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From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
To: lm@bitmover.com
CC: lm@bitmover.com, acahalan@cs.uml.edu, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
In-reply-to: <20030109232438.GH15590@work.bitmover.com> (message from Larry
	McVoy on Thu, 9 Jan 2003 15:24:38 -0800)
Subject: Re: Nvidia and its choice to read the GPL "differently"
Reply-to: rms@gnu.org
References: <200301050802.h0582u4214558@saturn.cs.uml.edu> <E18Vaoa-0002Pm-00@fencepost.gnu.org> <20030106173705.GP1386@work.bitmover.com> <E18Vtxy-0002c2-00@fencepost.gnu.org> <20030107142612.GO17602@work.bitmover.com> <E18WB8R-0004k9-00@fencepost.gnu.org> <20030108135109.GA8049@work.bitmover.com> <E18Wlsj-0000Zr-00@fencepost.gnu.org> <20030109232438.GH15590@work.bitmover.com>
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Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 19:21:21 -0500
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    And isn't that exactly the line of reasoning which leads you to the 
    conclusion that Linux should be GNU/Linux?

See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html for our lines of reasoning.
They show two different ways in which the GNU developers are the principal
developers of the GNU/Linux system of today.

      You haven't 
    contributed any more than anyone else, that's for sure.

I won't repeat the facts I presented recently.

      GCC is 
    nice and all, but by your own reasoning if GCC didn't exist, a
    different compiler would have shown up.

There must be a misunderstanding because I never said anything like
that.

Some components of the system did just "show up", including TeX, X11,
and Linux.  But these did not make a whole system.  If we had waited
for everything to show up, we might not have it today.

The reason we have a free operating system is because people were
systematically and intentionally working to produce one.  Those people
were and are the GNU Project.

    Why are you more important than
    the entire windowing system, which is dramatically more source and
    more effort?

X11 is a substantial component, but apparently not as big as our
contribution, judging from Richter's count.
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