Happy birthday 🎊🎉 GNU/Linux.

Today GNU/Linux is 32 years old.

It was thankfully released to the public on August 25th, 1991 by Linus Torvalds when he was only 21 years old student.

What a lovely journey 🤍

  • Baut [she/her] auf.
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    11 year ago

    Something is open source or isn’t. There’s a set, binary definition.
    I get the feeling you’re implying a difference/aversion between those two terms which doesn’t exist. This and the combination with a nonsensical statement about amount of GNU packages vs non-GNU packed makes it feel like you’re pushing an agenda here: There’s far more free software than just GNU’s - that’s a success for free software and the GNU project. There’s no connect between the argument you’re obviously implying.
    Also HURD never took off - but why should it? The GNU project’s goal is a fully free operating system, with Linux being persuaded to adopt a proper license there’s no real need for HURD. It doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun project.

    • @LeFantome
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      51 year ago

      Which two terms? Everyone has an agenda but I am not sure what I am being accused of here. Do you mean Free Software vs Open Source? The FSF goes to great lengths to distinguish between those two terms:

      https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html

      I am pretty sure my usage is consistent with the owners and creators of those terms. Have I made an error?

          • Baut [she/her] auf.
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            11 year ago

            That is not correct. Who is this “they” you are talking about? The OSI?
            Open source is a term with a definition - which has been written by software freedom advocates by the way.
            With free software you have politics and a philosophy, in which somebody can have more freedom or less with a piece of software. I really wouldn’t confuse that with the practicability of the OSI definition.
            Copyleft or push-over is a whole separate topic. Copyleft might be favoured by software freedom enthusiasts, but I disagree with your idea of separation through that. Even if you don’t care about software freedom, you could like the practical effects of the AGPL.
            I feel like you’re spreading at least misguiding information here.

              • Baut [she/her] auf.
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                11 year ago

                These statements do not contradict anything I have said. Some people are pragmatic, some dogmatic about software freedom. So what?
                Another correction since I am on a roll: Linux can’t switch from GPLv2. There are too many copyright holders, you’d never be able to contact all of them and get them to agree to a license change. Even if Linus Torvalds wanted to change, which I honestly don’t think would be a sensible thing to do in his position.

    • Goku
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      111 months ago

      Open source is one thing but “free” is a lot of things.