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www/gnu gnu-linux-faq.html
|
From: |
Richard M. Stallman |
|
Subject: |
www/gnu gnu-linux-faq.html |
|
Date: |
Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:34:42 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /webcvs/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Richard M. Stallman <rms> 08/03/29 02:34:42
Modified files:
gnu : gnu-linux-faq.html
Log message:
(allsmall): New question.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.77&r2=1.78
Patches:
Index: gnu-linux-faq.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html,v
retrieving revision 1.77
retrieving revision 1.78
diff -u -b -r1.77 -r1.78
--- gnu-linux-faq.html 13 Jan 2008 15:28:32 -0000 1.77
+++ gnu-linux-faq.html 29 Mar 2008 02:34:35 -0000 1.78
@@ -142,12 +142,13 @@
and those who cite only practical benefits and present free software
only as an efficient development model (the open source movement).</p>
<p>
-This disagreement is not just a matter of names—it is a matter of
-differing basic values. It is essential for the community to see and think
-about this disagreement. The names “free software” and
“open source” are
-the banners of the two positions. See
-<a href="/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html">Why Free Software Is
-Better Than Open Source</a>.</p>
+This disagreement is not just a matter of names—it is a matter
+of differing basic values. It is essential for the community to see
+and think about this disagreement. The names “free
+software” and “open source” are the banners of the
+two positions.
+See <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">Why Open
+Source misses the point of Free Software</a>.</p>
<p>
The disagreement over values partially aligns with the amount of
attention people pay to the GNU Project's role in our community.
@@ -285,6 +286,29 @@
distributions.</p>
</dd>
+<dt id="house">The kernel of a system is like the foundation of a
+ house? How can a house be almost complete when it doesn't have a
+ foundation?</dt>
+
+<dd>
+A kernel is not much like the foundation of a house because building
+an operating system is not much like building a house.
+
+<p>A house is built from lots of little general parts that are cut and
+put together in situ. They have to be put together from the bottom
+up. Thus, when the foundation has not been built, no substantial part
+has been built; all you have is a hole in the ground.</p>
+
+<p>
+By contrast, an operating system consists of loosely-coupled complex
+components that can be developed in any order. When you have
+developed most of the components, most of the work is done. This is
+much more like the International Space Station than like a house. If
+most of the Space Station modules were in orbit and connected but
+awaiting one vital module, that would be like the GNU system in 1992.
+</p>
+</dt>
+
<dt id="afterkernel">We're calling the
whole system after the kernel, Linux. Isn't it normal to name an
operating system after a kernel?</dt>
@@ -407,6 +431,21 @@
framework on which the system was made.</p>
</dd>
+<dt id="allsmall">GNU is a small fraction of the system nowadays,
+ so why should we mention it?</dt>
+<dd>
+In 2008, we found that GNU packages made up 15% of the
+“main” repository of the gNewSense GNU/Linux distribution.
+Linux made up 1.5%.
+
+<p>
+GNU is a small fraction of the system nowadays, and Linux is an
+even smaller fraction. But they are the system's core; the system
+was made by combining them. Thus, the name “GNU/Linux”
+remains appropriate.
+</p>
+</dd>
+
<dt id="manycompanies">Many companies
contributed to the system as it is today; doesn't that mean
we ought to call it GNU/Redhat/Novell/Linux?</dt>
@@ -622,12 +661,12 @@
1996. We will continue for as long as it's necessary.</p>
</dd>
-<dt id="allgpled">Should the GNU/[name]
+<dt id="allgpled">Should the GNU/<i>name</i>
convention be applied to all programs that are GPL'ed?</dt>
<dd>
-We never refer to individual programs as “GNU/[name]”. When a
program
-is a GNU package, we may call it “GNU [name]”.
+We never refer to individual programs as “GNU/<i>name</i>”. When
a program
+is a GNU package, we may call it “GNU <i>name</i>”.
<p>
GNU, the operating system, is made up of many different programs.
Some of the programs in GNU were written as part of the GNU Project or
@@ -680,15 +719,18 @@
<p>
No code in GNU comes from Unix, but GNU is a Unix-compatible system;
therefore, many of the ideas and specifications of GNU do come from
-Unix. The name “GNU” is a humorous way of paying tribute to Unix,
+Unix. The name “GNU”, which stands for “GNU's Not
+Unix”, is a humorous way of giving credit to Unix for this,
following a hacker tradition of recursive acronyms that started in the
70s.</p>
<p>
-The first such recursive acronym was TINT, “TINT Is Not TECO”. The
-author of TINT wrote another implementation of TECO (there were
-already many of them, for various systems), but instead of calling it
-by a dull name like “somethingorother TECO”, he thought of a clever
-amusing name. (That's what hacking means: playful cleverness.)</p>
+The first such recursive acronym was TINT, “TINT Is Not
+TECO”. The author of TINT wrote another implementation of TECO
+(there were already many of them, for various systems), but instead of
+calling it by a dull name like “somethingorother TECO”, he
+thought of a clever amusing name. (That's what hacking
+means: <a href="http://stallman.org/articles/on-hacking.html";>playful
+cleverness</a>.)</p>
<p>
Other hackers enjoyed that name so much that we imitated the approach.
It became a tradition that, when you were writing from scratch a
@@ -701,9 +743,9 @@
give it credit by using “Unix” in the name of a similar
system, not even in a system 99% copied from Unix. AT&T actually
threatened to sue anyone giving AT&T credit in that way. This is
-why each of the various modified versions of Unix (each of them just
-as proprietary as Unix) had a completely different name that didn't
-include “Unix”.</p>
+why each of the various modified versions of Unix (all proprietary,
+like Unix) had a completely different name that didn't include
+“Unix”.</p>
</dd>
<dt id="bsd">Should we say “GNU/BSD”
@@ -812,6 +854,18 @@
stems from ideals of freedom, not from his views.</p>
</dd>
+<dt id="claimlinux">Isn't it wrong for to label Linus Torvalds'
+ work as GNU?</dt>
+
+<dd>
+It would be wrong, so we don't do that. Torvalds' work is Linux, the
+kernel; we are careful not to attribute that work to the GNU Project
+or label it as “GNU”. When we talk about the whole
+system, the name “GNU/Linux” gives him a share of the
+credit.
+</dd>
+
+
<dt id="linusagreed">Does Linus Torvalds
agree that Linux is just the kernel?</dt>
@@ -1071,7 +1125,7 @@
<p>
Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2008/01/13 15:28:32 $
+$Date: 2008/03/29 02:34:35 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
- www/gnu gnu-linux-faq.html,
Richard M. Stallman <=