In <[🔎] 200907221325.01147.ariestao@clearmail.com.au>, Charlie wrote: >I was recently informed that my signature had a problem rendering > correctly on someone's mailer - deliniter incorrect - and was told that > my signature "Linux Debian" should read "Debian GNU/Linux" because: > "considering that the majority of it is provided by GNU." I'm not sure the GNU project produces the majority of Debian, by any metric. They do provide some of the core utilities (bash, sed, grep, cat, gzip, etc.). However, X and KDE are a big part of Debian and either are a GNU project, neither is either of the official Debian kernels (Linux and kFreeBSD). >I have added GNU - but it may be silly? My own prejudice was that Linux > was first so should be first, that without it there would be no Debian? 1. Without Linux there *might* be no Debian. GNU HURD was being worked on, and it would have been possible to use a *BSD kernel before that was finished. However the viability of a Linux kernel and GNU userland definitely played a role in the founding of Debian beyond being technical solutions. 2. The GNU project was around for years before Linux was published. > Or as I asked my correspondent, who never replied, would there have been > an OpenBSD Debian or something like that? It could have been technically possible, but I think it is reasonable to say that Debian would be very different without Linux, if it would even exist. > Then should GNU go before > Debian or after? Or not be there at all? From what I understand, the official name of the product is "Debian GNU/Linux" and the official name of the project is just "Debian". I thought the GNU/kFreeBSD port became official with Lenny, but perhaps I am mistaken; I can't find any support for that statement. > Even if most comes from GNU > Debian is the one that creates it so? Debian doesn't *create* much software.[1] They do a lot of packaging and bug-wrangling, but Debian depends on upstream being available to add features, write new software, and fix non-packaging non-security bugs. -- Boyd Stephen Smith Jr. ,= ,-_-. =. bss@iguanasuicide.net ((_/)o o(\_)) ICQ: 514984 YM/AIM: DaTwinkDaddy `-'(. .)`-' http://iguanasuicide.net/ \_/ [1] Technically, Debian doesn't create any software, but many Debian Developers do create software either in their role as DDs or as part of other projects.
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