Re: [Fsfe-uk] Why FS is a Good Thing

[Imran Ghory]

On Tue, 12 Mar 2002, MJ Ray wrote:

> address@hidden <address@hidden> wrote:
> > Absolutely, I thought the earlier `no dice' comment was a bit final.
> 
> It's final because I don't think my opinion is going to change ;-)
> 
> > If you talk to people about Linux and use the term `GNU/Linux' they get
> > all confused.
> 
> That's only because some people are inconsistent and won't call the ensemble
> GNU/Linux instead of just the name of the kernel, surely?  Before this
> discussion, I don't think I'd ever heard a reason other than laziness for
> using just the kernel's name.

It doesn't matter why people used it originally, it matters that the name
has stuck. Linux is now the standard name for operating systems based
around the Linux kernel, if you got rid of the GNU utils and replaced them
with Foobar utils it would still be Linux.

In the same way people are saying Hurd rather then GNU/Hurd (I
believe the formal name for the kernel is actually "the Hurd"), saying
Windows rather then Microsoft Windows xx.

Some evidence for Linux being the standard name based upon internet
searches:

Searching the FT's global archive for the past 7 days:

Linux: 78
GNU Linux: 5

Searching Google:

Linux: 47,700,000
GNU Linux: 1,980,000

Seearching Usenet:

Linux: 14,400,000
GNU Linux: 1,080,000

Searching the LDP:

Linux: 8790 
GNU Linux: 1308

Searching news.bbc.co.uk:

Linux: 114
GNU Linux: 0

Search the Guardian's web page:

Linux: 242
GNU Linux: 36

(The figures for Linux of course include the figures for GNU Linux)

> > Just use `Linux'.  Trying to explain it isn't worthwhile since it isn't
> > of importance to your audience *at this stage* and the single page of
> > A4 has already become slightly crammed IMHO compared to the earlier
> > version.  We can't spare the space on something that isn't important to
> > them.
> 
> I disagree.  What is the point of that list?  It is to give lists of
> successful Free Software projects.  GNU is probably the largest, so it
> should definitely be included.  Maybe GNU should be listed as a seperate
> bullet point?

IIRC. Mozilla is the largest piece of code in a RH distribution. 

GNU may have been the most significant, but most people who know what
utilities like gcc, bash, readline, etc. are, are people who already know
about free software. The group we're targetting has never used any of
these utilites, so telling them about the basic GNU software won't help
them understand about free software one bit. 

Imran