On 7/16/05, Adam J. Hogan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I am a relatively new user (about six months) in BR. I now it's popular > to call this kind of user group a LUG, but was wondering why you have > chosen to neglect the GNU operating system in naming the group. I chose > GNU/Linux because of freedom, not it's ability to overthrow M1cr0s0ft, > albeit a desire I have. The kernel is not to be neglected, but I'd > rather not refer to an operating system by it's kernel. > > Without Linux, GNU would not have solidified as quickly as it did. But > GNU stands for GNU's Not Unix, an operating system. Linux, originally > intended to be a complete operating system better than Minix and Unix, > is now only a kernel for the GNU operating system, accounting for a > small percentage of the distro code. > > Venting and asking if we could do anything about it. > > -- > > Adam J. Hogan > >
<pause while I don my flame suit> I don't speak for the LUG, but IMHO it is not GNU/Linux. Just like it is not KDE/Linux or Gnome/Linux. The fact is that without Torvalds, there would have never been a complete so called GNU operating system. The GNU suite of tools is just that. Tools. They failed miserably at creating a kernel. I install GNU tools (compiler, gdb, etc.) on many Solaris systems. A GNU/Solaris that does not make. I still call it Solaris, it is still Solaris, and it is not GNU/Solaris. Stallman says "The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system." IMO that is wrong. The kernel _IS_ the OS, everything else is an application. Let us see what google says: http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3A++operating+system "An operating system (OS) is the computer program that manages all other programs on the machine." "The most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers." "Software controlling the overall operation of a multipurpose computer system, including such tasks as memory allocation, input and output distribution, interrupt processing, and job scheduling." Just about every definition of an OS that comes up on google refers to the kernel. Now, I am not saying that because google says it, that it is accurate. But it's close. I don't like Stallman. I don't like the fact that he usually has diarrhea of the mouth and uses every chance he has to make any discussion turn into a political rant or whatever. I like the GPL, I like Linux, but I don't like _HIS_ absolute interpretation and motivation behind it. For me it is an alternative. For him, everything should be free and we should live in his idea of a communist utopia. Just go visit his web site, www.stallman.org, some day and read his rants. Now, if you agree with him, then we likely can just agree to disagree. One last comment: If it were not for Torvalds and Linux, then Stallman would not even be known outside of very small circles, namely the MIT campus and whatever activist/protest group he is with that week. So, I posit that if we are going to call Linux Gnu/Linux, should we not call Stallman Torvalds/Stallman? ;-)
