Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Tue, 7 Jan 2003 21:21:17 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Tue, 7 Jan 2003 21:21:17 -0500 Received: from TYO202.gate.nec.co.jp ([202.32.8.202]:23541 "EHLO TYO202.gate.nec.co.jp") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Tue, 7 Jan 2003 21:21:15 -0500 To: dpaun@rogers.com Cc: rms@gnu.org, lm@bitmover.com, acahalan@cs.uml.edu, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Nvidia and its choice to read the GPL "differently" References: <200301050802.h0582u4214558@saturn.cs.uml.edu> <20030106173705.GP1386@work.bitmover.com> <200301071118.41059.dpaun@rogers.com> Reply-To: Miles Bader System-Type: i686-pc-linux-gnu Blat: Foop From: Miles Bader Date: 08 Jan 2003 11:29:47 +0900 In-Reply-To: <200301071118.41059.dpaun@rogers.com> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 2877 Lines: 49 "Dimitrie O. Paun" writes: > I know you have a very strong sentimental attachment to GNU, > and that's more than understandable. But in the great scheme of things, > it's a minor issue. As much as you like them to, people don't attach > semantics to names. Period. They just want a catchy label, and that's all. I think you're quite wrong -- names are very important, much more so than it may seem at first. If someone's mom (having heard the gossip) asks their computer-literate child, `What is this XXX thing, anyway?', the answer is likely to be very different when XXX is "GNU" as opposed to when XXX is "Linux". The reason is that GNU _starts_ with freedom as an idea, and builds software on top of that; it's very hard to explain GNU without explaining freedom too. Most people that associate themself with the `Linux' movement, OTOH, seem to start with `look at all the cool stuff it does;' the freedom part, even for those that care about it, seems to remain on the periphery (I hope I don't piss anyone off with this characterization, this is just what I've observed!). Which approach is the right one obviously depends on your priorities, but it's pretty clear to me that these respective groups of people _do_ associate themselves with the names. I think that's one reason Richard's attempts to get people to use GNU/linux have met with such strong resistance (yeah, I know it's not the _only_ reason). Perhaps, if everyone starting using `GNU/linux,' it would actually _dilute_ the meaning of GNU, since many people that had no idea about what GNU means would suddenly start using it just because someone told them the name had changed from Linux. None-the-less, I think it would have some of the opposite effect too, making people that previously never thought about it wonder `what's this GNU?' On a slight tangent: I bought an electronic english/japanese dictionary about 8 years ago, and it happened to have a definition of GNU in it, complete with a short (and I think accurate) description of free software! Recently I bought a new dictionary; it doesn't define GNU, but it does contain a definition of `Linux' -- and the summary is `a competitor to windows'! It then goes into further detail saying it's `freeware' (free-beer free), and worked on cooperatively by its users, but no mention of `freedom' as such; it's clear the dicionary makers were just a bit confused, but I wonder if they'd have gotten it right if the name contained `GNU', with its strong associations with freedom... -Miles -- The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. --Albert Einstein - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/