In recent technological history, Linux has evolved from water cooler techie chatter to a rock-solid solution for the business enterprise. The same software that was once dismissed as rogue is now being adopted and promoted by industry leaders such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, and Intel.
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santhosh
16 years 14 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago
Linux is NOT an Operating system
This article is misleading. Linux is not an operating system. It is a monolithic kernel written by Linus Torvalds. One cannot use Linux as such for any practical purpose. You need a set of tools for a practical usage of the computer.
And the majority of that tools comes from GNU project. If you take a distribution CD, Linux is only 3% there. and the ~27% of the softwares(which are critical part of the system) is from GNU project.
So if you refer the operating system which has all the features mentioned in the article, it is GNU/Linux.
Please pay respect the cause and origin of the Free Software Movement and to History.
gnuanu
16 years 14 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago
Linux is just a kernel. It is not an OS
I agree with Santhosh
JINuX
16 years 14 weeks 4 days 23 hours ago
You are fighting the tide... get over it
Should I condemn/disregard/ignore an entire article just because the author uses one term (IMO) "incorrectly"?...NO
BTW, I put that in quotes because the author has used the term that the majority of the community uses to describe the OS... not just the kernel.
There is a big debate going on over what to call the OS known as "GNU/Linux" or "Linux". There are two main factions but neither of them are really 100% correct. And, whether one is "more" correct or not makes no difference. What matters is you are irritating a big part of the community with your nitpicking.
It is stupid to ignore everything a person has to say because they don't use _one_ (or even two) term(s) the way you think they should.
You are wasting your time you will never get the community to change their minds.
aboutblank
16 years 14 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago
Misnomers should always be corrected
The Koala is a marsupial. Bears are not marsupials. And yet, people still refer to the Phascolarctos cinereus as a bear. The term ``koala bear'' is a misnomer and should be corrected so that confusion does not arise.
Linux is the name of a Unix-like operating system kernel that was initiated by Linus Torvalds. According to RMS's definition of the term ``operating system'', Linux does not fit this definition so using the label ``Linux'' to describe a particular brand of operating system would be a misnomer.
Some people say that the kernel is the operating system. Linux would be considered an operating system under this definition. I would not agree as I was taught that the whole point of the operating system was to provide the basic platform for the rest of the computer system - it exists so that the programmer wouldn't have to write generic operating system-like functionality for every program that they write. IMO Linux by itself would not be an operating system; together with the GNU operating system, it would be.
So it sounds like we're just splitting hairs. Why bother if the apparent meaning goes another way? For the sake of accuracy that's why. Using confusing terms and meanings should be avoided to the best of our ability.
fleontrotsky
16 years 14 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago
Semantic kung fu
We could argue until the proverbial cows come home about what constitutes an operating system. However, to make the Linux kernel in any way useful the Gnu tools are essential. It can hardly be considered "nit-picking" to ask for a major component of the OS to be given credit for its contribution. In truth, the OS would be more properly be called the Gnu OS. However, we are a reasonable bunch and are quite happy to give credit where credit is due. Why are you so opposed to doing the same for Gnu???
pravi
16 years 14 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago
It is not just a matter of credit
It portrays a wrong history. If Linus Torlvalds talks about Freedom rather than just having fun, it would not be that important.
Now anyone hearing the name as Linux gets an incorrect idea that the Free Software movement and the Operating System that is making waves across the computing industry is created by a student because it is fun writing code.
Now if we talk about GNU/Linux they would come to know people started working on a Free Operating systems much before Linux started working on his kernel and the reason why that project was started because there were people who cared about Freedom and the entire movement is here not just because it is fun.
Which gives a better justice to the history. Or do you belive the fact that GNU project started in 1984 with the goal or creating a Free Operating System and even now the majority of the so called "Linux" code comes from the gnu project, is not correct?
If you don't learn from the mistakes you are condemned to repeat it.
If we don't teach people to respect Freedom it would be very easy for them to lose it.
So if you think we should talk about Freedom then use GNU/Linux, because GNU project always stood for users' Freedom.
Another case to look at is the response of Linus Torvalds and RMS on Tivoisation.
Balzac
16 years 14 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago
GNU / Linux!
I'm not going to join the campaign to re-brand "free software" as "open source", to subordinate freedom to efficiency, to de-politicize, to embrace DRM, "Trusted Computing", and to marginalize the roots of the free software movement.
That's why I don't re-brand GNU as Linux. I say "GNU / Linux", not just "Linux".
Balzac
16 years 14 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago
It's nothing personal...
I oppose the implicit message of the article, not the contributor who posted it.
I down-rated this because we may as well draw the line somewhere.
It's time to take free software to a whole "nother" level!