On Thu, 1 Jul 2004, Zane Gilmore wrote:
> You are quite wrong about all that.
> GNU and the FSF was already well established before Linus Torvalds
> started university.
>
> GNU etc is what started Linux *not* the other way 'round. Without GNU
> (unarguably) and (arguably) the GPL, Linux would not be what it is today.
>
> There is no doubt that GNU has been absolutely vital to Linux.
> This is not an opinion but a fact :-)
Continuing a rather fruitless argument.
The FSF had the objective of creating a free os when it started the GNU
project. To this end it collected and developed free utils and apps.
Another thrust was the development of kernel system which was derived
from, but not a flavour of, unix. Hence GNU as a name. The kernel was
the GNUmach microkernel which was to run under the Hurd. Just as the
kernel project was getting under way along came the Linux Kernel which
almost killed the GNUmach-Hurd project. The Linux kernel then took
advantage of the preexisting utils and apps of the GNU project. Let's
face it GNU/Linux is effectively a flavour of unix while GNU Hurd is not.
The GNU utils and apps were actively being developed and collected before
the Linux kernel. I rather doubt if Linus would have bothered with his
kernel unless the GNU project had made its collection. The Linux kernel
would have been completely useless otherwise.
Phil.
--
Philip Charles; 39a Paterson Street, Abbotsford, Dunedin, New Zealand
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