Re: [seul-sci] [Fwd: Credit where credit is due]

[Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@canada.com>]

>>>>> "J" == Joseph Sollenberger <n3mkh@netrax.net> writes:

    J> I always liked the Yggdrasil Computing, Inc. LGX logo.  Linux,
    J> GNU and X-windows.  An even more precise statement :)

Precisely the problem with the whole argument.  In a typical Linux
distro, less than half of it is FSF/GNU.  If we must give credit for
every mention of the generic whole-package name, we will still be
reading credits while the customer is off running Windows.

The _platform_ is _linux_.  Plain and simple.  binutils, textutils and
fileutils are primarily GNU and BSD, bash is FSF, the C compiler is
Cygnus, but based on (and pays homage to) GNU FSF code.  The biggest
contribution is the libc/libstdc++, but while these are crucial files
used by most applications, they are small in terms of the whole opus
of any application. That's about it for the average user.  Perl is not
FSF, neither is Apache, AbiWord, LyX, TeTex, Jade, Mozilla, KDE,
StarOffice, LiCQ, pppd, mgetty ... in my current process table,
samba, sendmail, postfix, slapd, Java, MySQL, Postgres, XFree, openssh,
and XEmacs are all non-GNU --- must I tag the platform box name with
_all_ of them?

The average desktop/office user does not use only the binutils or the
fileutils, but uses KDE or Helix's Gnome; all the FSF stuff is way
under the hood, and by the argument in this letter, we must also give
credit to the Intel/AMD microcoders who are also under the same hood.

(sigh) The _truth_ is, _every_ FSF-written and FSF-derived program on
_every_ Linux distro is given _full_ credit --- no attempt is made to
usurp ownership or to hide the GNU contributions behind other brand
names.  The GNU copyright is respected and endorsed in every case, and
every transgression is taken most seriously and immediately weeded out.
That is the only requirement of the GPL.

Thus the entire argument is null, void, and segfaults into
terresterone-fueled rantings over sour grapes.

-- 
Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@linux.ca>: office voice/fax: 01 519 4222723
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