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On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 01:21:30 +0000 Matt Lee wrote:
GNU is a project to create a free operating system - thus, GNU+Linux = GNU/Linux - a free operating system. I will continue to correct people who refer to it as Linux, because I believe Linus Torvalds does not believe in the freedoms of software like the FSF.
True. He may not believe in the freedoms of software *like* the FSF... he may not be the most vociferous of Free Software promoters, but that does not mean he doesn't believe. As far as I am aware, he has a stance of "the right tool for the job - preferably a Free Software tool". Note that I said "preferably" rather than "always". So he chose to change to BitKeeper over CVS. What does that tell us? It tells *me* that although CVS is a fantastic tool, it didn't quite fit the requirements. I am sure that is CVS had met all of his requirements he would have chosen to use it still. Or should he have chosen to continue using software that didn't meet the requirements, simply because it's Free Software?
GNU is an OS, but the GNU project as a result also made countless tools that can be run on other operating systems - do not confuse GNU and the results of GNU project so far.
Yeah, I think this is a point that can confuse people further. It would be *really* nice if we could have one name for the OS project and another for the group developing the tools, and perhaps a third for the name of the tools themselves. The group writing the tools is called GNU... who appear to be the FSF... who appear to be GNU... confusion! The Operating System is GNU... but (commonly) the kernel is Linux... you can't have an OS without a kernel... confusion! The tools themselves are called GNU... which is a group... or is it an OS... confusion! Grant. -- Artificial intelligence is no match for nuratal stidutipy. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG Mail majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe list" in the message body to unsubscribe.