Linux is perhaps one of the most impressive technological feats of the modern era. It is an achievement built on the efforts and common goals of an ever-expanding community. Just as impressive, however, are the scale, scope and enthusiasm of that community. The Linux community has evolved into a culture of dedicated advocates—creating a vast array of materials, from supporting the adoption and development of the operating system to expressing OS allegiance through video games and fan art.
Tux, the Linux penguin
Even the Linux mascot, a penguin named Tux, is an open-source image, created by Larry Ewing in 1996. Since then, and in true open-source fashion, the Tux phenomenon has taken on a life of its own.
Tux avatars
Indiana Jones Tux
Users of popular online gaming sites and chat environments frequently use an avatar to represent their online persona. Linux fans have developed an untold number of iterations based on the Linux mascot, Tux, to use as their online personality. Here are just a few examples.
Wolverine Tux
Incredible Hulk Tux
Bling Tux
IBM’s favorite Tux
Tux on the guitar
Linux distributions, personified
Drawing inspiration from amateur Japanese artists who illustrated various computer operating systems as cartoon characters, Italian graphic artist Francesca Poppi (aka juzo-kun) created a series personifying several Linux distributions, in effect creating a “mascot” for each distribution.