Re: [cle-devel] Re: fonts and patents

[Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>]

    In my opinion, they are indeed extending the "Linux", although not just
    Linux, as you correctly stated.

You're extending the operating system in which Linux is used.
But this operating system is not Linux.  Linux is the kernel.

The kernel is an important part of the system, but a kernel is not
useful by itself.  It becomes useful as part of a whole system.  Linux
is typically used as a component in a system which is basically the
GNU operating system.  The whole system is the combination of GNU and
Linux.  In other words, it's GNU/Linux.

    I see your concern, but I want to point out that their work does have
    *something* to do with Linux.  They (directly or indirectly) contribute to
    the Chinese Linux Documentation Project (CLDP); they patched the Linux
    kernel to support Chinese filenames; they started on Red Hat Linux; 

Actually, the name "Linux Documentation Project" is a misnomer,
because only prt of their documentation is about Linux.  Much of it
is about other parts of the GNU/Linux system.  "Red Hat Linux" is also
a misnomer; that is a version of the GNU/Linux system.

Developing the GNU operating system is the GNU Project's purpose.
We've been working on this system since 1984, and we are its principal
developers.

Would you please give us credit for this, by using our name when you
talk about the system?  Please call it GNU/Linux.

Giving credit is the right thing to do--but in this case, there's a
more important reason.  We started this project with idealism for
freedom and cooperation; the GNU operating system is our idealism,
made real.  Users should know this!  Users should know that idealism
can be practical, sometimes more practical than anything else.  If
users know where the system really comes from, they will understand
this.

Please see http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html for more
explanation.

      So, perhaps the CLE would be better named as "CGE"
    or "CGLE", as the Chinese GNU/Linux Extension Project.

That would be great--it would really help to explain the truth to
people in China.

							    It could create
    major confusion though, as the name "CLE" has been around for two (?) years
    and is quite well known among Chinese (GNU/)Linux communities.

It is not hard to explain this sort of name change, especially since
you can keep the old domain names and aliases working.  So this change
would only cause a small transient.  And it would help end a much
larger confusion.

So thank you in advance if you make this change.