Definitive answer on meaning of GNU/Linux in "Debian GNU/Linux"
I followed the Debian GNU/Linux thread for a while with much amusement
as people increasingly split hairs over this silly topic. But in case
the following never came to light during the whole of the thread (and
I did not read the whole thread, as I eventually lost patience with it)
I think the following is about as definitive an answer to the question
as you're going to find anywhere. The following is an excerpt from the
GNU web site at:
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html
"Many people have made major contributions to the free software in
the system, and they all deserve credit. But the reason it is a
system -- and not just a collection of useful programs -- is
because the GNU Project set out to make it one. ...
"By the early 90s we had put together the whole system aside from
the kernel (and we were also working on a kernel, the GNU Hurd,
which runs on top of Mach). ...
"Fortunately, you don't have to wait for it, because Linux is
working now. When Linus Torvalds wrote Linux, he filled
the last major gap. People could then put Linux together with
the GNU system to make a complete free system: a Linux-based GNU
system (or GNU/Linux system, for short). ...
"The GNU Project supports GNU/Linux systems as well as the GNU
system -- even with funds. We funded the rewriting of the
Linux-related extensions to the GNU C library, so that
now they are well integrated, and the newest GNU/Linux systems
use the current library release with no changes. We also
funded an early stage of the development of Debian GNU/Linux."
So, in the end, Debian is "a Linux-based GNU system", for which
"GNU/Linux" is shorthand. If anything should be published on the
Debian web-site to clarify what "Debian GNU/Linux" is, it should
be reference to GNU's own definition of "GNU/Linux".
Ben
--
nSLUG http://www.nslug.ns.ca synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca
Debian http://www.debian.org synrg@debian.org
Chebucto http://www.chebucto.ns.ca aa458@chebucto.ns.ca
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