Hi, Phil write:: > 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.
Exactly. GNU supplied the compiler, and thus Linus could actually build his code. It is an often forgotten point, that without the compiler Linux would have struggled. Many web reviews credit the presence of the internet as being a significant driving force in the developement of Linux. These reviews neglect to mention that the availability of a free compiler was crucial to the development of Linux. Question: is someone going to extend the history lesson and say there were other compilers & tool sets that could have been used? Derek. ================================================ On Thu, 1 Jul 2004, Philip Charles wrote: > 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 > +64 3 488 2818 Fax +64 3 488 2875 Mobile 025 267 9420 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] - preferred. [EMAIL PROTECTED] > I sell GNU/Linux & GNU/Hurd CDs & DVDs. See http://www.copyleft.co.nz > > > -- Derek Smithies Ph.D. This PC runs pine on linux for email IndraNet Technologies Ltd. If you find a virus apparently from me, it has Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] forged the e-mail headers on someone else's machine ph +64 3 365 6485 Please do not notify me when (apparently) receiving a Web: http://www.indranet-technologies.com/ windows virus from me......
