Distros Memes

Ah yes, the classic Linux evangelism. "Just use Linux" they say, as if it's one simple thing to install. Meanwhile, what they don't tell you is that "Linux" is actually this comically overwhelming family tree of distributions that would make genealogists have a panic attack. That image shows the absurd branching evolution of every Linux distro ever created. Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Fedora, Gentoo, and about 500 others I've never heard of despite using Linux for 15 years. It's like walking into an ice cream shop and instead of just chocolate or vanilla, there are 600 flavors and the guy behind the counter is judging you for not knowing the difference between Mint Cinnamon and Mint MATE.

The comic brilliantly parodies both Mario Bros and Linux distributions with a dash of existential crisis. The characters are dressed as popular Linux distros - Ubuntu (with its iconic circle logo) and Linux Mint (with its green "M" logo). The joke hinges on how Linux Mint is actually based on Ubuntu, yet gets forgotten or mistaken for "Green Ubuntu" by casual users. Poor Mint is basically Ubuntu's forgotten child who just wants to be recognized for its own identity! The Mario-style "It's-a me" speech pattern makes it even funnier, as if these distros are siblings in some dysfunctional open-source family where the derivative distro struggles for recognition against its more famous parent. Classic middle child syndrome, but with package managers!