Erik MoellerApr 2, 2021

When you're talking about Linux, it's okay to say that it's "open source".

It's okay to say that it's "free software".

It's okay to call it "GNU/Linux", "Linux", or to mess up its name.

It's okay to refer to it as "the one with the friendly penguin".

Part of RMS' legacy has been an incessant obsession with terminology and pedantry, overshadowing far more important shared objectives which are fundamentally emancipatory in nature.

Pedantry is not activism; it is alienating, not emancipatory.

Show threadă‚Șăƒăƒ„ăƒŒ (stop colonialism đŸ‡”đŸ‡ž)Apr 2, 2021

@eloquence I do not agree. Choice of words is always a good topic.

You just don't have to be an ass about it.

Show threadLuis/Luigi ☭Dec 27, 2022
@otyugh @eloquence even if terminology may be important, GNU/Linux offers not so many relevant info for the end user anyway. It's only useful for programmers (and mid/low level ones) who wants to know the ABI is GNU's one. For end users the name of the distro itself conveys more info. Or the package manager used. Or the DE...
Show threadMatthieu Weber đŸ‡«đŸ‡·/đŸ‡«đŸ‡źDec 28, 2022
@LuigiDev @otyugh @eloquence As GNU represents the larger code-base (compared to Linux), I suggest we all stop calling our systems "Linux" and start saying "GNU" instead, as it offers enough relevant info (and who cares about what kernel you are running, really?)
Show threadLuis/Luigi ☭Dec 28, 2022
@matthieu @otyugh @eloquence the kernel doesn't really give any interesting info that's why I said go for the real distros name
Show threadMatthieu Weber đŸ‡«đŸ‡·/đŸ‡«đŸ‡źDec 28, 2022
@LuigiDev @otyugh @eloquence I tend to agree, but if you want ot be more generic than "Ubuntu", you could say "Debian", but if you want to be more generic than that, what else is there than "GNU"?
Show threadLuis/Luigi ☭Dec 28, 2022
@matthieu @otyugh @eloquence why do you want to be more generic? What are you describing? A package installable with apt? An app that needs GNU libraries? One that needs Linux kernel?
Show threadMatthieu Weber đŸ‡«đŸ‡·/đŸ‡«đŸ‡źDec 28, 2022

@LuigiDev @otyugh @eloquence Mostly because I like abstractions, but also when the specific distribution is no relevant e.g. in a broad categorization like "What system do you use: Windows / MacOS / GNU / other". In that context, "GNU" is more generic than a long list of distributions of GNU software with a Linux kernel.

I believe that correctly naming things is important to avoid ambiguities in discussions, even if most people are happy calling it "Linux" (which is OK, I do it too).

Show threadLuis/Luigi ☭Dec 28, 2022
@matthieu @otyugh @eloquence the thing is non-gnu Linuxes should usually be counted for "Linux" in this kind of stats, even if they don't feature GNU components
Show threadMatthieu Weber đŸ‡«đŸ‡·/đŸ‡«đŸ‡ź

@LuigiDev @otyugh @eloquence What distributions use Linux with no GNU stuff? No GLibC, no coreutils, no fileutils, no bash? I have never heard of it (but it does not mean it does not exist).
Of course, a lot of the software I use is not GNU (Firefox, KDE, VLC, python, perl, ruby) but I still consider that the bases system is GNU.

Now *BSD are not GNU and not Linux, so they deserve to be considered separately, just like the other Unices (Solaris, AIX, HP-UX).

Dec 28, 2022 at 2:59pmWeb
Show threadLuis/Luigi ☭Dec 28, 2022
@matthieu @otyugh @eloquence Alpine Linux ad I've said in another thread!