GNU/Linux naming conventions

The problem of not referring to GNU when talking about the GNU/Linux operating system has been discussed several times over the last years. For a relatively new GNU/Linux user I did some searching of my own, to know what should I say when referring to my Operating System choice.

I started with the definition of OS. I’ve read several sources and 90% of them had the basic idea that, Operating System == Kernel.

The operating system interacts directly with the hardware, providing common services to programs and insulating them from hardware idiosyncrasies. Viewing the system as a set of layers, the operating system is commonly called the system kernel, or just the kernel, emphasizing its isolation from user programs.

This is the definition of OS by Maurice J. Bach, who wrote “The design of the UNIX operating system”.

Personally, I don’t agree with that definition. I’m much more inclined to Richard Stallman’s opinion that OS == kernel + basic tools.

The OS relies on the surrounding tools to make it an actual OS. These same tools are present on ALL GNU/Linux distros, while only a small percentage of these use the acronym GNU on it’s name. While Linux is the kernel in use, the whole pack SHOULD be mentioned GNU/Linux.

At least Debian (contrary to most of the distributions sites I visited while writing this post) acknowledges these facts and has a definition that I completely agree with:

Debian is a free operating system (OS) for your computer. An operating system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer run. Debian uses the Linux kernel (the core of an operating system), but most of the basic OS tools come from the GNU project; hence the name GNU/Linux.

November 29, 2006 | Filed Under GNU/Linux

 

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