Re: GNU/Linux Naming

[Noah Slater]

On 05/12/2007, mike3 <mike4ty4@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I do not understand why *names* are the
>appropriate place to give credit. What's the reason, anyway?

For the same reason that calling an Aston Martin DB9 a "Ford VH
platform" would be inaccurate. While the Ford VH platform is used to
make the car, it only comprises a small part of it.

Sure, Linux is the common phrase used to describe the operating
system, but similarly most people say they are browsing the Internet.
Both are technically wrong and as geeks we should be able to
distinguish between common usage and correct usage.

Of course, the proper name for the operating system is GNU and Linux
provides one of it's kernels. The combination of these two words is
GNU/Linux. If you used Sun's kernel you would call the system
GNU/Solarix and if you used the BSD operating system (as an
alternative to GNU) you would be running BSD/Solarix.

There are many different variations "out there" and they all have
different names. If you're running Debian/Ubuntu/Gentoo/RedHat/Suse
you're probably running a GNU/Linux system. If you're running OS X
then you're technically running a Darwin/XNU system.

Oh, and the proper thing to say would be "I'm browsing the WWW."

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_DB9

-- 
Noah Slater <http://bytesexual.org/>

"Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so
far as society is free to use the results." - R. Stallman