this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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At least with jumping from Windows 8 to Windows 10 there was a realistic reason for it. I don't remember the specifics but it was to reduce the risk of breaking third-party software coded with some janky way of determining Windows versions.
The rest of the naming jumps, I'm sure, were just the whims of whoever was in charge of the project at that time.
It mostly comes down to marketing reasons I assume. Me was marketed as in "Me", the computer for personal usage. The second Xbox could not be named Xbox 2, because as we all know the 2 is less than the 3 in Playstation 3, and bigger number is better number, so it was named 360.
Probably lazy detection for windows 95/98... The 9 might get parsed for those much older OSes...I know many apps were compatible with both 95, and 98... So they might just do a lazy check that 9 exists and call that "compatible". When a windows 10 named 9 might not necessarily be.
However, knowing how much old shit is still compatible in Windows, I'm not sure this would have been that much of an issue.
That's more or less what I remember of their rationale as well. Apparently it was common enough that they legit considered it a potential problem.