nobody could find them anymore.


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## igorino (Nov 1, 2013)

BSoD
Berkeley Software Distribution

DDOS
Dynamic Distribution Operating System

WORM
Wide Operating Relentless Machine

P.s.: I'm kidding.


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## Juanitou (Nov 1, 2013)

No.


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## Pushrod (Nov 1, 2013)

I've never liked the name. It sounds funny (odd) when you say it out loud, and no one knows what it is, which makes it worse.

Freee Beee Ess Deeee.


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## cpm@ (Nov 1, 2013)

Pushrod said:
			
		

> I've never liked the name. It sounds funny (odd) when you say it out loud, and no one knows what it is, which makes it worse.
> 
> Freee Beee Ess Deeee.



It could be "*F*ree *B*eers *S*andwiches and *D*aemonettes" :e


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## Beastie (Nov 1, 2013)

D4rkSilver said:
			
		

> I think you are wrong there... They will most likely remove the 'O' in 'OS' and it is most probably going to be known as "The System".


That was a last-second change. "The System" is what I was initially thinking of, but I didn't want it to sound too political (with a rather pejorative connotation at that). :stud

*--> Soundtrack*





			
				cpm said:
			
		

> It could be "*F*ree *B*eers *S*andwiches and *D*evilettes" :e


*Daemonettes* looks more appropriate.


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## ronaldlees (Nov 2, 2013)

Daemonettes?!

 That Beastie is devilishly suave.


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## ChalkBored (Nov 3, 2013)

"The OS More Powerful Than Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the Incredible Hulk Put Together"


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## giahung (Nov 3, 2013)

igorino said:
			
		

> BSoD
> Berkeley Software Distribution
> 
> DDOS
> ...


Oh no. Are you joking?
BSoD: whenever I heard that name, I always though about Windows BSOD: Blue Screen Of Death!
DDOS: Do you think FreeBSD the best server OS for DDOS?
WORM: Something like Win32 virus?


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## recluce (Nov 3, 2013)

Although this will never happen, from a marketing perspective it would be great to shell out the money to license the Unix trademark. Then FreeBSD could simply be BSD Unix.

This would make it easier to "sell" FreeBSD based projects to the business side. Even if they never heard of BSD, they have heard about Unix - and know that it is something incredibly professional...


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## beatgammit (Nov 3, 2013)

recluce said:
			
		

> Although this will never happen, from a marketing perspective it would be great to shell out the money to license the Unix trademark. Then FreeBSD could simply be BSD Unix.



Any idea how much this would cost? Also, would this have to be renewed every release? All I found is this, but no estimates.



			
				recluce said:
			
		

> This would make it easier to "sell" FreeBSD based projects to the business side. Even if they never heard of BSD, they have heard about Unix - and know that it is something incredibly professional...



Is this still common for businesses? It seems businesses are using Linux more and more, which isn't UNIX branded. I suppose there's still Solaris and HP-UX...


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## kpedersen (Nov 3, 2013)

I don't know why Novell or the OpenGroup don't give FreeBSD a free UNIX certification.
I guess if everything gets a license, it devalues the certification but I don't really think many OSes are bothering with it nowadays anyway and I heard that Mac OS X isn't going to bother with it anymore.

The days where companies value UNIX certification are probably over, so now that it can't be monetized, it should probably be handed back to the rightful owners (The developers of UNIX operating systems)


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## zspider (Nov 4, 2013)

kpedersen said:
			
		

> I don't know why Novell or the OpenGroup don't give FreeBSD a free UNIX certification.
> I guess if everything gets a license, it devalues the certification but I don't really think many OSes are bothering with it nowadays anyway and I heard that Mac OS X isn't going to bother with it anymore.
> 
> The days where companies value UNIX certification are probably over, so now that it can't be monetized, it should probably be handed back to the rightful owners (The developers of UNIX operating systems)



Who knows maybe they'll abandon the trademark once they can't get any more money out of it. It would really be the cherry on the cake if FreeBSD could legally be called BSD UNIX.

It could also start UWII.


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## beatgammit (Nov 4, 2013)

zspider said:
			
		

> Who knows maybe they'll abandon the trademark once they can't get any more money out of it. It would really be the cherry on the cake if FreeBSD could legally be called BSD UNIX.
> 
> It could also start UWII.



