Still doesn't explain the need to call it GNU/Linux.  I've never heard
Hurd (um...) referred to as GNU/Hurd Linux, even Debian's version is
Debian Hurd, not Debian Linux.  That's one case where I see potential
confusion, but the confusion is solely on which Debian is it, not which
Linux or which Hurd.
And, if I haven't misunderstood the articles, Caldera's OS isn't going
to be called Linux.  It will mention Linux compatibility, but will be
released as a Unix.
I could see calling Linux GNU/Linux if another Linux kernel based OS
came along that used tools and an environment very different from the
one provided by the GNU utilities.
Just because the GNU utilities make up a large portion of the included
programs seems like a poor reason to leave out the little guys who make
it all work.  So I call for the name...

GNU/BSD/Artistic/Apache/Linux OS

... because I think all licenses deserve a voice.  Freedom of speech for
licenses everywhere!


"der.hans" wrote:
> 
> Am 20. Aug, 2001 schwäzte Digital Wokan so:
> 
> > Excuse me... What if I was already anti-Microsoft before I was
> > pro-Linux?  (FYI:  I'm pro GNU Utilities as well, but that doesn't mean
> > I'm going to call my system GNU/Mandrake.  RMS - geek rock star with ego
> > to match?)
> 
> It's not GNU/Mandrake, rather Mandrake GNU/Linux. Soon the distinction will
> actually be important because Linux won't be the only kernel shipping with
> the OS called Linux wrapped around it. Caldera has announced that it will be
> shipping SCO with the SCO UNIX[1] kernel and the GNU OS. Hurd might actually
> finally be launched in the next couple of years. I see ocassional pieces
> about a GNU distribution wrapped around a solaris kernel for sparc as well.
> 
> The broken part of this is that the OS is comprised of things other than the
> GNU tools as well, e.g. XFree86, OpenSSH, KDE, QT, Mozilla, sendmail, qmail,
> postfix, exim, apache, and so on. The base OS, however, is primarily from
> the GNU project ( I mean from GNU not just GPLd ) and there's only so much
> room to give credit.
> 
> The main reason I've started to differentiate between GNU/Linux and Linux
> is it will soon be necessary in order to lessen confusion. At this point
> debian 3.0 won't have hurd, but the way I understand it 3.1 might. That will
> mean we will have debian GNU/Linux and debian GNU/hurd available. Same OS,
> different kernels.
> 
> Sort of preemptive descriptioning to avoid questions about "Linux 7.1" and
> so forth.
> 
> ciao,
> 
> der.hans
> 
> [1] The only ones who can call themselves UNIX because they hold the
> trademark.
> --
> # der.hans@LuftHans.com home.pages.de/~lufthans/ www.DevelopOnline.com
> #  Motorraeder toeten nicht. Motorraeder werden getoetet.
> 
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