Why is Fedora not a Free GNU/Linux distributions?

Rui Miguel Silva Seabra rms at 1407.org
Tue Jul 22 21:44:46 UTC 2008


On Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 02:36:56PM -0700, Antonio Olivares wrote:
> > I guess you don't want to read. That kernel is called
> > Linux.
> > I'd be as pissed off as Linus if Stallman wanted to
> > call the kernel
> > GNU/Linux when the kernel is called Linux.
> > 
> > But Stallman is *not* doing that, he's perfectly fine
> > and dandy that
> > people call Linux to:
> > 
> > > >
> > http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-2.6.26.tar.bz2
> > 
> > ... and other such releases like:
> > 
> > 	[rms at nietzche ~]$ rpm -q kernel
> > 	kernel-2.6.25.10-86.fc9.i686
>
> but he is not okay that a whole distro is called Linux without giving
> GNU any credit

Yes, and I share his view, the GNU project is at least just as worthy of
credit.

> where Linux the kernel is built along with the GNU
> utilities right?

Totally unrelated fact.

> > Once you get into your head that Linux is...
> Linux can be the kernel itself as you have mentioned the tarball from
> kernel.org, it is also used to represent the various linux distributions
> that put that kernel together with gnu utiliites and other softwares to
> form a distro.  

No, some people perpetuate a mistake through the name of their
distributions. That still doesn't make it right.

> > http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-2.6.26.tar.bz2
> > 
> > ... then this...
> > 
> > >
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU/Linux_naming_controversy
> > 
> > ...suddenly has an entirely different look, one that
> > isn't so
> > favourable to Linus unless you think he doesn't know
> > that Linux is
> > 
> > > >
> > http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-2.6.26.tar.bz2
> > 
> > Don't play "deaf" with me, please.
>
> I am not playing deaf with you or anyone else.  You do not seem to
> understand.  I am not attacking the GNU/Linux crowd, nor the Linux crowd.
> I am neutral in the matter.  

You seem all but neutral. You also seem to want to continue flogging this
fish way beyond it's rot point.

> Linux is the kernel,

Linux is *a* kernel that GNU can use. There are at least four, three of
them quite usable (Linux, BSD and the Solaris kernel -- think project
Nirvana).

> Linux is the OS as well, what are you trying to convey?

There are two schools of what an OS is, some say it is just the kernel,
some say that a system comprising the kernel alone is so useless it
doesn't deserve being called a system, the minimum requirements of it
needing to be thus expanded.

I belong to the later school. If you belong to the first school, you
better stop using the term Windows and use kernel32.dll instead.

At least be consistent.

> Whose side are you on?  What are you arguing?

Funny you should ask that.

Rui

-- 
Hail Eris!
Today is Pungenday, the 57th day of Confusion in the YOLD 3174
+ No matter how much you do, you never do enough -- unknown
+ Whatever you do will be insignificant,
| but it is very important that you do it -- Gandhi
+ So let's do it...?




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