[Mageia-discuss] Linux is a KERNEL not an OS

[Renaud (Ron) OLGIATI]

On Wednesday 02 March 2011, my mailbox was graced by a missive
 from Richard Couture <rrc at linuxcabal.org> who wrote:

> Throughout the pages at www.Mageia.org there are references to Linux as 
> if it is an OS or a distribution, which in my opinion not only robs the 
> people of the GNU ṕroject of the credit for the great operating system 
> that they have developed and maintain, but also is a great way for us to 
> wave our flag of ignorance.
 
I am afraid that you have to accept that "Linux" has now gone the same way as 
"Xerox" or "Freigidaire", and has acquired a wider meaning in common parlance 
than its original.

We (and trademark lawyers) may deplore that state of affairs, we can try to 
hold back the oncoming tide and use "GNU-Linux" whenever we get a chance, but 
we must also accept that, for the great majority of those who know about 
Linux, it has come to refer to the OS, not just the kernel.

To quote the Wikipedia entry on Linux:
"Linux (commonly pronounced /ˈlɪnəks/ LIN-əks in American English,[also 
pronounced /ˈlɪnʊks/ LIN-ooks in Europe) refers to the family of Unix-like 
computer operating systems using the Linux kernel. "
 
Cheers,
 
Ron.
-- 
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