The marriage of GNU and Linux
GNU's focus is ideological, it's objective is creative freedom
and community sharing. RMS's goal was to build a complete
software environment that supported his social values.
Linux's focus is practical, it's objective is technical
innovation and open development. Linus's goal was to build an
OS for the fun and challenge of it.
I think GNU/Linux really is the most accurate designation for
the merging of these two disparate efforts.
In our modern scientific/secular world, it is popular to shun
ideology and pursue practicality. Because of this, GNU is at a
disadvantage. The GNU software philosophy maintains greater
mindshare by associating itself with the Linux name. I think
that in a more ideological world the whole system would simply
be called GNU not GNU/Linux. Linux actually represents an anti-
ideological rebellion against the GNU vision. Linus Torvalds
appears to be more of a anarcho-capitalist libertarian whereas
Richard Stallman appears to be more of a classical liberal.
I clearly fall on the side of ideology over technology (it is
more practical/effective in the long run), GNU over Linux
(without the comprehensive system design work a bootable kernel
would have been homeless), and social liberalism over anarcho-
capitalism (I think that the libertarian philosophy is
destructive of the very liberty it seeks to achieve/uphold).
In my opinion, the only way to achieve individual freedom in a
social setting is through cooperation, law, and a common
government. People are governed by the ideals which they
believe in, by the values which they live for. I see universal
family love (sharing) as a more life-sustaining and creativity-
enhancing value than self-serving advantage-taking (greed).
The GNU software philosophy embodies this higher/superior value
by asking "what do people need in order to be free to learn,
create, and share with one another?" Whereas the Linux "just do
it" anti-philosophy is about virtuoso performances, "hey, look
what I can do!" It does not concern itself with the welfare of
humanity nor does it consider the overall implications for the
progressive evolution of planetary civilization.
I would say that the marriage of GNU and Linux effectively
corrals all these energetic and inventive egos into serving
the greater good of all humankind. That is the genius of the
GNU GPL (a freedom document which I believe will be enshrined
by future historians alongside the Magna Carta, the Declaration
of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution, while the names
Microsoft and Linux will be recorded merely as interesting
footnotes in the annals of human intellectual achievement.)
Dexter Graphic
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"Freely you have received, freely give."
Jesus, as recorded in the Urantia papers.
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