Re:Profile of Linus Torvalds
by dragonwriter on Tuesday June 16, 2015 @01:41PM
(#9727473)
To be fair to RMS, commercial entities selling "Operating Systems" have usually used the label, even before RMS and the Free Software movement were widely noticed by outsiders, to refer to not only the kernel, but the whole package of software and tools sold as a package with it.
Re:Profile of Linus Torvalds
by emodendroket on Tuesday June 16, 2015 @02:41PM
(#9727910)
Who knows. I see ads all the time for the "Xfinity Entertainment Operating System" which as far as I can tell is just television service.
What about Unix, CP/M, DOS..? None of those are kernels yet they were said to be operating systems and before GNU was announced.
My question is has Linus ever considered Linux to be the operating system rather than just the name of the kernel?
Re:Profile of Linus Torvalds
by donuteaters on Tuesday June 16, 2015 @05:02PM
(#9728679)
Actually, all of those have something strongly resembling a kernel, and DOS in particular makes a nice distinction between the basic services (BIOS) and whatever userland you choose to install on top of it. I think you're making my point - "Operating System" used to mean the "kernel" before RMS wanted to ride on Linux's coat tails and Microsoft wanted to bundle their browser anti-competitively - both of which are distasteful.
Depends... if the conversation is a short coming in any part of Linux that isn't the kernel, then Linux means the kernel. If it's something positive, then Linux is the kernel, boot code, userland, and anything else that can be fit under the umbrella.
This narrative is incorrect.
As evidence, take the POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface) standard, which included portions of the user-space C library in the POSIX.1 (Core Services) published in 1988. While the name "POSIX" was suggested by RMS, the notion that it might have been part of an agenda to claim credit for Linux violates causality (the very first version of Linux was released in 1991).
POSIX.2 is "Shell And Utilities", and was published in 1992.
Clearly, the notion that the operating system extended beyond the kernel was not a fringe one.
Re:Profile of Linus Torvalds
by shit_parade2 on Tuesday June 16, 2015 @02:02PM
(#9727633)
Ritchie's ghost tells you to get off his digital lawn
However, clearly the RMS propaganda machine has worked, and now the phrase has a new meaning to the new generation... So feel free to not read anything that might contradict with your point of view.