Re: Debian trademark [was: Debian GNU/w32, may ready to be started?]
Peter Mathiasson wrote:
> Wouldn't it be better to help making wine support thoose applications?
> Or, even better of course, make free compatible software.
All that is well and good, but there is still the problem that many
corporate network admins don't know how to support Linux, and don't want
to, and therefore insist that everyone run Win32. Having Cygwin
available is a good thing, since it allows people who have no choice but
to run Win32 to use GNU tools. Cygwin users can then evangelize Cygwin
to other Win32 users, and once a Win32 user has learned to work in
Cygwin, he's learned a lot about working in Unix-like operating systems,
and is therefore somewhat better prepared to drop Win32 entirely (and
hopefully less resistant to doing so). This can help to build pressure
from the user side to encourage the admins to either accept *n*x, or
be replaced by admins who already know it. So I see Cygwin as a useful
transitional thing.
As to whether the GNU or Debian names should be associated with a
Cygwin- based Debian distribution, I think the issue has been beaten to
death without conclusive resolution in this thread. The sensible thing
to do is submit the question to the FSF and the Debian Project. Whether
this is legally required or not, it seems like the polite the thing to
do.
Craig
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