Re: Bug#220401: ITP: linux-experimental -- Linux 2.4 kernel [EXPERIMENTAL PACKAGE]

[Matthew Garrett <mgarrett@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Robert Millan wrote:

>There's no consistency in that, since FreeBSD and NetBSD are not kernels.

Robert, your (frankly autistic) worldview worries me. What do you
believe would be in a freebsd-kernel or netbsd-kernel package? What do
you believe would be in a linux-kernel package? When someone says
"Linux", do you think they generally mean something massively different
to when they say "NetBSD"? 

We occasionally alter package names from upstream in order to make it
clearer what the package contains. Even if they're wrong, it is common
usage to use "linux" to describe the OS. People I know who do use the
"GNU/Linux" phrase to refer to the OS continue to talk about "the Linux
kernel" in order to reduce confusion. The image associated with "apt-get
install linux" is one of getting an entire OS, not a kernel. It's not a
massively important issue, but given your earlier statements about
desire for consistency, it would seem to make sense to keep the package
names consistent across the ports.

-- 
Matthew Garrett | mjg59-chiark.mail.debian.devel@srcf.ucam.org