Re: Nvidia and its choice to read the GPL "differently"

Christoph Hellwig
2003-01-03T21:19:49Z

On Fri, Jan 03, 2003 at 03:31:07PM -0500, Richard Stallman wrote:
> If you call the system "Linux", you are misinforming other people:
> teaching them a false picture of the system's history. Some of them
> may become so attached to the false picture that it distorts their
> thinking. If you call it "GNU/Linux", this won't happen.

The term Linux for the whole system might be inaccurate, but it's what
is used and as long as the owner of the name Linux (Linus) doesn't complain
that's fine. Calling it GNU/Linux is 1984-style changing of history, though.

All so-called Linux distributions were created from lots of different
components. Many, often important, components came from the GNU project,
other from BSD NET/2 other were written from scratch, etc.. But these
collection of packages had had exactly _zero_ connection to the FSF and
the GNU project except reusing some components from the GNU project.

And no, Linux distributions weren't the only people doing that. Look at
the number of GNU components in say BSDI where they combined it with
propritary software.

I'd also like to add the the FSF didn't give a shit for Linux until it
got popular enough to ride on the bandwaggon.