From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.bugs Subject: Re: A rose by any other name (was Re: [OT] Re: configure script) Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 15:46:39 -0600 (MDT) Sender: bug-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org Message-ID: <200206132146.g5DLkdN07519@aztec.santafe.edu> References: <61D0BADD.74BBFB3A.B8B383E9@netscape.net> <200206081915.g58JFT128804@aztec.santafe.edu> <538dgukrilgffka0tdkddf7hdph4i9b5va@4ax.com> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: localhost.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1024008257 6187 127.0.0.1 (13 Jun 2002 22:44:17 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 22:44:17 +0000 (UTC) Cc: gnu-emacs-bug@prep.ai.mit.edu Return-path: Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([199.232.76.164]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1 (Debian)) id 17IdKC-0001bf-00 for ; Fri, 14 Jun 2002 00:44:16 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 3.34 #1 (Debian)) id 17IcRz-000458-00; Thu, 13 Jun 2002 17:48:15 -0400 Original-Received: from pele.santafe.edu ([192.12.12.119]) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 3.34 #1 (Debian)) id 17IcQU-0003hX-00 for ; Thu, 13 Jun 2002 17:46:42 -0400 Original-Received: from aztec.santafe.edu (aztec [192.12.12.49]) by pele.santafe.edu (8.11.6+Sun/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g5DLkdQ19176; Thu, 13 Jun 2002 15:46:39 -0600 (MDT) Original-Received: (from rms@localhost) by aztec.santafe.edu (8.10.2+Sun/8.9.3) id g5DLkdN07519; Thu, 13 Jun 2002 15:46:39 -0600 (MDT) X-Authentication-Warning: aztec.santafe.edu: rms set sender to rms@aztec using -f Original-To: dmaster@synopsys.com In-Reply-To: (message from David Masterson on 12 Jun 2002 12:34:08 -0700) Errors-To: bug-gnu-emacs-admin@gnu.org X-BeenThere: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.9 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Bug reports for GNU Emacs, the Swiss army knife of text editors List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.bugs:2018 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.bugs:2018 > Trying to make people more aware of all the facts seems like a good > reason to "adulterate" the name to me. Why? People are aware of the facts. In my experience, most of the people who have heard about the GNU/Linux system think it is "Linux"; they have never heard of GNU, and have a mistaken picture of where the system came from. Even wizards can be misinformed; they have usually heard of GNU, but often they think GNU is a brand of "tools", which by good fortune happened to be useful in the "Linux operating system". Few are aware that GNU is the name of an operating system. They don't know that we set out in 1984 to develop an operating system, and that the system they call Linux is largely that system. Since your message refers to "the GNU toolset", it could be that you have fallen prey that particular confusion too. Calling the system GNU/Linux is easiest and most efficient way to help correct the confusion. If the FSF had a copyright (not a copyleft) on the GNU toolset, then perhaps they could request royalties from the Linux distributors and make an impact on getting the name changed. The FSF does has a copyright on some GNU programs (not on all of them); the copyright on a program is the basis for releasing a program under the GNU GPL. However, we do not try to force people to call the system "GNU/Linux". We ask people to do this because it is the right thing to do. You seem to be saying that if we do not try to force people to give us credit, we deserve none. In effect, you're assuming that *might makes right*--that I have a different view. I think that even though we do not force people to say GNU/Linux, they still ought to do what is right. Put aside about the other people--you don't make decisions for them, but you do make decisions for yourself. How about calling the system "GNU/Linux" yourself? We won't try to force you, but if it's the right thing, how about doing it voluntarily?