well i stirred something up when I referred to Linus as "aka god" :-) (note the lowercase "g").
Of course the history and the linux cf gnu/linux distinction is important. I also like *BSD and also enjoyed playing with BeOS (POSIX compliant and many GBU tools compile and run on it. I'd lay a wager that there are more questions about GNU and other free/open tools on this list than about the kernel itself. So, we could call ourselves the Canterbury GNU/Linux/BSD/Open/Free Software/Hurd/POSIX compliant/Cygwin Users Group, but the bloody acronym is too long! On Fri, 15 Nov 2002 13:39:12+0100 Martin Baehr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Sat, Nov 16, 2002 at 01:29:54AM +1300, Peter Elliott wrote: > > > but those tools run on windows too. > > > GNU/windows??? > > > surely the kernel is the most significant part of the OS. > > > the rest are tools to control the OS, they don't make it up. > > i'm sorry but i just can't let that go by uncommented. > > surely you know the history? > > yup. > > > you know, the one about rms and co building a free alternative to > > all the commercial unices that were around at that time - from the > > self describing recursive lispy joke "Gnu's Not Unix" on up. > > of course. > > > most of those wonderful tools we use all of the time had been done, > > or were nearly so, and virtually the only thing missing in order to > > have a complete os was a kernel. > > the FSF is building much more than an OS, it's building an operating > environment and an OS. > > > so no the kernel's not really the most significant part of the os at > > all (in the sense that i've taken you to be meaning) > > what i wrote was not to belittle the work of the FSF. > i admire them and am a devotred follower. > > i am talking about the definition of "Operating System". > the characteristics of an OS are set by the kernel. > hence for an OS the kernel is most important. > > the GNU tools are important to get the operating environment, the > kernel is important to get the operating system. > > i can leave away the GNU tools and still have an OS (can't do much on > it, but that's another matter. if i leave away the kernel then i have > a set of tools, but the OS these tolls run on, is decided by the > hosting kernel. > > the kernel is the most significant part needed to fullfill the > definition of an OS, the tools are the most significant part for > anyone to make the most out of a computer. > > so we are basicly agreeing on what is most important in general > (i repeat it is not the kernel) > we are only disagreeing on the definition of "operating system" > > > and yes, as you will have guessed, i am one of 'those'. > > (couldn't find a clear reference for 'those', but i am guessing that i > am as well.) > > > ie i think we should refer to the object of this user group's > > attentions as gnu/linux in the same manner and spirit that the > > debian community do, > > i agree, as mentioned above, as linux definetly does not mean more > than the kernel. > > however i prefer to go a few steps further and would like to stress > that the actuall object of our attention should be "free software" in > general, not only linux and gnu, but anything that is free. > > as such linux (the kernel) represents the success of free software in > this time. i'd rather have all thew world talk about linux (without > gnu) than a few unknown people to talk about gnu/linux while the rest > of the world sticks to windows. > > greetings, martin. > -- > interested in doing pike programming, sTeam/caudium/pike/roxen > training, sTeam/caudium/roxen and/or unix system administration > anywhere in the world.-- > pike programmer working in europe > csl-gmbh.net > open-steam.org > (www.archlab|(www|db).hb2).tuwien.ac.at > unix bahai.or.at > iaeste.(tuwien.ac|or).at systemadministrator > (stuts|black.linux-m68k).org is.(schon.org|root.at) Martin B�hr > http://www.iaeste.or.at/~mbaehr/ > >
