Re: a list of software compiled by completely free toolchain

[Gabriel]

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 11:44:40AM -0500, Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:
>    The point is that in order for people using windows to come over to
>    use Linux it is necessary to provide this software on Windows as
>    well, making the transition easier. Now this software should be
>    able to be compiled using a 100% free software toolchain like
>    MinGW, [...]
> 
> MinGW requires Windows, so it is not 100% free software.  When using a
> non-free software system, you can never have a 100% free tool-chain,
> since it requies non-free software to work.
> 
> 
> By they way, would you like to help the GNU project sort out the
> confusion that Linux is a operating system?  The system you are
> calling `Linux' is one that we started writting more than 20 years,
> and we named it GNU.  Linux is a important of many GNU variants, but
> it is not the name of the system.  Please see
> http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html for more information.
> 

I completely agree with you that I should call the system GNU/Linux
and I am sorry not to have done so. And yes, the system I was talking
about and called Linux is the system you are talking about.

About MinGW requiring Windows and not being free software: It is a way
to help people migrate from Windows to GNU. It surely is a compromise,
but it will help compile software which is also available on GNU, so
that if people start using open source software on Windows, they can
later on convert to GNU using the same software.

A world WITHOUT Windows is still what I would still love to see during my
lifetime!

Gabriel