Which operating system has a penguin mascot named Tux?
Quick answer
Tux, the chubby, cheerful penguin, is the official mascot of Linux, the free and open-source operating system kernel created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Tux was drawn by programmer Larry Ewing in 1996. Torvalds chose a penguin partly because he liked them, joking that he’d once been bitten by one at a zoo.
Key facts
- Mascot
- Tux the penguin
- Designed by
- Larry Ewing, 1996
- Linux creator
- Linus Torvalds
- First released
- 1991
How Tux was born
In 1996, Linux developers discussed a logo. Torvalds rejected serious designs and suggested a happy, contented penguin, saying it should look as if it had just eaten a big meal of herring. Larry Ewing drew Tux using the free image editor GIMP. Many people say the name stands for “Torvalds’ UniX,” while others point out penguins look like they’re wearing tuxedos.
What is Linux?
Linux is the kernel, the core part of an operating system that manages hardware, memory and processes. Combined with other software, it forms complete operating systems called distributions or “distros.”
| Popular distributions | Known for |
|---|---|
| Ubuntu | Beginner-friendly desktop and servers |
| Debian | Stability, foundation of many others |
| Fedora | Latest features, backed by Red Hat |
| Linux Mint | Familiar desktop for Windows users |
| Arch Linux | Do-it-yourself customization |
Where Linux runs
- About all of the world’s top 500 supercomputers
- Most web servers and cloud computing
- Android phones, which use the Linux kernel; see who created Android
- Smart TVs, routers, cars and the International Space Station’s laptops
- Valve’s Steam Deck gaming handheld
Free and open source
Linux is released under the GNU General Public License, so anyone can use, study, change and share it. Thousands of volunteers and companies contribute to its code. Linus Torvalds also created Git, the tool behind GitHub; see what GitHub is.
Other tech mascots
| Mascot | Project |
|---|---|
| Tux (penguin) | Linux |
| Duke | Java; see which company developed Java |
| Gopher | Go programming language |
| Octocat | GitHub |
| Beastie (a daemon) | BSD |
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