509
submitted 1 year ago by Gork@lemm.ee to c/linuxmemes@lemmy.world
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] jsnc@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The shortest proper name is GNU.

Inb4 Alpine, which is just called "Linux" internally.

People use terrible words in CS and engineering in general. Doesn't mean we don't challenge them.

[-] rikudou 17 points 1 year ago

I mean, GNU wants to be called an operating system but it can't talk to hardware.

[-] starman@programming.dev 10 points 1 year ago

Linux want to be called an operating system but it's a kernel.

if only there was a way to combine these two...

[-] jsnc@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago

And hardware can't talk to it. Has it ever occurred to you that there's more at stake here? That companies feel the need to lock away hardware in order to drive their profit line.

At least GNU has something interesting to say about computer science. And for what it's worth, it's telling to know that you woild rather disparage GNU rather than the purposeful decisions made by executives and manufactuers to render both hardware and software undocumented and subjugating.

But no! That's "unfixable" and we need to learn how to "deal with it." God forbid anyone makes a ruckus about it. Freedom for me but not for thee in this fast paced economy.

You picked the status quo and are now complaining that people reject the status quo.

[-] rikudou 10 points 1 year ago

I feel like you misunderstood. Operating system has many functions, one of the most important ones is talking to hardware. GNU cannot do that because that's the kernel's job. And the kernel is Linux. So they claim they're an operating system but can't do the most fundamental thing an operating system needs to do.

[-] rambaroo@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Well by that token Linux can't claim to be an OS either, since as your own comment mentions it only performs one function of an OS. It's important that it can talk to hardware but it's not an OS if it can't do anything else.

[-] rikudou 1 points 1 year ago

That's debatable, Linux (the kernel) does much more than communicate with hardware - it manages memory allocations, handles processes etc. GNU is a set of tools. While some tools are needed for the OS to even make sense (without tools it just sits there and does nothing), you could write a simple program used as the init process and nothing else than the program and Linux is needed. Which leads me to believe that the kernel is the OS.

[-] jsnc@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 1 year ago

What? GNU has a kernel, it's called Linux!

[-] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 year ago

no. gnu does have a kernel. But it's not linux. it's called gnu hurd. It is actually about a year older than linux. It isn't finished, and barely anyone uses it

[-] Faresh@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

GNU Hurd technically isn't the kernel. GNU Mach is.

[-] jsnc@lemmy.blahaj.zone -3 points 1 year ago

GNU has both Hurd and Linux, very powerful indeed!

[-] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 year ago

just, no. linux is simply not a gnu project. at all.

If it were, we wouldn't be hearing about them wanting to call it gnu/linux because, in their own words, the os is "gnu with linux added"

they'd just want to call it gnu.

a very quick google search could have told you that

[-] jsnc@lemmy.blahaj.zone -3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't use "google search" because it is nonfree software; linux was not started by the GNU project members. However, GNU does have a linux, it's called Linux-libre.

GNU is the operating system in its entirety. GNU/Linux is the name used to best describe the exact operating system by giving principal credit to the Linux foundation. The GNU part is to highlight the fact that it is a libre operating system first and foremost.

Perhaps I need to reread the essays again, but the main takeaway is that what's at stake here isn't credit but the political legacy of software freedom. Something that is made obvious by your last remark.

[-] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago

so that is linux-libre, not linux. linux still is not a gnu project.

[-] jsnc@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Great observation! I'm glad you feel better now.

[-] vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 1 year ago

just curious.... which foss search engine do you use?

[-] jsnc@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 1 year ago

Searxng, Whoogle, Librex, Mullvad Leta (accessible with a Mullvad subscription)

I also use brave search with many of its SaaS features turned off (AI summary, discussions) because Brave has a independent index thats useful to consult. The previous ones I mentioned are proxies to already established indices.

this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
509 points (95.7% liked)

linuxmemes

21222 readers
78 users here now

Hint: :q!


Sister communities:


Community rules (click to expand)

1. Follow the site-wide rules

2. Be civil
  • Understand the difference between a joke and an insult.
  • Do not harrass or attack members of the community for any reason.
  • Leave remarks of "peasantry" to the PCMR community. If you dislike an OS/service/application, attack the thing you dislike, not the individuals who use it. Some people may not have a choice.
  • Bigotry will not be tolerated.
  • These rules are somewhat loosened when the subject is a public figure. Still, do not attack their person or incite harrassment.
  • 3. Post Linux-related content
  • Including Unix and BSD.
  • Non-Linux content is acceptable as long as it makes a reference to Linux. For example, the poorly made mockery of sudo in Windows.
  • No porn. Even if you watch it on a Linux machine.
  • 4. No recent reposts
  • Everybody uses Arch btw, can't quit Vim, and wants to interject for a moment. You can stop now.

  • Please report posts and comments that break these rules!

    founded 1 year ago
    MODERATORS