Creating an operating system with Linux but without GNU

[Antonio Olivares]

--- On Tue, 7/29/08, Les Mikesell <lesmikesell at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Les Mikesell <lesmikesell at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Creating an operating system with Linux but without GNU
> To: "For users of Fedora" <fedora-list at redhat.com>
> Cc: "Marko Vojinovic" <vvmarko at panet.co.yu>
> Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 11:16 AM
> Alexandre Oliva wrote:
> > 
> > To make the point clear, let's try a thought
> experiment.  Imagine that
> > some people are so fed up with "these
> threads" that they set out to
> > create an operating system built exclusively out of
> Free (Libre) and
> > Open Source software, but without any GNU software, to
> avoid any
> > claims GNUdists might have on it.
> > 
> > They're fond of Linux, for they helped write it,
> so they decide to use
> > it as a kernel.
>  >
> > They look around and see there are a number of BSD
> operating systems
> > out there, so they decide to use the BSD userland to
> complete the
> > operating system, taking bits and pieces from FreeBSD,
> OpenBSD and
> > NetBSD.
> > 
> > It takes some effort to port the lower-level
> libraries, init scripts
> > and stuff, but eventually the thing boots up, runs a
> shell and it's
> > announced to the world, with pointers to BSD ports
> systems and many
> > pre-built ports of applications and servers that most
> people have come
> > to expect from typical distros.  Lucky for them, most
> of the ports
> > build without change.
> 
> If you are going to make this effort, why not just ditch
> the kernel too 
> and re-implement any missing drivers for the *BSDs or
> OpenSolaris 
> instead?  That way you lose both the zealot political
> movement and the 
> restrictive license in one fell swoop and end up with code
> that people 
> can actually use.  You'd get dtrace and zfs as a bonus
> and the decades 
> of having to duplicate and waste effort because of GPL
> restrictions that 
> prevent sharing could finally be over.
> 
> -- 
>    Les Mikesell
>     lesmikesell at gmail.com
> 
> -- 
> fedora-list mailing list
> fedora-list at redhat.com
> To unsubscribe:
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list