Pepsi vs  Coke, where Mac OSX is Pepsi and FreeBSD is Coke. Sure, maybe Mac OSX is "officially" UNIX, but there's nothing "UNIX" about it, except the darwin (*cough FreeBSD*) base.

In that light, since Macintosh was named after an Apple, so perhaps Cameo? It's better in nearly every way to the McIntosh. Also, FreeBSD makes a "Cameo" in lots of products (Playstation 3 & 4, Netflix, etc.).

Not saying FreeBSD should change it's name (please don't, it was my first *nix), but if it does, might as well go nuclear.


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## johnblue (Nov 6, 2013)

For me, "FreeBSD - The Power To Serve" is cool, the mascot is not.

yeah, yeah I know .. flame away.


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## sossego (Nov 8, 2013)

johnblue said:
			
		

> For me, "FreeBSD - The Power To Serve" is cool, the mascot is not.
> 
> yeah, yeah I know .. flame away.





			
				Satan said:
			
		

> Hey, hey, hey!! It ain't easy being the Prince of Darkness.


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## Savagedlight (Nov 8, 2013)

I much prefer this variant.


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## trh411 (Nov 8, 2013)

Savagedlight said:
			
		

> I much prefer this variant.



Thanks for sharing. It was great to see that again.

IIRC, Larry Niven wrote a short story in which a mathematician outwits a demon in a manner very similiar to this. I'm guessing the short story came first, then the twilight zone "public service announcement", but I haven't been able to confirm it.


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## cpm@ (Nov 8, 2013)

Savagedlight said:
			
		

> I much prefer this variant.



It's cool such kind of freakism. I applaud to @Savagedlight


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## sossego (Nov 9, 2013)

Savagedlight said:
			
		

> I much prefer this variant.





			
				Devil Kitty  said:
			
		

> *Oh, puh-LEEZ*











			
				Apathy Cat said:
			
		

> *Sure*


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## hitest (Nov 10, 2013)

giahung said:
			
		

> Oh no. Are you joking?
> BSoD: whenever I heard that name, I always though about Windows BSOD: Blue Screen Of Death!
> DDOS: Do you think FreeBSD the best server OS for DDOS?
> WORM: Something like Win32 virus?



I also thought of the blue screen of death when I read that. 
He was joking as noted in his edited remarks.  I think that FreeBSD is a good name, I like it.


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## markbsd (Nov 12, 2013)

*BOSS*:  (*B*)SD (*O*)perating (*S*)ystem(*S*)

alternatively:  (*B*)SD (*O*)perating (*S*)ystem (*S*)oftware

I refer to FreeBSD as *BOSS*.


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## Savagedlight (Nov 12, 2013)

markbsd said:
			
		

> *BOSS*:  (*B*)SD (*O*)perating (*S*)ystem(*S*)
> 
> alternatively:  (*B*)SD (*O*)perating (*S*)ystem (*S*)oftware
> 
> I refer to FreeBSD as *BOSS*.


If you drop the plural and make it BSD Operating System System, you could challenge people to say "BOSS operating system, you know?"


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## markbsd (Nov 12, 2013)

I don't get it? :q

*BNIX* (or BINIX): Berkley UNIX

That's a winner!


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## markbsd (Nov 12, 2013)

I really like BNIX. That's my new hostname. I'm going to register bnix.org now


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## Martillo1 (Nov 15, 2013)

BNU (just kidding :e).


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## kpa (Nov 15, 2013)

Not an alias but the 9.2-RELEASE was called "Nakatomi Sokrates" in the loader screen for a while. I think 11.0 should be called "Tufnel St.Hubbins".


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## markbsd (Nov 16, 2013)

Nakatomi Sokrates was bad ass! FreeBSD scores big for that one


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## Martillo1 (Nov 18, 2013)

Let's see what we are talking about:





Modcult

I have a copy of the RELELASE-9.2 install media with the reference in it, I even installed it in a virtual machine for my viewing pleasure :e


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## saxon3049 (Nov 18, 2013)

Martillo1 said:
			
		

> Let's see what we are talking about:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Your logo is disturbingly closer to this:


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## Anthie (Jan 4, 2014)

A good name is important for success.  eBay expanded their business to China. But they failed for they took a bad name for their website to compete with a native company Taobao.  The Chinese name of eBay joint venture is 易趣 which means pleasure of deals. But the pronunciation is same with 易去 which means easy to lose. WTF happened.  Their competitor 淘宝, whose name means looking for treasures. 

