GNU/Linux or Linux alone?

SilentGreg · Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:42 pm Post subject:

Linux. Takes too long to say, type or write GNU/Linux.

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akela · n00b Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 33

Seriously now, should I call my window manager XFree/KDE? Isn't that exactly the same as calling Linux GNU/Linux? BASH won't run without a UNIX kernel, so should we call it UNIX/BASH??

codergeek42 · Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:21 pm Post subject:

fender1212 · Apprentice Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 165

fernandotcl · Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:46 am Post subject:

Well, technically, you could use other tools than GNU's to build a kernel and run a complete system. However, GNU had and has a lot of influence and importance around the community that uses the Linux kernel, so it's acceptable that the guys at FSF like to call it GNU/Linux.

The system isn't only a kernel. But there are more tools that make the core system besides the GNU ones. What's the only thing that all the packages in a system have in common? The distro. You may call the core GNU/Linux, however, or Linux for short, but the real name of the OS isn't the name of parts of it, but the name of the releaser. In our case, who releases the OS is the distro, so we got our name.

That's why I didn't vote for either. Both are wrong and right at the same time. But calling the OS the distro name is "more right", so I'd vote for that if there were such an option.

EDIT: Just found the third option, so I vote for it.

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Liquid · n00b Joined: 18 Nov 2003 Posts: 59

I've seen a lot of

truekaiser · l33t Joined: 05 Mar 2004 Posts: 738

if your going to add gnu to the front of linux you might as well add the following cause they will all start to demand the same treatment.
mozilla
bsd
apache
kde
gnome
Xfree
x.org
*insert licence name or major software package*

Duck-Billed Platypus · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 4:31 am Post subject:

codergeek42 · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 4:40 am Post subject:

Actually, most of the time the Bash shell that GNU/Linux use is the GNU's implementation of it.

truekaiser · l33t Joined: 05 Mar 2004 Posts: 738

codergeek42 · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 4:43 am Post subject:

Duck-Billed Platypus · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 4:45 am Post subject:

Athas · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 7:21 am Post subject:

As have been stated before, the most correct term would be to use the name of the distribution (ie. "I run Gentoo"), but you could also be a bit more verbose ("I run Gentoo, a variant of the GNU/Linux operating system").

A lot of people are commenting that if we need to credit the FSF, we need to credit other major projects as well (Apache, Xorg, KDE, etc.). These people miss the fact that the GNU tools have no ready replacement for a modern GNU/Linux system - in fact, you'd have a hard time getting the kernel to build and boot in the first place (yes, you can use ICC, but there's still other issues). Furthermore, the goals of the Apache, Xorg and KDE projects don't differ greatly from those of the Linux kernel ("technical excellence"), but the Free Software Foundations does - for them (and me), it is mostly a philosophical ethical question of software freedom (the fact that an open sourcecode often results in better software is a side-effect), and I believe that it should be made clear that the FSF doesn't endorse the beliefs of the Linux-developers.

The software is free, but consider your acknowledgement of the efforts of the GNU developers payment.
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Ruzbeh · Apprentice Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 223

vdboor · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 3:07 pm Post subject: Re: GNU/Linux or Linux alone?

Call it:

Gentoo Linux,
SUSE Linux,
Redhat Linux,
Mandrake Linux,

etc.. so people will understand! ..and as bonus, you can compare it with:

Microsoft Windows.

Suddently the name and all the distro choices make sense.
I only use GNU/Linux is it looks better in some reports.

virtual · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 3:56 pm Post subject:

Hi,

I belive it should be called "Gentoo GNU/Linux" because as far as I know the OS is Linux the tools are GNU, credit should be given when credit is deserved and the GNU project should get the attention they deserve.
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frippz · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 4:22 pm Post subject:

Liquid · n00b Joined: 18 Nov 2003 Posts: 59

cokey · Advocate Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 3342

why not just call it G-Linux then no-one would know if it was Gnu or Gentoo

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chunderbunny · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2004 6:23 pm Post subject:

Just say "Linux" and if anyone asks claim it has a silent 'G'.

carbon · Guru Joined: 27 Jun 2003 Posts: 455 Location: New York

Irom · Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2004 10:09 pm Post subject:

Everyone interested in this thread might be interested in the Unix-history-chapter of Eric S. Raymond's book "The Art of Unix Programming" (PDF). Great read, very facsinating.
And neutral about the topic of this thread.
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SKLP · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 09 May 2004 Posts: 96

GNU/Linux, definitely.

c0balt · Guru Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 441 Location: Germany

GNU/Linux, more than definitely.

Whats GNU without Linux? An OS without a kernel.
Whats Linux without GNU? A kernel without an OS.

They are just like Ernie and Bert, NOTHING without the other.

Richard Stallman deserves the same respect as Linus Torvalds.

Boris27 · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:08 am Post subject:

GRUB/GNU/Linux, as bootstrapping is an important aspect of a system.

No really. GNU/Linux or Linux, I don't care. I use the linux kernel with GNU utilities. But I also use KDE and grub. Does that mean my system is GRUB/GNU/Linux/KDE?

But I'm fine either way. I understand why RMS feels that it should be GNU/Linux. He's right. But it's such a hassle to say that.
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