On Tue, 22 Dec 1998, Riccardo Facchetti wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Dec 1998, Richard Stallman wrote:
> > I ask people to use the term "GNU/Linux", in order to help inform
> > other people about the history of the operating system in question.
> I don't care how a distribution is called (GNU/Linux seems to me a name
> good as another). The real problem is that you are discussing about
> distribution's name on linux-kernel mailing list. Here the principal
> subject is the kernel.
OK, so now I've put "Offtopic" in the subject line, happy?
This thread was offtopic when it started (it was about IBM's coming to
terms with the transition to more open software practises.) and has since
been dragged further offtopic in response to RMS putting across his
viewpoint, as many others had before him.
Unfortunately, it seems he doesn't have the same rights to free speech
that the rest of us have.
> [...] while I can agree that a distribution can be quite
> reasonably called GNU/Linux I can not agree that the kernel itself be
> called GNU/Linux.
No you cannot agree on that, because there is noone to agree with.
> On this mailing list we talk about kernels
Hah hah hah. Hah hah. Hah hah hah hah hah. Hah hah. Hah.
Don't we all wish. :)
> so in this place, Richard please, call it simply Linux and not GNU/Linux.
He was not referring to just the kernel. I have never seen RMS refer to
the kernel in itself as GNU/Linux. He has always called it Linux.
Maybe you are annoyed that he was speaking offtopic, but what would you do
if you were publically attacked over an issue you feel strongly about?
He has at least as much right to reply as Riley did to abuse him in the
first place. Compare his reaction to how Khimenko reacted to Riley's
unnecessary insults in an earlier thread, and you will see that RMS comes
off looking rather tolerant.
Richard has made his point about names in the past, and would never have
brought it up in this forum, knowing there are more appropriate places.
But of course he is going to stick by the name he prefers. By writing
GNU/Linux instead of Linux, he might even have helped some mailfilters to
detect an offtopic post. :)
Riley's attack, as you have noticed, was completely unprovoked, and far
more offtopic than the original thread. More importantly, it was quite
derogoratory towards RMS personally, and the FSF. Since we couldn't stop
Riley from stating his case, we have no right to stop RMS.
> You are talking with people that have devoted lot of time in developing
> the kernel and you show quite a bit of lack of respect for that people
> insisting to call linux GNU/Linux.
You are talking with people that have devoted lot of time to read the
kernel list and you show quite a bit of respect for that people by not
reading threads before you flame the participants.
> I have _never_ seen a single person using the term GNU/Linux on this
> mailing list, except you.
No. They're all afraid of Big Bad Riley and his Flames of Death. :)
Seriously, though, some people do use it here when referring to the whole
system (particularly Debian) but thankfully, we mostly only talk about
the kernel. Blame the silly season for this deviation.
Please people, if it's so offtopic that you haven't read the thread, then
perhaps you should reconsider replying to the thread? Yes, this means you,
Riccardo. :)
-Greg Mildenhall
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