Re: Pronouncing "GNOME"

[Tom von Schwerdtner <tomvons gmail com>]

On 8/23/05, Ian McIntosh <ian_mcintosh linuxadvocate org> wrote:
> > Would it make sense to change the official pronunciation of "GNOME" to
> > "gnome" to smooth out this blip?
>
> Marketing-wise, I think it's a no-brainer.  We should be calling it
> "no-mmm", because that's how people would read the word aloud.
<snip/>

If you really want a straight answer on what would be right you should
take a poll of ISV's that have to explain OSS/GNOME to clients or
other people outside of the OSS/GNOME community.

Just as an example, I primarily do contract work with OSS and I do a
lot of work on my laptop at the local coffee shop.  There have been
more than a few occasions when I got a strange look from someone when
I pronounced GNOME or GNU with a hard 'g' while explaining my job (eg,
OSS) to them or answering the "is that windows|osx?" questions when
people see my desktop or when explaining why I don't know anything
about spy ware or virus problems or why I am a geek but can't solve
the Windows problems that they explain to me... it comes up a lot).

If I was an Evil Overlord I would decree that GNOME and GNU should be
pronounced like the words 'gnome' and 'gnu' and I'd take anyone who
suggested otherwise and charge them with "treason and conspiracy to
overthrow the benevolent empire of Lord Tom"... or something along
those lines...

Anyways, I'd like to see it changed but I think that would probably
turn into much more trouble than it's worth.  I'm generally willing to
keep getting funny looks from strangers until 2010 or so when more
people know how to say it ;).

-Tom