X-Git-Url: http://git.hcoop.net/bpt/emacs.git/blobdiff_plain/d3cdc6d04d545ddd0644646325b027dc11404d01..3bf234fa520ff90db31fae85f306befdadb24532:/etc/LINUX-GNU diff --git a/etc/LINUX-GNU b/etc/LINUX-GNU dissimilarity index 99% index b219a18d18..9e1c1a513a 100644 --- a/etc/LINUX-GNU +++ b/etc/LINUX-GNU @@ -1,147 +1,8 @@ - Linux and the GNU system - -The GNU project started in 1984 with the goal of developing a complete -free Unix-like operating system: GNU. "Free" refers to freedom, not -price; it means you are free to run, copy, distribute, study, change, -and improve the software. - -A Unix-like system consists of many different programs. We found some -components already available as free software--for example, X Windows -and TeX. We obtained other components by helping to convince their -developers to make them free--for example, the Berkeley network -utilities. This left many missing components that we had to write in -order to produce GNU--for example, GNU Emacs, the GNU C compiler, the -GNU C library, Bash, and Ghostscript. The GNU system consists of all -these components together. - -The GNU project is not just about developing and distributing some -useful free software. The heart of the GNU project is an idea: that -software should be free, that software users should have freedom to -participate in a community. To run your computer, you need an -operating system; if it is not free, your freedom has been denied. To -have freedom, you need a free operating system. We therefore set out -to write one. - -In the long run, though, we cannot expect to keep the free operating -system free unless the users are aware of the freedom it gives them, -and value that freedom. People who do not appreciate their freedom -will not keep it long. If we want to make freedom last, we need to -spread awareness of the freedoms they have in free software. - -The GNU project's method is that free software and the idea of users' -freedom support each other. We develop GNU software, and as people -encounter GNU programs or the GNU system and start to use them, they -also think about the GNU idea. The software shows that the idea can -work in practice. Some of these people come to agree with the idea, -and then they are more likely to write additional free software. -Thus, the software embodies the idea, spreads the idea, and grows from -the idea. - -Early on in the development of GNU, various parts of it became popular -even though users needed proprietary systems to run them on. Porting -the system to many systems and maintaining them required a lot of -work. After that work, most GNU software is easily configured for a -variety of different platforms. - -By 1991, we had found or written all of the essential major components -of the system except the kernel, which we were writing. (This kernel -consists of the Mach microkernel plus the GNU HURD. The first test -release was made in 1996. Now, in 2002, it is running well, and -Hurd-based GNU systems are starting to be used.) - -That was the situation when Linux came into being. Linux is a kernel, -like the kernel of Unix; it was written by Linus Torvalds, who -released it under the GNU General Public License. He did not write -this kernel for GNU, but it fit into the gap in GNU. The combination -of GNU and Linux included all the major essential components of a -Unix-compatible operating system. Other people, with some work made -the combination into a usable system. The principal use of Linux, the -kernel, is as part of this combination. - -The popularity of the GNU/Linux combination is success, in the sense -of popularity, for GNU. Ironically, the popularity of GNU/Linux -undermines our method of communicating the ideas of GNU to people who -use GNU. - -When GNU programs were only usable individually on top of another -operating system, installing and using them meant knowing and -appreciating these programs, and thus being aware of GNU, which led -people to think about the philosophical base of GNU. Now users can -install a unified operating system which is basically GNU, but they -usually thing these are "Linux systems". At first impression, a -"Linux system" sounds like something completely distinct from the "GNU -system," and that is what most users think. - -This leads many users to identify themselves as a separate community -of "Linux users", distinct from the GNU user community. They use more -than just some GNU programs, they use almost all of the GNU system, -but they don't think of themselves as GNU users. Often they never -hear about the GNU idea; if they do, they may not think it relates to -them. - -Most introductions to the "Linux system" acknowledge that GNU software -components play a role in it, but they don't say that the system as a -whole is a modified version of the GNU system that the GNU project has -been developing and compiling since Linus Torvalds was in junior high -school. They don't say that the main reason this free operating -exists is that the GNU Project worked persistently to achieve its goal -of freedom. - -As a result, most users don't know these things. They believe that -the "Linux system" was developed by Linus Torvalds "just for fun", and -that their freedom is a matter of good fortune rather than the -dedicated pursuit of freedom. This creates a danger that they will -leave the survival of free software to fortune as well. - -Since human beings tend to correct their first impressions less than -called for by additional information they learn later, these users -will tend to continue to underestimate their connection to GNU even if -they do learn the facts. - -When we began trying to support the GNU/Linux system, we found this -widespread misinformation led to a practical problem--it hampered -cooperation on software maintenance. Normally when users change a GNU -program to make it work better on a particular system, they send the -change to the maintainer of that program; then they work with the -maintainer, explaining the change, arguing for it, and sometimes -rewriting it for the sake of the overall coherence and maintainability -of the package, to get the patch installed. But people who thought of -themselves as "Linux users" showed a tendency to release a forked -"Linux-only" version of the GNU program and consider the job done. In -some cases we had to redo their work in order to make GNU programs run -as released in GNU/Linux systems. - -How should the GNU project encourage its users to cooperate? How -should we spread the idea that freedom for computer users is -important? - -We must continue to talk about the freedom to share and change -software--and to teach other users to value these freedoms. If we -value having a free operating system, it makes sense to think about -preserving those freedoms for the long term. If we value having a -variety of free software, it makes sense to think about encouraging -others to write free software, instead of proprietary software. - -However, it is not enough just to talk about freedom; we must also -make sure people know the reasons it is worth listening to what we -say. - -Long explanations such as our philosophical articles are one way of -informing the public, but you may not want to spend so much time on -the matter. The most effective way you can help with a small amount -of work is simply by using the terms "Linux-based GNU system" or -"GNU/Linux system", instead of "Linux system," when you write about or -mention such a system. Seeing these terms will show many people the -reason to pay attention to our philosophical articles. - -The system as a whole is more GNU than Linux; the name "GNU/Linux" is -fair. When you are choosing the name of a distribution or a user -group, a name with "GNU/Linux" will reflect both roots of the combined -system, and will bring users into connection with both--including the -spirit of freedom and community that is the basis and purpose of GNU. - - -Copyright 1996, 2002 Richard Stallman -Verbatim copying and redistribution is permitted -without royalty as long as this notice is preserved. - +Linux and the GNU system + +Note added March 2014: + +This file is obsolete and will be removed in future. +Please update any references to use + +