Why is Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus?

Xenial

“Xenial” means “friendly relations between hosts and guests”, and given all the amazing work going into LXD and KVM for Ubuntu OpenStack, and beyond that the interoperability of Ubuntu OpenStack with hypervisors of all sorts, it seems like a perfect fit.

Xerus

The African ground squirrels, are among the most social animals in my home country. They thrive in the desert, they live in small, agile, social groups that get along unusually well with their neighbours (for most mammals, neighbours are a source of bloody competition, for Xerus, hey, collaboration is cool). They are fast, feisty, friendly and known for their enormous… courage. That sounds just about right. With great… courage… comes great opportunity!

Source

Xenos (ΞΕΝΟΣ) in Greek means "guest", "stranger", "friend by way of hospitality" (in classical Greek), and by extension "foreign" (in hellenistic and modern Greek). Zeus was known as Xenios Zeus (Zeus, the protector of guests and god of hospitality). The latter meaning is evident in many words now part of English, such as "xenophobia", or even Xenon, the gas.