Microsoft Takes Linux For A Test Drive (TechWeb) [LWN.net]

Microsoft Takes Linux For A Test Drive (TechWeb)

Posted Aug 3, 2003 1:45 UTC (Sun) by coriordan (guest, #7544)
In reply to: Microsoft Takes Linux For A Test Drive (TechWeb) by cdeanmontana
Parent article: Microsoft Takes Linux For A Test Drive (TechWeb)

We do need unity, but what should we unite around?

What is it that makes our OS special.

Is it that it is based on the Linux kernel?
Or is it that it is Free Software?

We are getting a lot of attention at the moment. Many proprietary software vendors are porting their software to our OS but they're not releasing it as Free Software. It's no good having a Free OS and running a bunch of proprietary applications on it.

"Linux" is a misnomer. Linux is a kernel, not an OS. If you think the OS is "Linux" then you should know that you can setup a "Linux" box without using Linux at all. The GNU OS can run on the FreeBSD kernel. If I replace Linux kernel with the FreeBSD kernel, what is my OS called? Linux?

GNU is the OS. It comes in three kernel varietys: GNU/Linux, GNU/Hurd, and GNU/FreeBSD. (the Hurd still lacks a few features, GNU/FreeBSD works but it's pretty new so few use it so far)

We need Free Software. To make it easy for people to hear about Free Software, we should tell them about the GNU project.

Ciaran O'Riordan

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Microsoft Takes Linux For A Test Drive (TechWeb)

Posted Aug 3, 2003 2:12 UTC (Sun) by wweber (guest, #11678) [Link]

It concerned me less whether I could rebuild StarOffice and more that it would read and write my M$-generated files on my GNU system. I'm sure if I stuck a SCO or Sun box on my LAN it wouldn't pick a fight with my other machines, whatever the shortcomings seen in those products. When MicroSoft decides to play nice among other OS's instead of being the Fat Cat, THEN I might be interested in more of their software.