this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2023
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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For me its GNU/linux formally. Linux would not mean anything to me without the gpl. I would likely be using freeBSD or sticking with windows/mac. Heck I would be using mac now if they had not abandoned their great warrantly support of pre 2010
Alpine Linux is a distro without GNU, same with Android (typically Busybox and no glibc) - so just seems frivolous to add it when talking about the kernel just because some tiny amount of users have it in their systems. If it's license only, would it be better to just call it GPL/Linux?
Maybe. Personaly I don't sue the non gnu linux except for android which I think of as android and like about as much as I like windows. So not a whole lot. Granted I appreciate what they both do but they constantly annoying me in implementations. I digress though. So for me the GNU still works. IM actually sorta curious about alpine now. Its using whole cloth implementions of functionaility like the GNU utils? I mean gnu had to do that to make gpl versions of unix commands but why did alpine bother?
Out of curiosity, what specifically do you dislike about Android? If it is stock androids google crap, I get that, but there are some solid ROMs out there.
I really don't like smart phones in general. So I also don't like ios. There is a very small use case where I like the formfactor and that is like using the old tricorder app or the stellarium app but basically I have not taken to it the way the rest of society has.
That’s fair. I like the convenience of having a computer in my pocket for some things, but trying to do actual meaningful tasks on one is awful.
Same here. My smartphone is for looking up/verifying factual information, voice-dictating texts to my wife, emergency phone calls...aaaaaaand Waze -- a crowdsourced GPS that helps me avoid speed traps while driving.
There wasn't really a "bother". They use Busybox for CLI utilities, and LLVM for compiler. It's arguable that gcc is the real "gnu" in the gnu utilities, or maybe the GPL itself depending on who you ask. That's kind of my point I guess -- the "GNU" portion of the OS isn't really an integral (or even majority) part of the whole system.
I can't think I can say that for the kernel. Can you strip out the kernel and just replace it with a different one with some package changes?
its funny because just after writing I was thinking maybe it ported the freebsd ones over to linux but busy box makes sense now that I look at it on the web. I am tempted as I love minimalist.