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I really avoid getting into discussions like this, on the whole, but I |
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think a couple of key observations can help clear this up. I think the |
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problem lies in understanding what Stallman's "GNU system" and "GNU |
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foundation" are, and how they differ. |
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|
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>>Because of this decision, the GNU system is not the same as the |
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>>collection of all GNU software. The GNU system includes programs that |
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>>are not GNU software, programs that were developed by other people and |
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>>projects for their own purposes, but which we can use because they are |
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>>free software." - Richard Stallman |
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>>(http://www.gnu.org/gnu/thegnuproject.html) |
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[...] |
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> This is as morally reprehensible as SCO's claim that anything any of their |
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> licensees wrote for their Unix distributions is part of Unix. |
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[...] |
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> Stallman's claiming credit for all of Linux, anywhere it appears, just |
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> as SCO is climing credot for all of AIX, HP-UX, Solaris, and every |
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> other proprietary Unix. None of the distributors you cite are doing |
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> that. |
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|
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Stallman is saying in his first statement that the GNU system is a |
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collection of software, only some of which was written under the |
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umbrella of the GNU foundation, and all of which work together to form |
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an operating environment. The same could be said of Gentoo, etc.; the |
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only difference is that the GNU foundation doesn't technically |
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distribute the whole "GNU system": they only define it. What Stallman |
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_isn't_ saying is that all of the software in the GNU system is "GNU |
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software" (software written by members of or contributors to the GNU |
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foundation). Some of it isn't even licensed with the GNU license (though |
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it's probably all compatible). |
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|
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Seriously, though: the word GNU is used to label two similar but |
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independent entities here. It's an easy thing to misunderstand; it isn't |
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exactly spelled out in the snippets we've had presented on this list. If |
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Stallman were saying what you, Jay, thought he was (and perhaps still |
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do-- I don't claim to have changed anybody's opinion here), we would all |
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be hard pressed not to be as upset at him as we might be with SCO. |
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|
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- John Robinson |
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|
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|
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-- |
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