Re: [gentoo-dev] Dist name...

[Marko Mikulicic]

Fredrik Jagenheim wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 07, 2002 at 02:57:14PM +0200, Alexander Gretencord wrote:
>
>>Well for some ppl now that someone tried to push the GNU/ part onto Gentoo
>>it's this kind of "no, not after this" feeling :) This doesn't bring us
>>anywhere it's not the users decision anyway.
>>
>
>
> Oh, but let's make it a users decision. I propose a new flag in USE
> that will let the user name the system 'GNU/Linux' or 'Linux' or
> 'Gentoo GNU/Linux, the best dist for politically correct power users'.
>
> Now, let's flame over what the default should be. ;)
>
> No, I'm not serious. Unless it's about code.
>
> //Humming, pondering if he's naming it GNU/Linux because he used GNU
> tools to build it, should he then name his Great Novel after the
> typewriter? ;)

Since at the heat of a novel there is always a bunch of words
then one should call his novel: Word. (or Verb, Noun, Sentence, Meaning) :-)

  I think the problem is that Linux is not like "Windows", or "Macintosh":
it is not the name of a product, but of a kernel. It's not about tools here
but about a product name. I don't care about GNU/Linux, or Linux, but
I have noticed that many users (newbies) are confused with all this Linux
7.2/8.2/6.4 Suse/RedHat/blabla. They associate the number with the
version and the "distribution" also with some kind of version (like XP).
  IMHO it should be more correct to say just "Gentoo" when talking
about the disto, "Gentoo linux" when talking to Linux (kernel) specific
issues of Gentoo (like Gentoo/SPARC or PPC for hw platform issues),
  but now it's too late :-) none will think of Linux just of a kernel 
because
it is the symbol of the entire set of gnu an non-gnu software which we all
use. I think that the problem will be more real when some distro (I hope 
gentoo will)
will try to use Hurd or some bsd kernel as an alternative; then it will 
be important
to state Gentoo Linux, as opposed to Gentoo freebsd or Gentoo Hurd.

Marko