[jrm4]

I'll continue to say it; this software does not get taken seriously in a useful way to lots of people until it changes the silly name.

And to summarize and perhaps avert other discussion; it's not so much about being "non-offensive" as it is simply about being professional.

[TeddyDD]

Good thing then that the most popular version control system on the planet does not have silly, unprofessional name...

[jrm4]

I hear that objection and it's a decent one, but that one just isn't as well known. Even as an American, I'm not thrilled that "offensive in America" matters more, but it does.

[F3nd0]

I have the impression that many of the people who know ‘gimp’ as a slur only do because some of the others feel a need to bring it up every single time GIMP is mentioned anywhere ever.

[jrm4]

Respectfully, that's kind of a ridiculous "impression," easily refuted by many of us who have wanted to recommend GIMP to people.

And again, it's called "reading the room." Even if you don't care about it being "offensive" or a "slur," names still matter. Like, if the word "poop" was in the name of some otherwise good software.

[F3nd0]

> Respectfully, that's kind of a ridiculous "impression," easily refuted by many of us who have wanted to recommend GIMP to people.

Is it though? Almost every time the topic is discussed, I see someone in the comments only then learning that the word is also known by some as a slur.

> Like, if the word "poop" was in the name of some otherwise good software.

Except that ‘poop’ is a common word with a single common meaning. ‘Gimp’ is not a common word and has several different meanings, one of them a slur, another kinky, and others probably innocuous (if even more uncommon). Many people (even among native English speakers, though let’s not forget about the rest of the world) only know the word as the name of the program. The two don’t really compare.

[lynndotpy]

I think "Do people commonly understand 'gimp' as a derogatory word?" is the wrong question.

The right question is, "Did _enough_ people understand 'gimp' as a derogatory word to harm its adoption?" and the answer is probably yes.

The people complaining about GIMP's name are the ones who love and use it, who have seen the name cause problems. There's a modicum of grief for the counterfactual (of how much better GIMP might be if it didn't set up artificial barriers for itself), and the frustration with people who obstinately don't see the problem.

[lynndotpy]

The difference is that git was among the best-in-class and developed and used by the people behind Linux, and that the word 'git' wasn't as offensive as 'gimp'.

If GIMP had feature-parity with Photoshop, and had been adopted by Condé Nast or ILM, and had a less-offensive name like "Dumm" or "Silly Image Editor", then this would be more comparable.

[croes]

Who takes people seriously who judge something by its name instead if it’s functions?

[lynndotpy]

"Names don't matter" is obviously a silly stance. Pre-emptively dismissing people who disagree as "not serious" when you're taking a stance like this does not make an argument in favor of your stance.

Names are something that clearly matter to people, and that impacts anyone working with people.

[voidUpdate]

People who work for the judgers, when the judgers pay their salary

[jrm4]

The entirety of the capitalist business world, unfortunately.

[croes]

Those who use Slack and Twitter and now X?

If GIMP would create profit they could call it dogshit and the same people would visit the Shit-Con for business news

[jrm4]

This is so painfully wrong it hurts; many a company has lived and/or died PURELY on name.

[croes]

Examples?