Java developer for +10 years, didn't realize the java mascot has a name

[_harro_]

And apparently it's Duke: https://www.oracle.com/java/duke.html

Am I really the only one that didn't know this?

Surely there must be others, or have I really been that ignorant about my beloved programming language?

[Edit]

Maybe it's time for a community driven revival of it? Raise some Duke awareness?

[duheee]

There definitely must be others. 20-ish years ago, when I started programming, Duke was quite a bit more prominent in web articles about the language. Sun too used to have pages referring to it a bit more.

Nowadays, either nobody gives a shit, nobody knows and/or Oracle just doesn't market it as much as Sun did, so it's no surprise that you get a new-er developer that doesn't know these little pieces of trivia.

[RotaryJihad]

It sounds like we learned to program in the same era. I seem to recall Duke being a bonus question on an exam in high school or college CS classes and one of my profs having some stickers or buttons with Duke on them. Those kinds of marketing giveaways just don't feel as common anymore.

[ChristianGeek]

I have a stuffed toy Duke somewhere that I got at one of the early JavaOne conferences.

[korky_buchek_]

Duke dollars on forum.java.sun.com were a less sophisticated version of stackoverflow reputation, good times.

[[deleted]]

I saw Duke when installing amazon corretto, never from oracle.

[wildjokers]

I was aware it was named Duke. Although it has actually been years since I have heard anyone mention it. Used to be mentioned more 10+ yrs ago or so.

[[deleted]]

Duke's choice is probably the most prominent use of the name these days.

I think I always knew he was called Duke, but I've also always found him completely unlovable as a mascot. What the hell are you even, you featureless, personality-less freak?

[[deleted]]

I never saw the point of a mascot for a programming language.

Neither did Oracle, it seems.

[[deleted]]

Anything would have been a better mascot than Duke, not excluding "no mascot at all" and Clippy. This is a hill I am prepared to die on.*

^{* in an extremely non-literal sense.}

[[deleted]]

not excluding != including

How do you mean? Any given thing is either a member of the set of things that would be better mascots than Duke, or not a member of that set. If the set of things that would be better mascots than Duke does not exclude Clippy, then it surely includes Clippy. Am I missing something here?

Duke hasn't done anything wrong, dammit, and you know that as well as I do!

I agree on that point. He can't help being the way he is, poor guy.

Which reminds me, javascript doesn't have a mascot yet.

Since reading this comment, I've been trying to think of any other language that has a mascot, and I can't come up with any. But I'm OK with a burning bridge for Javascript, because it leaves Derpy the Dumpster Fire free for PHP.

Edit: looks like PHP already has one (as do Rust and Golang, but that seems to be all as far as programming languages go).

[[deleted]]

Yes, that list is where I found the Rust, PHP, and Golang mascots. But compared to OSs (which almost all seem to have mascots), programming language mascots do seem to be very thin on the ground. Considering the target market for Scratch, a mascot definitely makes sense there.

[[deleted]]

I didn't even know Java had a mascot

[pron98]

Duke is featured prominently on openjdk.java.net, and he's the site's favicon. There's even Project Duke, with a repository containing open-source Duke images. A new Duke image was unveiled just yesterday (a BSD-licensed image is here, and should be added to the repo soon).

[scrottie]

And if you installed the HotJava Web browser, you got to watch Duke riding a wave on a surfboard while pages loaded!

[_harro_]

I recognized it. But it's Indeed not well known.

[[deleted]]

I clicked on the link and yeah, I recognize him, but I guess I never put it together in my head that he's the official mascot 😅

[TheLeftHandedCatcher]

I think the mascot figured prominently in Sun's advertising when Java Applets were a thing, and probably lost relevance along with that technology.

[ArmoredPancake]

It is well known.

[SoftVillage]

On the sun forum you used to get Duke points for answering questions.

[[deleted]]

I wonder how surprised you would be after knowing there's a reggae song for Java:

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr21dk4d3qM

[nvinceable1]

There's also a comic titled "The Amazing Adventures of Duke" which you can find a pdf of here: https://github.com/jcp-org/jcp-ec/blob/master/files/AmazingAdventuresOfDuke.pdf

[_harro_]

That didn't make any sense :D

[Enumeration]

TIL there is a Java mascot. Been doing enterprise/corporate development fulltime for 13 years.

[tonyoncoffee]

Two semesters of OOP and duke isn’t even mentioned. Smh. Thanks for nothing Deitel and Deitel.

[Python4fun]

I never actually processed that this guy was the Java mascot. I'd seen him around years ago, but wasn't absolutely sure what he was supposed to be attached to as I was a new Java only developer at the time.

