Re: On gratitude and free software

[Ineiev]

On Mon, Sep 11, 2023 at 12:47:27PM -0400, Dennis Payne wrote:
> 
> The resistance to GNU/Linux comes from the term being annoying to
> say/write.

Yes---it's annoying because it reminds about a project whose
goal has always been helping people use their computers in freedom.

> Lego insists that it is Lego bricks not Legos but people use
> the shorter one. Also the blatant attempt to jump on the success of
> Linux annoyed people. Why didn't they argue this from day one?

They did [0].

> Why didn't they argue it with BSD?

BSD is not variant of GNU [1].

> Unless you are a developer, a Linux user
> may not interact with any GNU program.

A Linux user is even less likely to interact with the kernel than
with a program like jami, nano or octave.

A more subtle misconception is about the scope of the GNU Project:
it isn't just about writing some programs, it's about collecting
a complete operating system, including many non-GNU programs [2].

> Why shouldn't it be Gnome/X11/Linux or KDE/Linux?

GNU is the principal developer of the operating system [3].

> Interestingly most people do not refer to
> Android phones as Linux systems. While you might argue it is because
> they don't know it runs Linux. I think the knowledgeable don't because
> they understand that Linux encompasses the standard tools/UI which
> Android throws out.

Exactly, and this is another reason why the name of the desktop OS
should contain "GNU" [4].

> Saying people who don't support Richard Stallman are ungrateful is
> flawed.

The GNU Project isn't limited to Richard Stallman---after all, its
originator didn't name it after himself; and the actual issue isn't
gratefulness, it's ultimately supporting freedom [5].

[0] https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#wait
[1] https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#bsd
[2] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html#TheGNUsystem
[3] https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#many
[4] https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#usegnulinuxandandroid
[5] https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#whycare

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