So, FreeBSD is good in written English. It's not good for speaking it.  Example, BTW is an abbreviation of by the way. It's right for email. We don't speak B T W, it sounds weird. 
Google, Unix and Yahoo are good names, because these like words.  I got some names: fobix fobux obuix bodix budix. Why is it with a X at the end? Look at Unix, AIX and OS X.


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## blackhaz (Jan 4, 2014)

Hands off "FreeBSD"!

FreeBSD is one of the last bastions of high quality stuff in this world. Likewise the way this system is designed and laid out, her name and style, IMHO, should not be subject to following the latest fashion trends. Fashion is always liquid. Today it's Sans Serif, tomorrow it's back to Serif. (Yes, I wish we could get Serif back in the FreeBSD Handbook!) Remember how startups were named in 90's and how they're named today. The Web 2.0 obsession is over. There are other operating systems and derivatives that may be willing to focus on the last minute fashions instead. To me, FreeBSD is akin to astrophysics of the telescopes, Najad of yachts or Lehmann of amplifiers. It is like that high quality item you get that floats through and above this chaos of temporary things that expire and fall apart the next day and disappear into eternity. Popularity is never a goal of those items. One of FreeBSD's key strengths, at least to me, lies in offering its users a consistent computing experience. Its strength is its tradition. I would sincerely appreciate if we'd keep it this way. And catchy names are just names. They will come and they will go. But FreeBSD will always be class.


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## zspider (Jan 6, 2014)

blackhaz said:
			
		

> Hands off "FreeBSD"!
> 
> FreeBSD is one of the last bastions of high quality stuff in this world. Likewise the way this system is designed and laid out, her name and style, IMHO, should not be subject to following the latest fashion trends. Fashion is always liquid. Today it's Sans Serif, tomorrow it's back to Serif. (Yes, I wish we could get Serif back in the FreeBSD Handbook!) Remember how startups were named in 90's and how they're named today. The Web 2.0 obsession is over. There are other operating systems and derivatives that may be willing to focus on the last minute fashions instead. To me, FreeBSD is akin to Astro-Physics of the telescopes, Najad of yachts or Lehmann of amplifiers. It is like that high quality item you get that floats through and above this chaos of temporary things that expire and fall apart the next day and disappear in eternity. Popularity is never a goal of those items. One of the key FreeBSD's strengths, at least to me, lies in offering its users a consistent computing experience. Its strength is its tradition. I would sincerely appreciate if we'd keep it this way. And catchy names are just names... They will come and they will go. But FreeBSD will always be class.



Agreed, it's beautiful the way it is now. It will stay class as long as nobody manages to upheave the project with foolishness. Let's keep it beautiful please. :beer


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## nestux (Jan 6, 2014)

What??!! NO!! What? No!


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## xy16644 (Jan 7, 2014)

I really hope FreeBSD continues as it always has been. I like the name "FreeBSD" and I also like the fact that things change slowly in FreeBSD (for the better).

What I honestly hope does NOT happen, is that FreeBSD makes changes for the sake of it. If something ain't broke then leave it alone! In this day and age we seem obsessed with change just for the sake of it. Please don't let this happen with FreeBSD!


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## nesstyy (Jan 8, 2014)

cpm said:
			
		

> Pushrod said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

FreeBSD The Power to Serve and The Power Server. (Works for me!)


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## neel (Jan 9, 2014)

I don't think that FreeBSD needs another name. The OS which really needs a new name (in my opinion) is Windows. (Windows 8/8.1 doesn't even focus on the windowing desktop any more. Instead, they focus on so-called "Mod" apps.) Minix could also use another name because it's supposed to be small but its ISO image is 600 MB uncompressed, and this is when OpenBSD and some "lightweight" Linux distributions have 200 MB ISO images with X11 and hardware support light years farther.


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## recluce (Jan 18, 2014)

As mentioned before, the only acceptable alternative to "FreeBSD", in my opinion, would be "FreeBSD Unix" - if the rights could be obtained. Not going to happen, though.


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