GNU / Linux name dispute

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As GNU / Linux naming controversy is a debate between supporters of the Free Software Movement and those of the open source -Lagers referred whether operating systems running on the Linux - operating system kernel on the one hand and the GNU packages on the other hand are based, as Linux or can be designated as GNU / Linux .

The Linux kernel consists of hardware-related software for scheduling , multitasking , device drivers , memory management , etc., the GNU packages include, among other things. a. from Shell , Coreutils , compilers such as GCC , libraries such as glibc and implementation of all functions of the POSIX System Application Program Interface (POSIX.1) etc. Together, the kernel and GNU packages result in a Unix-like operating system.

While the shorter term Linux has usually prevailed for the operating system, some projects, e.g. B. Debian and Knoppix , the designation GNU / Linux .

background

As part of the GNU project around its founder Richard Stallman , the development of the free operating system GNU began in the early 1980s . At first there was no kernel for this, development of the project's own operating system kernel GNU Hurd did not begin until 1990, but it was much more sluggish than that of the Linux kernel first announced by Linus Torvalds in 1991 .

In the notes on the initial release of Linux, Torvalds wrote: “Unfortunately, a kernel itself doesn't get you anywhere. To get a working system you need a shell, compiler, libraries, etc. These are separate parts and may be under stricter (or looser) copyright. Most of the tools that are used with Linux are GNU software [...]. ”From the perspective of Torvald and many early Linux users, the operating system was completed by various GNU packages - while from the perspective of the GNU project it was developed over the years Operating system GNU was completed by the kernel Linux.

Richard Stallman and the GNU Project advocate using the name GNU / Linux. The main goal is not to avoid confusion between the Linux system kernel and the entire GNU / Linux system . It is more about recognizing the role of the GNU project and its idealism in building the free software community, as well as reminding the public of the importance of these ideals. After all, there are users who use the GNU / Linux system without being aware of GNU . Stallman, the GNU project he initiated and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) he later founded pursue specific political goals (namely the propagation and distribution of Free Software), whereas Torvalds prefers his Linux kernel to apolitical open source software understands, without the freedom-fighting , network-political and civil rights aspects of the concept of free software being inherent. Thus, Stallman sees the omission of the "GNU" in GNU / Linux the danger that the GNU project is used to promote the political goals of the open source scene instead of their own.

For this reason, some Linux distributions that see themselves as part of the free software movement often refer to their distributions as "GNU / Linux" (e.g. Debian , Trisquel, gNewSense), while distributions that do not value them make political stipulations, mostly just name their distributions “Linux” (e.g. openSUSE, Ubuntu, Fedora). This detail is often a good indicator of the general philosophy of a Linux distribution. For example, in distributions called GNU / Linux, you will rarely find software packages that are distributed under a license that is not considered compatible with the goals of the Free Software Foundation, such as B. Flash plugins or MP3 codecs; As an alternative to the standard distribution kernel, many even offer a version of the Linux kernel that does not contain any components that are under a license not recognized by the FSF, called Linux-libre . In contrast, distributions that simply refer to themselves as "Linux" tend to offer a large number of non-FSF-compliant packages and often even install these automatically in their default settings (e.g. Linux Mint ). When the Ubuntu distribution integrated an Amazon online search into its desktop environment in 2012 , Stallman believed that it was spyware and a betrayal of the ideals of the free software movement.

Linus Torvalds, on the other hand, writes: “It doesn't really matter what people call Linux, as long as honor is given to what honor is due (on both sides). Personally, I'll keep saying 'Linux' […] The GNU people tried to call it GNU / Linux and that's ok. "

Linux without GNU

When Richard Stallman initiated the name dispute, almost every Linux-based device was also GNU-based at the same time. Since around 2004, however, numerous embedded systems such as routers or network attached storage for the SOHO area that use Linux as the kernel but contain very few or no GNU components have been booming . In order to get by with little main and permanent memory, alternatives are used that do not offer all the functions of the GNU versions, but make do with relatively small hardware resources. Often uClibc is used instead of glibc as a C library and BusyBox instead of the command line commands from GNU and other sources. Some embedded systems use the GNU components glibc or the derived eglibc , but use BusyBox for the command line commands. They have a comparatively small amount of GNU software.

The Android smartphone and tablet operating system uses Bionic as the C program library and the Android toolbox for command line commands, which is designed as a multi-call binary similar to the BusyBox concept, but contains only a few commands and options.

The FSF does not designate such systems with little or no GNU program code as GNU / Linux. Due to the increasing spread of Internet-enabled devices that are not classic PCs or notebooks ( Internet of Things ), the percentage of Linux-based devices that actually have a relevant share of GNU software is continuously decreasing.

In addition to the pure name dispute, the term GNU / Linux is therefore increasingly gaining a real meaning as a generic term for classic desktop or server-based Linux distributions. Nevertheless, the term remains uncommon in everyday use. While Android is mostly perceived as its own operating system, the operating systems in Linux-based devices with uClibc and Busybox are often simply referred to as Linux , although embedded Linux is also common to distinguish it from desktop Linux systems.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Linux Kernel Archives
  2. ^ POSIX - The GNU C Library
  3. ↑ glibc (Posix)
  4. ^ Richard Stallman: new UNIX implementation. Free Unix! In: net.unix-wizards, net.usoft (newsgroups). September 27, 1983, accessed April 22, 2017 .
  5. ↑ history. In: Website of the GNU Hurd project. Retrieved April 22, 2017 (English).
  6. ↑ Linus Torvalds: What would you like to see most in minix? In: comp.os.minix (newsgroup). August 25, 1991, accessed April 22, 2017 .
  7. ^ Translation from English: “Sadly, a kernel by itself gets you nowhere. To get a working system you need a shell, compilers, a library etc. These are separate parts and may be under a stricter (or even looser) copyright. Most of the tools used with Linux are GNU software [...] "; Linus Torvalds: Notes for Linux release 0.01. 1991, accessed April 22, 2017 .
  8. ↑ "Therefore they were starting with Linux and finding these other pieces and putting them on top of Linux. So they call that a Linux system which they really shouldn't have done. " Transcripts from the Speech of Richard M. Stallman at the Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, Chennai. In: Website of the Indian Linux User Group Chennai. March 13, 2002, archived from the original on April 26, 2006 ; accessed on April 22, 2017 (English).
  9. ↑ Why is it called GNU / Linux and not 'Linux'?
  10. ↑ Why is the name important?
  11. ↑ GNU users who have never heard of GNU
  12. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSmsmbgVWxc Richard Stallman on Free Software (English)
  13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thSFeT4u9Zw Richard Stallman On FOSS GNU And Freedom 10 of 14 (English)
  14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M90o-Ue4UQI Richard Stallman On FOSS GNU And Freedom 11 of 14 (English)
  15. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw58LZTuZjA Linux Torvalds: Disagreement with Free Software Foundation (English)
  16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSOYm16v3PM Open Source Movement vs. Free software
  17. ↑ Stallman criticizes Ubuntu for "spyware" , Heise Open Source, December 8, 2012
  18. ^ Translation from English; Linus Torvalds, Lignux, what's the matter with you people? , comp.os.linux.misc newsgroup (June 3, 1996)
  19. ↑ Android Anatomy and Physiology (PDF): Google I / O . May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved on August 28, 2014.
  20. ↑ GNU / Linux: Frequently Asked Questions . Retrieved August 28, 2014.