Re: [Savannah-hackers] Re: Help wanted (sysadmin work)

[Yaroslav Klyukin]

Rudy Gevaert wrote:

> > This way everything is easy:
> > - Count all software packages on CD.
> > - Get the percentage of GNU software.
> > - If GNU software constitutes over 50% of the OS, then it has all rights 
> > to be mentioned in the name of the OS.
> >
> > Does it make sense?
>
>
> I don't think so.  The primary reason of calling the system GNU/Linux
Well, frankly I don't think so either.
> is that people have to know about the ethical reasons why the system
> exists.  We are trying to make a completely free (as in freedom)
> operating system.  Calling the system "Linux" does not reflect the
> ideas of the Free Software movement.  Calling our movement something
> else, has even worse effect.

I agree. What I am saying is that it's not "the system", it a number of 
different systems. Each time someone decides he wants to create a linux 
OS - he creates _his_own_ OS.
Therefore why care about somebody calling his own product (which is a 
compilation of any kind of software) any name he wants?

Nowadays anybody can create his own OS using any software and call it 
whatever for his own profit, as long as he does not break any license 
agreements of the software used.

My point is that a complete OS is something, that you have on a media, 
which you can boot from and install. Take whatever as an example: BeOS, 
OS/2, Windows, etc.


> Also, calling the system only GNU/Linux if it has over 50% GNU
> software would not work. Because the amount of non-GNU software
> increases faster than the amount of GNU software.  
Agreed.

> Please note that when helping Savannah, you act as a spokesmen for the
> Free Software foundation, thus it must be clear that you will have to
> use the language that the FSF uses and must educate other users about
> the goals of the FS movement.

I need to figure out for myself first.
I understnad the importance of the movement, and it's value, but I don't 
get why asking others to call something in your name, instead of having 
your own stuff.

Technicly, I think that calling an OS GNU/Linux is as wrong as calling 
it Linux. In both cases it does not convey the true meaning of what 
appears to be somebody's compilation of an existing software.
I think that the word "distribution" is the right word for it, but maybe 
there are better words.

Removing the word "Linux" will have the same effect, as adding "GNU", 
but the first option is the only right way to resolve the problem in my 
opinion.