Aug 25, 2003
Why I Don't Use "Linux"
By Timothy R Butler | Posted at 10:22 PM
Buzzing by Buzzing Bye, I found this post that was denouncing Richard Stallman's position that “Linux” should be known as “GNU/Linux.” This hit a nerve, perhaps because I've seen so many likeminded posts, and it inspired me to write an editorial at OfB.biz that argues for the name GNU/Linux and also takes a side journey into why the GNU GPL is better in some ways than the BSD license.
Whether this sounds like gobble-de-gook or you already understand this issue, you might enjoy the opinion piece, which you can find here.
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RE: Why I Don't Use
Thanks for your article Tim. You’ll soon see I stuck it up on Buzzing Bye too. Sean’s quote of Tim O’Reilly had a lot of historical data. Your opinion piece also had a lot to say. I must admit, I’m still confused and not real concerned either way. I appreciate both men and think Mr. Stallman still gets his dues no matter the name. I knew his name long before I heard about the naming debate.
That said, there is definately a difference in fact where the amount of code that FSF combined with Linux. Perhaps it’s a view of what makes up Linux that causes the difference, but I’d like to hear more on that.
RE: Why I Don't Use
Thanks for your link and comments, Josiah. I admit it is a complex issue and it took me a lot of time to become really set on one side or the other…
About your last point, you are definitely right. People like me assert there is a set of core stuff that we think of as Linux or GNU/Linux — the kernel and the GNU System. Usually people on the other side argue, as Tim O’Reilly does, that a lot more things are “essential.” This comes down to a question of what the base system really needs to have.