Re: uname -s and naming confusion

[Tom Hart]

Robert Millan wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 25, 2002 at 03:36:02PM -0700, Thomas Bushnell, BSG wrote:
>
> > Tom Hart <hartte13@BrandonU.CA> writes:
> >
> >
> > > The GNU project uses the term "operating system" to refer to the
> > > complete *usable* system, ie. GNU, GNU/Hurd, GNU/Linux, and "kernel"
> > > to refer to the kernel, ie. Linux, Hurd/Mach, Hurd/L4, etc., whereas
> > > the BSD people say "operating system == kernel".
> >
> > Yes.  So what I'm saying is "Let's not add to the confusion.
>
>
> For what i can see, the confusion consists in that many people think
> the Hurd is an operating system whereas GNU is a collection of software
> that just happens to work well on Un*x.

I don't think many people think the Hurd is an operating system in the 
sense that GNU is an operating system. People who say that the Hurd is 
an operating system are using the term 'operating system' the same way 
the BSD people were when they made uname -s print out the name of the 
'operating system', meaning the name of the kernel.

So the issue isn't "people think the Hurd is an OS", the issue is "some 
people refer to all kernels or kernel-like projects as operating systems".

> > Let's at
> > least try and keep all the variants of the GNU system compatible in
> > their use of terminology."
>
>
> GNU/Linux has a bug that makes it print the kernel name when asked
> for the operating system name.

This is *not* a bug. It's a disagreement between HUMAN BEINGS over 
terminology. We don't say that other people are "buggy" if they disagree 
with us.

The GNU project is free to say, "When we say 'operating system', we mean 
a complete usable system, including ...". Others are free to say 
'operating system == kernel', and there is precendent for this use of 
terminology.

I think Thomas is quite right in saying that the GNU project should have 
a consistent definition of "operating system" that it uses in all GNU 
products.

> That bug is particularly annoying because
> it cannot be fixed without causing major breakage. As a consequence, guname
> inherited wrong terminology to workaround the first bug.

Saying there is such a thing as "wrong terminology" means that there is 
a central authority mandating what "correct terminology" is. I am aware 
of no such authority (although those in Great Britain and the 
Commonwealth may look to the Oxford English Dictionary, and Americans to 
Merriam-Webster... I don't think either of them specialize in technical 
definitions, though!).

> This bug is specific to GNU/Linux. GNU prints "GNU", and GNU/FreeBSD, for
> example, will print "GNU/FreeBSD" in the OS name. Do you think the GNU
> system and the rest of its variants should be compatible with that bug or that
> misuse of terminology?

What is GNU/FreeBSD?

http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#bsd

--
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   /                                               |
  /  Tom Hart                                      |
 |   hartte13@BrandonU.ca                          |
  \  "rmTFM - Build consistent interfaces."        |
   \_______________________________________________|