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| Post Number: 1
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Estërion 
Fake anarchist wannabe
Group: Members
Posts: 39
Joined: May 2002
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,06:22 |
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if anyone can help me see if I got this right.
linux is a free operating system.
GNU is ANOTHER free operating system, that is not totally complete, so that's why we get GNU/Linux.
and BSD is yet ANOTHER totally different operating system. right?
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| Post Number: 2
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Beldurin
Mayor of Detnet
Group: Members
Posts: 1242
Joined: Aug. 2001
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,07:23 |
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umm...kinda...
P.S. Bonus geek points to the first person who can tell me what GNU stands for without looking it up (honor system).
Basically, GNU was _RMS_' (Richard Stallman's) idea. He's pretty much the guy that caused the split in the entire open source community. His idea was to start a totally free operating system to compete with UNIX/Minix. However, it was too big of a task, and he didn't feel confident writing a kernel, so he started writing other stuff (the libraries, as I recall), and put off the kernel development. Eventually, he got to a point where he had all of the trapping of an OS, but nothing to drive it (the whole car w/out the engine). Right about then was when Linus came along with Linux. That's more or less where GNU/Linux comes in.
Well, long story short, _RMS_ wanted to make Linus (and every other open source person) release their software under the GPL (GNU Public License--basically means "here's the code, do whatever you want, but you can't charge anything...at all...and any modifications to this code is also protected under the GPL"). His idea was to create a snowball effect of free software. Important distinction: open source and free software ARE NOT the same thing. I have the emails from _RMS_ to prove it...he's an interesting person to correspond with. Needless to day, the rest of the developers didn't like being pushed around and so the whole community split between the free software (GNU/_RMS_) and open source (Linux/Linus) camps.
BSD (I think) is a UNIX variant (whereas Linux is a UNIX-like OS). Anyone feel free to correct me on that one, though.
Does that explain it a bit better?
Yes, I know, I'm a huge geek. And I think I just elevated my status right up there near the top of the geeks on the site, yes? If you want to read more about RMS and Linus, there's some great info here (shameless self-promotion)
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If someone's ungrateful and you tell him he's ungrateful, okay, you've called him a name.
You haven't solved anything.
-- zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
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| Post Number: 3
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Wiley
©0®ÞØ®4+3 whØ®3
Group: Members
Posts: 1268
Joined: Oct. 2001
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,18:56 |
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Beldurin, Nice 
I thought GNU was a pun on "New" because the name of the animal gnu is pronounced "New". I could be wrong, but I didn't want to cheat and look it up. The entire free vs. open source is just odd to me. I mean, if I'm going to use a piece of software to make me more efficient and more profitable then shouldn't I be willing to at least pay for it? I mean, I agree open source can lead to the rapid improvement of software, but if nobody is making money off of it then is no incentive to distribute enhanced versions of the software. Basically you tweak it to work better for you and that's it. And how good can software get if there is never an influx of R&D money? At some point every piece of software is going to get to a point where it requires some real time and talent to make it better.
And do you think that Linus Torvalds kicks himself every night knowing that he should by all rights be as rich as Bill Gates? Think of all those servers running his software, yet he doesn't see money from it. Tragic.
I weep for the future of the GPL. Think of this, Sun put out Star Office which was free and did everything that MS Office did. I have about 10 copies (none ever installed) that I got from Comdex along with all the other geeks. Soon after that Star Office died a horrible death ...why? I mean, it was free. Why don't people want free software that works as good as their $200 software? Why do people pay $22/month for AOL that sucks when most dial-up is between $15-$20 for less busy numbers? Why you ask? Because people are lemmings and are controlled through marketing ...marketing that requires money to fund ...money that you must make by selling the software at a cost.
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| Post Number: 4
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Dysorderia
Kryten 2X4B 523P
Group: Members
Posts: 1061
Joined: Jul. 2000
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,21:28 |
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| Quote (Beldurin @ 22 July 2002,02:23) | | P.S. Bonus geek points to the first person who can tell me what GNU stands for without looking it up (honor system). |
GNU=GNU is Not Unix
(it's a recursive acronym)
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Sir? May I recommend I load myself into the reverse-thrust tubes and you use my body as decoy-fodder? This will, of course leave me splattered across deep space and unable to complete today's laundry, for which I apologise in advance.
[url=http://www.kr1cket.com]www.kr1cket.com[/url]
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| Post Number: 5
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Beldurin
Mayor of Detnet
Group: Members
Posts: 1242
Joined: Aug. 2001
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,21:41 |
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| Quote (Dysorderia @ 22 July 2002,15:28) | | Quote (Beldurin @ 22 July 2002,02:23) | | P.S. Bonus geek points to the first person who can tell me what GNU stands for without looking it up (honor system). |
GNU=GNU is Not Unix
(it's a recursive acronym) |
ding, ding, ding! Nice, Dys.
Awww...kudos from Wiley 
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If someone's ungrateful and you tell him he's ungrateful, okay, you've called him a name.
You haven't solved anything.
-- zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
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| Post Number: 6
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Wiley
©0®ÞØ®4+3 whØ®3
Group: Members
Posts: 1268
Joined: Oct. 2001
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,23:13 |
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GNU is Not Unix
I don't get it ...the G is for GNU, but the acronym is G-N-U ..can you do that?
/me gets out his copy of "Rules of Acronyms"
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| Post Number: 7
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Necromancer
Ace Rimmer
Group: Members
Posts: 419
Joined: Feb. 2002
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,23:41 |
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WINE = Wine Is Not an Emlator
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There'll be time for explanations later... and hopefully, some sex
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| Post Number: 8
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demonk
The other white meat
Group: Members
Posts: 800
Joined: Aug. 2000
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Posted on: Jul. 22 2002,23:53 |
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| Quote (Wiley @ 22 July 2002,10:56) | | And do you think that Linus Torvalds kicks himself every night knowing that he should by all rights be as rich as Bill Gates? Think of all those servers running his software, yet he doesn't see money from it. Tragic. |
If he did, he would just make the next release of the Linux Kernel non GPL and start selling it. See, if you are the original author, you can do whatever you like with the source. He can take the next version, make it all closed, and sell it to Redhat, Mandrake, Suse, etc, etc and never provide code. That's his right. The fact he doesn't says that he really doesn't want to.
You're thinking is a little flawed Wily. Like most hard core capitalists, you are thinking that people are ONLY motivated by money. I can tell you from my own experience as a programmer and sysadmin that that is not true. I do many things that I get no money for because I enjoy doing it. Linus and people like him LOVE coding and working on a project like the Linux Kernel. The work is their own reward. If they didn't like doing that, they wouldn't and the Linux Kernel would die very quickly.
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I'm just two people short of a threesome!
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| Post Number: 9
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Jynx
resident n0b0dy
Group: Members
Posts: 333
Joined: Dec. 2000
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Posted on: Jul. 23 2002,02:07 |
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| Quote (Wiley @ 22 July 2002,15:13) | GNU is Not Unix
I don't get it ...the G is for GNU, but the acronym is G-N-U ..can you do that?
/me gets out his copy of "Rules of Acronyms" |
That's why it's recursive - that is true Old School Geek Humor.
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| Post Number: 10
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Wiley
©0®ÞØ®4+3 whØ®3
Group: Members
Posts: 1268
Joined: Oct. 2001
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Posted on: Jul. 23 2002,03:12 |
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| Quote (demonk @ 22 July 2002,15:53) | | you are thinking that people are ONLY motivated by money. |
Actually people are motivated more by poontang ...the money is just a means to the end.
Maybe Linus gets some hot Linux babes ...or maybe he's into having sex with penquins 
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