Re: i586-unknown-linux-gnu?

["I. Dwayne Koonce" <idk@metronet.com>]

On Thu, 12 Dec 1996, Zefram wrote:

> >The new autoconf indentifies linux as linux-gnu.  Unfortunately that can
> >break startup scripts depending on $OSTYPE.  I'd like to know what do you
> >think about changing OSTYPE from linux to linux-gnu.
> 
> Oh dear.  I was hoping that they'd learn from the reaction to "lignux"
> when they modified Emacs' configure code.  ("They" == RMS, of course.)
> Having checked the new config.sub code (which is too pushy and will
> break several of my scripts), I recommend that we retain the old name.
> I will certainly be doing so in all autoconfed packages that I
> maintain.

I agree--definitely keep the old name.  This periodic Lignux/Linux-based
GNU crusade is just petty, and I think the best thing is for package
maintainers to ignore it until RMS gets the message again.

> RMS is annoyed.  He thinks that Linux users are unaware of the
> importance of GNU software in the system they are using, and thinks
> that changing the name of the operating system will help.  He describes
> Linux systems as "Linux-based GNU" systems.  I'd expected him to stop
> when the Hurd was released, and he had a system of his own to call GNU,
> but it seems that he wants to take credit for two OSes now.

IMHO, anyone who doesn't realize their Linux system contains fully as much
GNU code as will compile on it will be confused, rather than enlightened,
by this attempt to rename the OS.

____________________________________________________________________________
I. Dwayne Koonce                                   E-mail:  idk@metronet.com
____________________________________________________________________________
"It's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."  --Voltaire