You don't need to be into BDSM to know the term gimp suit. I've seen it referred to in media plenty of times before. I think it's less common now, but it's likely the first thought of many people who hear the name. That or the offensive term for a disabled person, which is not any better.

Tell me you haven't watched Pulp fiction without telling me you haven't watched Pulp fiction 😁

Yes, I know it stands for GNU Image Manipulation Software.

People in general don't know that.

When they hear gimp, they think of a fetishist in a gimp suit, or a slur for a person with a severe disability.

Both are bad. I also wouldn't have my software share a name, even as an acronym, with other slurs or fetish stuff.

Imagine you're a manager high up in a company. Someone comes to you and says "sir, I really think we should be using PAKI instead of [proprietary software alternative]", and have you considered PISSPLAY instead of [proprietary software alternative]?"

You wouldn't even look into it. You'd reject it outright. Or at least most would.

Again, it's the GIMP team's right to name it how they want. But the name is dumb, puts people off, stifles investment opportunity, and makes the whole project look like a joke at a cursory glance.

The name is definitely a problem.

They'd be much more likely to have adoption in the industry, increased development, more donations if they had a name that companies and governments aren't driven away by.

I know some people in the Linux world think branding doesn't matter, but it absolutely does.