On Tue, May 15, 2001 at 09:53:53AM -0700, Cory Petkovsek wrote:
> Debian is the "pure" linux. Pure as in untainted by non-free code.
>
"If linux were a beer, they'd ship it across the ocean in open barrels
so everyone could p**s in it." - a popular .sig at openbsd.org
How can an OS, or even a kernel, that is hodgepodged together from
patches and binaries from anyone and everyone, without ever going
back to look at where things are and how they got that way, be
considered "pure" in any way?
Sure, Linus gives his OK on the next revision. So using stock
linux kernel source could be "pure Linux". But has anyone reviewed
the kernel? Does development slow down so a security audit can be
made? No, more patches, lets see what this baby can do!
Linux itself is not an OS, it's a kernel. Most of the GNU tools,
which let one use a kernel, are by default installed in /usr/local.
For good reasons, OS designers put them other places where they
are more usable. So right there, we see again that "pure" is
somewhat elusive.
Or perhaps you mean "pure" as in an OS without crufty GUI sysadmin
crap. Or perhaps a system that doesn't rely on binary micropackaging,
and all the lovely files in /var and binaries and scripts that go
along with the circular dependency trap known as a "package manager".
Or maybe "pure" means a system that can be completely rebuilt from
source on the machine it will run on with a few 'make's? Or maybe
you're looking for an OS that allows and encourages you to download
it's RCS archive, so you can go and make your own OS?
Then again "pure" could also mean clean, so what about an OS that
actually has undergone a security audit, with unnecessary and
potentially dangerous code being removed?
Or maybe "pure" means you don't even rely on bash?
Maybe the "pure" Linux isn't even Linux at all?
http://www.openbsd.org/
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
I do what the words in my manpages tell me. <Sorry, Mike :>
> 'rm -i' is not burned into your .bashrc. Remove it from your .bashrc of your
>current logged in user. Look in .bash_profile. Log out and log in, or run 'source
>~/.bashrc' Or run "alias rm='rm' " To remove it from your current session.
>'alias' will show you your current aliases.
Don't forget about /etc/skel. I think this is where the idea of 'burned
in' comes from.
PS I find the BSD license to be less "non-free", as in free speech
and free enterprise (freedom in general), than the GPL.
