In <[🔎] jwveis8qy68.fsf-monnier+gmane.linux.debian.user@gnu.org>, Stefan Monnier wrote: >> I'm not sure the GNU project produces the majority of Debian, by >> any metric. > >I'm pretty sure it doesn't, because by and large "the GNU project" >doesn't produce any software. It provides technical, philosophical, >ethical, and political support to help and encourage the development and >use of Free Software. > >Part of that is to provide hosting services for some projects (on >savannah.gnu.org), but that usually doesn't count as "producing". > >A GNU software package basically is a software whose author(s) have >decided they'd like to see their name associated with the "GNU", either >because they want to show their support for the GNU movement, or because >they want their software to benefit from the GNU "brand" and get some >publicity from it, or because they wanted to use the savannah.gnu.org >hosting service, or somesuch. They also have to be accepted by the GNU project. Usually this involves limiting or eliminating any non-free bits in their source tree, and not depending on non-free bits at build or run time, as well as passing some "usefulness" criteria which amounts to not being a complete copy of another piece of GNU software. Saying GNU doesn't produce software is like saying Debian doesn't produce dpkg, apt-get, and aptitude. It's true by some reasoning (Debian doesn't produce software; Debian Developers do), but not an incredibly useful position outside of determining the legal ownership of any "IP". Individuals do the work, but they do it as actor for the GNU Project with support from the GNU Project. >What the GNU project has done is give a name and a visibility, defined >a set of guidelines (and licenses) and created the expectations that >define both the Open Source and the Free Software movement. Guidelines with still enchant, enlighten, and drive new hackers to providing more value to society. Big props to GNU, but when I'm talking about my OS, I use "Debian" or "Linux" and not "GNU" to describe it, and I don't have any problem with others doing the same. I do try to use to official name in writing or formal presentations; GNU deserves big props. -- Boyd Stephen Smith Jr. ,= ,-_-. =. bss@iguanasuicide.net ((_/)o o(\_)) ICQ: 514984 YM/AIM: DaTwinkDaddy `-'(. .)`-' http://iguanasuicide.net/ \_/
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