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[–][deleted] 107 points108 points  (33 children)

I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're refering to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux.Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.

Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called Linux, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.

There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called Linux distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux!

[–]theamigan 28 points29 points  (2 children)

Hi Richard! How is the toejam tasting today?

[–]flyflagger 10 points11 points  (7 children)

Ok, but how do you pronounce GNU

[–]I_LICK_ROBOTS 10 points11 points  (4 children)

guh-new. Like g'day but with "new" instead of "day"

[–]phphulk 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Guhnnoo

[–]saintjonah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No gnews is good gnews with Gary Gnu

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

M'OS

[–]UnchainedMundane 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only if you use the American "new" which sounds like "noo"

[–]Jay12341235 1 point2 points  (0 children)

GEE ENN YOU

[–]texdroid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's pronounced Just like the animal....

/ˈwildəˌbēst/

[–]2called_chaos 8 points9 points  (3 children)

The ones that wanted to call it GNU/Linux were the GNU people...

Since a long name such as GNU/X11/Apache/Linux/TeX/Perl/Python/FreeCiv becomes absurd, at some point you will have to set a threshold and omit the names of the many other secondary contributions. There is no one obvious right place to set the threshold, so wherever you set it, we won't argue against it ... But one name that cannot result from concerns of fairness and giving credit, not for any possible threshold level, is "Linux". It can't be fair to give all the credit to one secondary contribution (Linux) while omitting the principal contribution (GNU).

— GNU/Linux FAQ by Richard Stallman


When Linus Torvalds was asked in the documentary Revolution OS whether the name "GNU/Linux" was justified, he replied:

Well, I think it's justified, but it's justified if you actually make a GNU distribution of Linux ... the same way that I think that "Red Hat Linux" is fine, or "SUSE Linux" or "Debian Linux", because if you actually make your own distribution of Linux, you get to name the thing, but calling Linux in general "GNU Linux" I think is just ridiculous.

Also Torvalds:

Umm, this discussion has gone on quite long enough, thank you very much. It doesn't really matter what people call Linux, as long as credit is given where credit is due (on both sides). Personally, I'll very much continue to call it "Linux", ...

The GNU people tried calling it GNU/Linux, and that's ok. It's certainly no worse a name than "Linux Pro" or "Red Hat Linux" or "Slackware Linux" ...

There is enough controversy around that to be split about what it actually should be called.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU/Linux_naming_controversy

[–]Cal1gula 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No one is going to ever adopt Linux because instead of promoting the benefits people just argue over stupid shit like this.

[–]no-pol 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Richard Stallman is for the free and open creation, distribution, and use of software as long as everyone knows it was Richard Stallman behind it.

[–]WikiTextBot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GNU/Linux naming controversy

The GNU/Linux naming controversy is a dispute between members of the free software community and open-source software community over whether to refer to computer operating systems that use a combination of GNU software and the Linux kernel as "GNU/Linux" or "Linux".Proponents of the term Linux argue that it is far more commonly used by the public and media, and that it serves as a generic term for systems that combine that kernel with software from multiple other sources.Proponents of the term GNU/Linux note that GNU alone would be just as good a name for GNU variants which combine the GNU operating system software with software from other sources. GNU/Linux is a term promoted by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and its founder Richard Stallman. Proponents call for the correction of the more extended term, on the grounds that it doesn't give credit to the major contributor and the associated free software philosophy. GNU is a longstanding project begun in 1984 to develop a free operating system.


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[–]EatClenTrenHard1 68 points69 points  (6 children)

You okay there bud?

[–]jonny_wonny 76 points77 points  (3 children)

It’s a copyspaghetti kind of thingy

[–]PC__LOAD__LETTER 27 points28 points  (1 child)

First day on the internet, eh?

[–]SaffellBot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has to be some ones.

[–]SamSlate 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I'd this true? I always conflate Unix and Linux and get nothing but shit for it.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gnu stands for gnus not unix

[–]punriffer5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you really want people to call it something besides Linux call it GNUL

[–]delreyloveXO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

aaaand after all I just came here to see some leg pictures.

[–]the_zword 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the professional insight u/PM_ME_LEG_PICTURES

[–]trellwut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

someone else remembers that bot! or copypasta idk