this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2025
696 points (97.0% liked)

Programmer Humor

22295 readers
1996 users here now

Welcome to Programmer Humor!

This is a place where you can post jokes, memes, humor, etc. related to programming!

For sharing awful code theres also Programming Horror.

Rules

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

nginx ("engine x") is an HTTP web server, reverse proxy, content cache, load balancer, TCP/UDP proxy server, and mail proxy server. […] [1]

I still pronounce it as "n-jinx" in my head.

References

  1. Title (website): "nginx". Publisher: NGINX. Accessed: 2025-02-26T23:25Z. URI: https://nginx.org/en/.
    • §"nginx". ¶1.
(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Kissaki@programming.dev 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I always pronounced it engine-x (fluent as one word) but never thought of it meaning engine lol

n gin x -> en gin ex -> "enginex" spoken, nginx thought

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I always heard it as /ŋiŋks/ in my mind

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Ok so I know what ŋ sounds like but I bet there are some idiots here who don’t, so maybe explain it.

For them

[–] ignirtoq@fedia.io 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

In relation to English, it's the "ng" sound in the common "-ing" ending or suffix.

Wikipedia has an entire article on it (of course): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiced_velar_nasal

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 12 points 1 month ago
[–] FrostyCaveman@lemm.ee 12 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I think software name pronunciation discussions are so hilariously absurd that I sometimes purposefully vocalise nginx as “Nuhh Ginks” just to put a hat on it

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago
[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] ohshittheyknow@lemmynsfw.com 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

TIL some people pronounced it n-jinx

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] FiskFisk33@startrek.website 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's pronounced Throatwobbler Mangrove

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] EmilyIsTrans@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I will be dead and buried in the ground before I call nginx "engine x"

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] rjthyen@lemm.ee 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I can't stop pronouncing USAID as u said even after i finally heard it instead of just reading it

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

“Nugginx” is how I have always read it

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] blackstrat@lemmy.fwgx.uk 9 points 1 month ago (4 children)

If you want people to pronounce your project name correctly you should spell it that way. Having a FAQ on pronunciation means you've messed up and lost already. Want it to be called "Engine X"? Call it "Engine X".

My favourite is SAP not wanting people to call it Sap but to spell it out S.A.P. Well sorry, but it's a CVC word, literally the first kind of word everyone learns.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 month ago

This surprised me too. But that was in 2012 😂

[–] Samsy@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago

Wow, I pronounced it N-G-X. Don't know why.

[–] BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago

It took a while for me to get it, but it still read ngnix as "n.g. -nix" in my head.

[–] JDPoZ@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

Oh boy - finally a modern internet nerd argument equivalent to the pronunciation of GIF!

[–] motor_spirit@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

Getting into documentation is dangerous territory.. Try not to make a habit of it!

[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago

https://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/SillySounds/english.ogg (from back when many english speakers were still insistent that the i in Linux should be pronounced "eye")

[–] shiftymccool@programming.dev 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's, ummm, literally the first thing on the website (nginx.org). Tell me you didn't read the docs without telling me you didn't read the docs

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›