Re: Debian trademark [was: Debian GNU/w32, may ready to be started?]

[tb@becket.net (Thomas Bushnell, BSG)]

Dale Scheetz <dwarf@polaris.net> writes:

> On 3 Dec 2001, Thomas Bushnell, BSG wrote:
> 
> > Dale Scheetz <dwarf@polaris.net> writes:
> > 
> > > RMS approached Debian nearly insisting that the distro be called Debian
> > > GNU/Linux because of the large component of GNU sofware in the distro. Why
> > > would he have any different desire for a set of GNU packages delivered to
> > > a non-Linux platform?
> > 
> > Because that particular non-Linux platform is not a free software
> > platform. 
> 
> So, neither is Sun OS. GNU software runs just fine in that proprietary OS.

Nobody calls it "GNU/SunOS".

> According the the FSF, any distribution that uses the complete set of GNU
> tools IS a GNU system, no matter what you want to call it.

Um, no.  You just don't understand the FSF's position.  The FSF's
position is that there is a specific operating system, called "GNU".
There is this related thing, called "GNU/Linux", which is a variant of
the GNU system in which the kernel is Linux.

But if you try to make a variant of the GNU system in which the kernel
isn't even free, you've stripped out an essential part of the GNU
system, so that the result is not even a variant of the GNU system
anymore. 

> No, I'm saying that it is silly to suggest that Debian becomes less free
> when run on a proprietary OS.

Debian is the complete OS, not some random assemblege of pieces.  If
the complete OS isn't free, then it isn't free.

If you want to take a bunch of Debian packages and port them to
windoze, feel free!  All I ask is:

1) Don't call it GNU.
2) Don't call it Debian.
3) Don't use Debian resources for the effort.

Thomas