Interesting perspective by Drew DeVault on where the FSF fits in the current landscape of FOSS and what it needs to do to stay relevant.

  • pingveno@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    I would love to see the “but it’s GNU/Linux!” shouts ended. In days of yore there was a case that you really were using the Linux kernel with a predominantly GNU user land, true. But now other projects like browsers, desktop environments, and office suites make up a much greater share of the code in a given system and the GNU portions can usually be swapped out. Insisting that GNU be put on a pedestal does a disservice to the rest of the ecosystem. Also, GNU/Linux just sounds clumsy, unlike Linux. Something that rolls off the tongue is its own virtue.

      • pingveno@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        For the most part yes, but there are still adherents to “GNU/Linux” that will talk your ear off if you give them the air and an excuse.

    • ozamidas@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      While it does sound clumsy, it also doesnt sound like a brand, and i appreciate that.

      The part that i appreciate the most about free software is its community. I think GNU/Linux highlights that more than pronouncing the name of a single project.

    • m532@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      Just GNU. GNU is the OS. They don’t call android Android/Linux either.

      • Prologue7642@lemmygrad.ml
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        2 years ago

        That doesn’t really make much sense. If you go that route, you could also call it SystemD/KDE/Firefox etc. You don’t even have to use any GNU in your Linux installation at all.

        • m532@lemmy.ml
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          2 years ago

          There is GNU with and without SystemD/KDE/Firefox. There could even be GNU with another kernel than linux. But it’s always GNU, the OS.

          • Prologue7642@lemmygrad.ml
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            2 years ago

            Yes, and there is Linux without GNU, I don’t really see a point in elevating GNU specifically. I would argue that there is much greater importance in the Kernel itself than in the GNU coreutils. GNU was maybe important historically more than other projects, but currently it is just a tiny drop in the bucket. There are many other parts of the system that I would argue are much more significant.

            Plus, even if you were right, it is just not practical. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone referring to any system as GNU, and very, very few as GNU/Linux. Everyone just uses the term Linux. Plus, it is much more descriptive. You could argue that today you can have GNU/Windows if you install cygwin, but not really sure if it would make sense to call it that. At that point you could say that Windows is GNU and for example Alpine is not. But I would really like to see someone argue that Windows has more in common with Debian, than Alpine has with Debian.

            In some contexts it might make sense to refer to it as GNU/Linux, for example if you are comparing it to a distro that doesn’t use GNU, but other than that I don’t really see any point.

            • m532@lemmy.ml
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              2 years ago

              Android is not called Linux, macOS is not called Unix. Why would it be different with GNU?

    • Captain Beyond@linkage.ds8.zone
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      2 years ago

      Insisting that GNU be put on a pedestal does a disservice to the rest of the ecosystem.

      Interestingly, this is the exact same argument I make against putting Linux on a pedestal.

      • pingveno@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        From the article:

        Hammering on about “GNU/Linux” nomenclature