On Mon, 2008-07-21 at 04:47 +0200, Björn Persson wrote: > I kept asking in the hope that at least some people would start thinking about > whether their opponents even understood what meaning they put in the words. I > expected that some of the anti-GNU/Linux folks would say that Linux is the > operating system and that the operating system is the kernel plus the > programs that are necessary to boot the system, log in, run commands and edit > text files, or something like that. I thought that others would include stuff > like Cron, RPM, X and maybe the core parts of a desktop environment. > > Instead, those who have answered so far or otherwise made their position clear > in the argument either say that Linux is a kernel or that pretty much > everything and the kitchen sink is Linux. I didn't expect that. I'm > particularly surprised that some even include unfree programs that have never > been distributed bundled with Linus' kernel. > > So far I haven't seen a pro-GNU/Linux person describe what GNU/Linux is and > what it isn't. It would be interesting to see whether they include the > kitchen sink in GNU/Linux. > > Björn Persson Bjorn, Linus really put the spin on this whole affair. So, I'm quoting him below. From my own perspective, there has been a bunch of history here, when RedHat released it's CD's labeled "Red Hat Linux" and the same with Caldera and their CD's with "Caldera Linux" written on the CD, etc. The wav file of Linus saying "I pronounce it LeeNuks" spread around the planet. Yet, I've never heard of Linus saying "you must" or "you should" or anything like that in that vein. To me, that is freedom, where your freedom ends at the tip of my nose. I personally prefer using the term "Linux" to describe the OS, the community, the mindset, the all encompassing rally to the sharing of all things computerese as opposed to "Windows" and that community, that OS, that mindset. Both come in many flavors. BSD comes in many flavors, and they also are a community, a mindset, as well as an OS. So, personally it comes down to who is my ideal, my guru, the person I'd rather be like and present as that to others. Linus, hands down. Again, it's personal and it's history. I first installed using the 9 floppy disk install set labeled "Slackware Linux". Then the first RedHat CD, labeled "RedHat Linux", which I mounted in my $500 CD player. Now we have FSF telling us to duck-march, rectify history, and give Stallman the power to "remind" us what to do and think? We've been morally WRONG all this time? Bullpucky. Here's Linus's take on it... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On Sat, 16 Dec 2006, karderio wrote: > > If the "free software community" has the clout to twist vendor's arms to > get them release driver source, then I'm all for it. I don't care what you're for, or what your imaginary "free software community" is for. We're "open source", and we're not a religion. We don't "twist peoples arms". We show people what we think is a better way, and we let them participate. We don't force it, we don't twist it, and it's ok not to believe in the GPL or our ideals. In fact, "our ideals" aren't even one unified thing to begin with. We also don't try to pervert copyright into a "you have to _use_ things in a certain way". We don't think "fair use" is a bad thing. We encourage it, and that means that we have to abide by it ourselves. It means, most particularly, that even people we disagree with have that right of "fair use". That, btw, is what "freedom" and "rights" are all about. It's only meaningful when you grant those rights to people you don't agree with. Also, since you haven't apparently gotten the memo yet, let me point it out to you: the end results don't justify the means, and never did. So arm-twisting doesn't become good just because you think the end result might be worth it. It's still bad. And btw, that "information freedom" thing you talked about is just so much blather and idiotic hogwash. "Information" doesn't want to be free, nor is it something you should fight for or necessarily even encourage. It doesn't hold a candle to _peoples_ freedom, the foremost of which is to just disagree with you. Once you allow people to talk and do what they want, that "information freedom" will follow. It's not a religion, and it's not about suppressing other people and other viewpoints. Linus ------------------------------------------------------- That is a man that I can follow. So, I'll redouble my personal efforts to use the name "Linux" as "GNU/Linux" ain't as free and asks, if not demands, a price ...according to my perceptions. Can I get an Amen? Ric -- ---------------------------------------------------- My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say: "There are two Great Sins in the world... ..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity. Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad. Linux user# 44256 Sign up at: http://counter.li.org/ http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/oar https://oar.dev.java.net/ Verizon Cell # 336-254-1339 ----------------------------------------------------- -- fedora-list mailing list fedora-list@xxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe: https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list
