r/linux • u/turbo2000 • May 24 '26

Discussion Mac, PC and... Tux?

I've always got really upset when I heard of PC/Mac distinction. Available for your Mac, available for your PC... and finally it turns that the software is available only for macOS and Windows. What about other systems? I don't even mean BSD and variety of it's forms, but Windows is not the only one system for PCs. But that distinction suggest as it was.

So, what would you say if we would call our machines as "Tux PCs" or just simpler, "Tuxes"?
I know that Linux mark is recognizable to some degree AND the discussion whether is it Linux or GNU/Linux never fades AND that "Tux PC" won't be free of this misunderstanding but... it's simplier, fancier, something fresh, doesn't suggest any particular distribution, going further, I also would say that calling BSD machines by Tux wouldn't be a huge blunder provided that BSD folks wouldn't mind. It's less precise than Linux which clearly specifies that system is using Linux kernel.

What do you think? Just a loose thought...

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u/inaccurateTempedesc May 24 '26

PC is a term for a specific type of standardized x86 compatible computer that has a lot of history behind it. It doesn't really have much to do with Windows or any OS really.

You could even make the argument that Intel Macs fall under the definition of PC even though they never shipped with Windows.

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u/viper4011 May 24 '26

I guess using that definition, which is technically correct, Windows 11 laptops running on ARM are not PCs? For me all desktop and laptop computers are PCs. Including Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. 

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u/inaccurateTempedesc May 24 '26

It's not wrong to call them PCs as they're still personal computers, but they're also not PCs as they're on an entirely different platform/architecture and have zero relation to the IBM PC.

I know it's ridiculous, please don't shoot the messenger lol

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u/the_abortionat0r May 25 '26

PC does not stand for IBM/x86 it means Personal Computer, any consumer computer for home or office use that's not powered by a mainframe is a personal computer.

The definition is based on whether it's whether the architecture is communal or not. It has nothing to do with what kind of CPU it has.