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

[Bill Ries-Knight <brk@slip.net>]

Gary,
Did you cc:RMS on this email?

Bill


Gary Lawrence Murphy wrote:
> 
> >>>>> "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
> T(C)Inc Business Innovations through Open Source http://www.teledyn.com
> KernelWiki Community Linux Docs: http://kernelbook.sourceforge.net/wiki
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