(Linux != UNIX) (Was Re: OT HP Vectra Networking)

From: Doug Yowza <yowza_at_yowza.com>
Date: Tue Dec 8 17:34:43 1998

On Tue, 8 Dec 1998, Ward Donald Griffiths III wrote:

> Yup. Linux Ain't Unix. It Ain't Minix. It ain't GNU, though it uses
> Stallman's Copyleft. Yes, every Linux distribution uses gagloads of
> GNU material, properly attributed, all source available, and Stallman
> has nothing to complain about except that people have been making
> money selling free software. (That's free as in something other than
> the price -- Open Source).

AFAIK, Stallman never had a problem with people selling "free" software,
or making money from it in other ways such as Cygnus support. FSF used to
make money themselves by selling tapes or CD-ROMs with hefty margins.
They still offer "deluxe" packages for $5K and CD-ROMs for $240 to corps
and $60 to peons, but I doubt they sell very well.

According to the interview I read (from 1996), Stallman considers Linux to
be the fullfillment of his mission to make Unix free, but he might be a
bit unhappy that Linus is seen as the creator of something that couldn't
have been pulled off without his help. Linux would be a sorry joke
without GNU.

-- Doug
Received on Tue Dec 08 1998 - 17:34:43 GMT