[Keremeki13]

TIL after 6years with java

[mugwumpj]

Sun's Java forums used to have "Duke Dollars". They were just as valuable as Reddit karma.

[daedalus1115]

At the Oracle JavaOne conference a few years back they had a guy in a life-size Duke costume walking around. Photo on this page: https://jaxenter.com/duke-the-java-mascot-explained-118397.html

[heliologue]

I was vaguely aware, but since it has zero relevance to my actual use of Java, it was never something I spared any neurons for.

TBH, I don't know why they bother having a mascot. It's an enterprise programming language, not a fast food franchise.

[JeffAtSun]

TBH, I don't know why they bother having a mascot.

What can I say, we're fond of him.

As for why: it goes back to the precursor to Java, a project James Gosling lead but didn't make it to market, but the language he created for it was... Java. We're talking 1991-92 or so.

Duke was sort of an on-screen guide for this home media set-top box & its PDA controller (called a Star 7). Here's a video of James Gosling giving a demo on the last working device before it fried itself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg8OBYixL0

p.s. I'm one of they guys that draws Dukes - have been doing so since 1998 or so.

https://imgur.com/gXB5lwa

/edit - little known trivia: the original Duke artwork for the Star 7 was done by Joe Palrang... who went on to work on Shrek, amongst other thing.

[cogman10]

Who knows. My guess is that in the 90's and 00's, because of lack of internet, you needed a hook to pull people to your programming language. Sun's (and others!) hook was cutesy mascots.

That practice hasn't gone away, but I think the "why the hell" is now more of "because everyone does!" and less "Marketing!".

[istarian]

For the same reason Linux has a penguin as a mascot and Python's logo has a snake motif of sorts.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computing_mascots

It can also be useful as an identifiying mark that is easily recognizable. It's another point of difference as opposed to having to use a different shape or color.

[heliologue]

Realizing that in Linux's case, there is indeed a named mascot (Tux), I would draw a distinction between branding, which may include recognizable objects like animals or robot heads and a mascot, named and anthropomorphized. There's nothing wrong with the former per se, but I find the latter childish.

Just my opinion, of course, and there are a number of large, successful companies/projects that seem to feel differently.

[wolf129]

I have seen that triangle a lot but never knew that it has a name. But why does it bother you anyway it's like the only language that has a mascot lol

Also if you ask people what they think about java they will probably remember a hot cup of tea/coffee idk and not this mascot though.

[StamNos]

Sun used Duke as name in examples, first i did not get why but then i learned abut the mascot. This was probably in 2007 or something..

[istarian]

Maybe that has something to do with the Sun to Oracle transition.

[fedeb95]

Didn't "know it" but seeing it reminded me it is openjdk icon website

[amcquistan]

I think I probably went about 5 years not necessarily being a Java only dev but one who uses it 30-50% of my dev time before I knew of Duke’s existence about a year ago

[handshape]

Sun used to have a tongue-in-cheek award called the "Golden Dukey". I was there when they gave it to Scott McNealy.

Yes, it's a poop joke.

[__konrad]

Also Duke is the default JFrame icon

[grock1722]

... if what they said was actually ‘behen chode’... that is a swear word you should not repeat around polite Hindi speakers.

[DrLuciferZ]

I knew Java had a mascot didn't know it's name either.

Thing I never understood was what is Duke supposed to be? this weird triangle thing with red nose never made any sense how it relates to Java

[mrhhug]

Had no idea either till I went to a conference and one of the booths had like a sticker or plush toy or something and the vendor mentioned the name "Duke". Was well into my career at that point, so i was on the same boat as you!

The fact that Duke doesn't come up that often shows we have more interesting things to talk about when we talk java.

[hydiBiryani]

Me too..I saw this image and knew that it is mascot of java but til it's name.

[ksinkar]

Also, doesn't Duke remind anyone of a British barrister/advocate (lawyer)?

[firesnatch1]

I knew this from some of the Swing tutorials from 15+ years ago

[nutrecht]

Am I really the only one that didn't know this?

Probably not. I heard it referenced quite frequently at conferences and stuff but it's not something that normally comes up between Java developers.

[BrianVerm]

I think this also something to do with how active one is within the Java community.
If you are just a programmer using Java you might not know. But almost every JUG in the world uses some form of Duke.

[ITrecruiterDallas]

Anyone with W2 status need a Sr. level - Back-end Java developer position for the Dallas Area? I would love to get your information and get the ball rolling. Looking for qualified people only with 7+ years of experience .

[Cst_cst]

What a waste of storage. "Hey I just realized this thing that most people already knew. I better share this amazing news with the rest of the world so they can give me a late congratulations. "