--Jauder
On Wed, 6 Mar 1996, lilo wrote:
> On Wed, 6 Mar 1996, Richard Stallman wrote:
>
> > I would expect that most of the people who speak of "the Linux
> > operating system" think of this as just a minor lack of precision.
>
> Not at all. It's usually a pretty precise term. What unifies Linux users
> is the Linux kernel. If we weren't running the Linux kernel, for example,
> we might all be running HURD. ;)
>
> > But aside from being unfair (which by itself would not be worth
> > fussing about), it also tends to split the community and thus
> > discourage communication and cooperation. When the people who use
> > what is essentially the GNU system think of themselves as "Linux
> > users", and not as "GNU users", often they don't see a reason
> > cooperate with the people who maintain the GNU software. This leads
> > to version-skew and unnecessary incompatibility.
>
> Linux users use quite a bit of GNU software, and we're all grateful that
> it's available. We also use a fair amount of non-GNU software. I don't
> believe it's a fair characterization to consider Linux a ``GNU-based
> system.'' There are very few cases in which we are using GNU software in
> which some alternative doesn't, or couldn't, exist. All kudos to
> GNU-*style* licensing, which is another matter entirely....
>
> > One way to help unify the community, and gently encourage more
> > cooperation, is to use the term "Linux-based GNU system" to
> > describe these systems more accurately.
>
> Linux is nothing if not pluralistic. Too much unification is probably not
> the most useful thing in the world. It discourages the diversity which has
> been one of Linux' strengths.
>
> There are many GNU-based Linux systems. Unless one is a GNU developer,
> though, one is less likely to consider one's system a ``Linux-based GNU
> system,'' and justifiably so.
>
>
> lilo
>
>
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