[ppc-mobo] Re: GNU License for Hardware

Sven LUTHER luther at maxime.u-strasbg.fr
Tue Oct 12 07:53:56 UTC 1999


On Tue, Oct 12, 1999 at 01:35:12AM -0400, Russell Nelson wrote:
> Kristofer Coward writes:
>  > > I have to disagree. I agree with many of Richard's concepts, (although I 
>  > > still don't call it GNU/Linux *G*) but for hardware I have to seriously 
>  > > disagree.
>  > 
>  > There are already systems (Amiga, iirc) which use the Linux kernel outside
>  > the GNU system.. in proprietary systems even. Regrettably, their claims
>  > that they now use Linux are absolutely correct, and will lead people to
>  > believe that they're using an entire free/open system, instead of just the
>  > free kernel.
> 
> Nope.  Unices have always been named after their kernel.  You
> acknowledge my point when you say "the Linux kernel", because
> otherwise people would think you meant the operating system named
> Linux.  If I was to replace all of Solaris's utilities with the GNU
> equivalents, would anybody call it GNU/Solaris?  No, of course not.
> FreeBSD uses many BSD utilities.  Does anybody call it BSD/FreeBSD?
> No, of course not.  If Linux had been named GNU instead, would anybody
> call it GNU/GNU?  That would be absurd.

Notice, that in all the examples you mention, both the kernel and the OS were
manufactured by the same guys. Solaris kernel and solaris OS come both from
sun, freeBSD kernel and the BSD utils on top of it come from the same group
and have the same name.
Only GNU/linux comes from two different entities.

Friendly,

Sven LUTHER



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