[Fsf-india] DEBATE: Why Linux... why GNU/Linux

[Raju Mathur]

>>>>> "RM" == Ramakrishnan M <gnuhead@myrealbox.com> writes:

    RM> Raju Mathur wrote:
    >> You're welcome to attack anyone's beliefs but attacking the
    >> person when you're reacting to his beliefs is an extremely
    >> childish and

    RM> I had been part of the movement for the past 6 to 7 years; Had
    RM> been hearing and reading AtulC's messages and his shows all
    RM> these years till about 2 years back. I stand by my words no
    RM> matter how childish it seem to you or others.

    >> immature thing to do.  Sorry, my respect for you just went down
    >> a few notches.

    RM> To be frank, I don't care!

Sad to see that so many members of the FSF-I community believe that
attacking a person is the right way to spread their message of freedom
and openness.

    >> licenses wherever possible.  I also use commercial software
    >> when I can't find or use a viable free alternative.  You're
    >> welcome to have

    RM> and you believe in free software?

Sure, I do (see under).

    >> your beliefs but please don't bother to tell me what I think
    >> and what philosophies I subscribe to and what I should call
    >> them.

    RM> The same arguments holds good for you too!

    >>  >> So it should be GNU/Apache/Linux.  >> >> But what
    >> about.....
    >> 
    RM> The author says as if he has found out some path breaking new
    RM> chemical element!! These arguments had been chewed over many
    RM> times in many many lists!! So it is not (g)new any more..:-)
    >>  And hence invalid?  Let's drop the Koran, the Gita and the
    >> Bible too while we're about it since they're not new either and
    >> hence meaningless by your implication.

    RM> Who stops you from calling it
    RM> Linux/Linus/RajuLinux/KandalayaLinux or whatever? call it by
    RM> whatever you can. No one stops you, not even RMS or FSF. What
    RM> FSF *requests* you is to give them its share of credit and
    RM> thereby let the people know how and why Free Software is
    RM> important for the society.

    RM> When you just call it Linux, you just plainly ignore the
    RM> social aspects of it and respect only the technical aspects of
    RM> it. This is what Eric Raymond's community does.

    RM>  From your arguments I understand that you are part of this
    RM> latter community which regards technical (and business)
    RM> aspects as the primary goals for using Free Software and
    RM> ignores the social and political aspects.

You are welcome to whatever assumptions you like and place me in any
community you like as long as you understand clearly that your
understanding and categorisation applies only to you and the rest of
the world doesn't really give a d*mn.  I believe what I believe and do
what I do, and your trivial categorisations are of the least
importance to me.  Of course, some people like to believe that they
have solved a problem as soon as they give it a name, but names are
shallow and superficial and both a result and a cause of sloppy
thinking.

Maybe if this community wasn't so obsessed with naming things they
could actually get some work done.  Right now all the energies appear
to be wasted in (a) trying to tell people who they are and what to
call what software and (b) making personal attacks on people.  Maybe
that's one way of awakening people, but don't mind if I stick to my
own way which tends to prefer doing over talking.

    >> You're welcome to think of Linux as the kernel; to me and
    >> millions of other people around the world Linux remains an
    >> operating system, with contributions from many sources
    >> including GNU.

    RM> You are free to think that way. No one stops you. Nobody
    RM> can. But remember, by the same argument, you or your friend
    RM> cannot stop me and other millions from thinking Linux as a
    RM> kernel which is just a part (but an important part) of a
    RM> greater thing called GNU.

    >> Cool, so do I.  And I thank RMS for one more thing: giving us a
    >> license which doesn't force nomenclature down the throats of
    >> people.

    RM> No license forces nomenclature (AFAIK). Not even MS EULA.

Regards,

-- Raju
-- 
Raju Mathur          raju@kandalaya.org           http://kandalaya.org/
                     It is the mind that moves