GNU-Linux vs Linux naming [was RE: LAM/MPI Parallel processing]

["Jonathan Shore" <jshore@example.com>]

I assume the following is flame-bait?  There is no useful content in the
enclosed message other than the GNU naming versus Linux naming (mine
included).

As for GNU-linux versus linux.  The fact is Linus put in an incredible
amount of work to make the kernel happen - something some of us could have
done in theory but didn't do.  I know I was hacking around on minix many
years ago, but wouldn't have had to patience and the follow-through to make
it into something like Linux.  Neither did GNU - hurd was talked about for
years - the theory was great but the followthrough abismal.  And If you want
to get picky then you should make the name Minix-GNU-Linux, as linux grew
out of minix and various GNU tools ported to minix.

JS

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen J. Turnbull [mailto:turnbull@example.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2000 9:42 AM
To: tlug@example.com
Subject: Re: LAM/MPI Parallel processing


Sigh.  Chris, Austin, maybe we should go revive tuug or something.

>>>>> "mumei" == someone I have nothing personal against but whose
                 post was really icky

    mumei>   I know about it, but so many people call a Beowulf any
    mumei> dedicated cluster of computers made for high-performance
    mumei> computing tasks that have their own private networking.

And billions of earthworms eat their own excrement.  Humans do not; we
humans have long since evolved past that.

Don't abuse names (or other words, for that matter) only for
laziness's sake.  Among other things, it makes it much harder to
receive or give good advice.

    mumei> Maybe it's just a kind of technical language evolution.

_De_volution.

People do that _intentionally_ with malice; they want to look like
they know what they're talking about without having to learn what
they're talking about.  It is intentional, self-serving debasement of
a poor defenseless language.

Words are important.  Look at the Lignux[1] fiasco.  (Re)read ESR's
_The Cathedral and the Bazaar and Other Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales,
Court Records, Press Releases, and Lies[2] of Open Source_ about the
rewards to hackish prowess.


Footnotes:
[1]  Stallman is right; on the merits, it _should_ be the GNU system.
Arguments that a Linux distro includes lots of shit that no self-
respecting hacker would permit on his system are incorrect; once the
kernel was written, the system was bootstrapped using the GNU
utilities, and they are sufficient to run the system.  Yes, BSD
networking is an exception.  XFree86?  Bzzt.  X11 is part of the GNU
system ;) although not developed by GNU, rather in spite of it I
should guess.

But the fact that it's called a "Linux system," not "GNU," is rms's
own head-up-ass fault:  no kernel, no GNU system.  Provide a kernel,
and the system gets named after it.

[2]  But no statistics.

--
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