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

[MJ Ray]

Imran Ghory <address@hidden> wrote:
> 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.

But would it?  People have complained if their BSD doesn't contain enough of
the BSD utils, so would GNU/Linux without GNU still be recognisable as a
modern Linux?  I doubt it.  I think there have been distributions assembled
as a sort of proof of concept, but I'm not aware of any in daily use. 
There's even a Debian GNU/NetBSD, which is quite amusing.

> In the same way people are saying Hurd rather then GNU/Hurd (I
> believe the formal name for the kernel is actually "the Hurd")

I think the formal name for Hurd's kernel is mach, which is a microkernel
the Hurd runs on top of.  Don't get this one started again.

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

Empirical evidence does not a proof make.

>> 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. 

Maybe, but RedHat is not that big a distribution and I'd still bet that GNU
contributes more programs to it.  GNU is also one of the oldest projects out
there.  Without GNU, would there be a Mozilla?

> 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. 

And hiding the largest project will?  There are many parts of GNU which are
right there in your face, not hidden away under the surface.  For example,
IIRC, the RedHat distribution you speak of ships with Gnome, which is itself
part of the GNU project.

Anyway, neither of us is editing this at the moment, so let's see how our
noble editor resolves this conflict.