Ubuntu on Windows

It's time that people stopped using the term 'Windows' for this operating system. The Free Software Foundation created the bulk of the userspace, under terms that allow anyone to share, modify and fork the programs, and then Microsoft came along with the one last missing piece of the puzzle - the kernel, and completed the full operating system, which, to be frank, users find completely unusable and worthless without the free software provided by GNU.

The kernel is an important part of the system, sure, but only one among many important parts. We therefore think that, to give full credit to the authors, the whole system should be termed GNU/Windows.

OK, that deserved an upvote.

http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.en.html

You jest, but I agree. I might accept a GNU/Windows machine as a working computer, but I would be a lot more weary of accepting just a Windows machine.

Would this be possible? How far could anyone (outside of Microsoft) strip down Windows to leave behind just a kernel with a functioning GNU environment (let's say, a shell and file access) ?

I ran bb4win as my window manager for a while. You can get a full suite of userspace applications e.g. KDE for windows. If you're too much of a purist to use cygwin you can (or could until recently) build everything against SUA and then you just need to run a windows X server, but at that point you're still running explorer as the graphical shell/window manager.

Since 2008R2, Windows has had a Server Core version that is trying to move closer and closer to that goal.

What a stupid joke.

I have problems understanding your point here. What was announced was not a new operating system but a translation layer built into Windows 10 that translates Linux system calls to their Windows counterparts.

I also bet many people would disagree with your statement that W10 is unusable and worthless without this feature.

The Windows kernel always existed and has evolved over the years: NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10. They didn't develop it as the "last missing piece of the puzzle".

It's a joke: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU/Linux_naming_controversy

I smelled it the moment I hit the reply button :)

He's referencing Stallman's infamous stance on the nomenclature of Linux

Now they will be on us to call it Gnu/Windows :-) More seriously though I think this is a terrific insight, if something of a challenge for Linux kernel enthusiasts. If I could run Ubuntu (or Kubuntu) as my user land on a kernel where all the manufacturers of every gee whiz device had already signed up to port drivers, I would use that in a heartbeat. My current pain point is trying to run Kubuntu on a nearly current generation Intel NUC, because the Iris graphics drivers aren't really compatible if the system goes to sleep the screens never unblank. If the lock screen comes up, plasma shell crashes and then swaps which screen it thinks is the "primary" screen when it restarts. Basically it is unusable. And things like VMWare player don't believe the host has any sort of 3D support even though Meas and OpenGL are up to date. I would trade the mess for a userland I like and a kernel that just works.

Hm, but GNU/Windows still implies usage of many non-free binary blobs bundles as drivers with the OS. I advocate stripping them out and terming it GNU/NT, affectionately referred to as "Gnewt".

Completely agree. To add another example, Displayport MST on Linux is completely broken on Skylake and Intel have no plan to fix.

Going by the official way gnu stuff is supposed to be sounded out, that should be "guh-newt" :)

MS is also adding an SSH server to Windows.

If they also add Linux userland support to Windows Server, in the near future you will be able to SSH in and get bash prompt on your Windows infrastructure... natively.

I'm kind of liking the future.

But, more recently, I have taken a liking to saying GNU+Windows.

If history continues with that kind of unexpected turns, we might end up on Microsoft/HURD ;)

I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as GNU/Windows, is in fact, GNU/Windows/NT, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Windows plus NT. GNU/Windows is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another non-free component of a fully functioning Microsoft system made useful by the NT kernel, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.

Many computer users run a modified version of the NT system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of NT which is widely used today is often called “GNU/Windows”, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the NT system, developed by Microsoft's NT team.

There really is a GNU/Windows, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. GNU/Windows is the userspace: programs that you run as the user. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. GNU/Windows is normally used in combination with the NT kernel: the whole system is basically GNU with Windows added with NT added, or GNU/Windows/NT. All the so-called “Linux” distributions are really distributions of GNU/Windows/NT.

I always wondered if Linus' name hadn't been part of the OS name (even though Linus supposedly wasn't the one who decided to call it Linux) whether Stallman would have gone on such a crusade. Probably not.

How is the top comment a bike-shedding comment? Downvoted because this shouldn't be top - irrespective of whether or not you have a valid point.

It's humor, not actual bike-shedding. Was that not obvious?

The install environment for Windows, Windows PE[0], is an extremely stripped down version of Windows. It's based on the same code base as the main Windows, but basically only comes with the command prompt and task manager. It's available free as part of the Windows Automated Installation Kit.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Preinstallation_Enviro...

There's at least one free (gratis) version of Windows available (Hyper-V Server) that's missing the Explorer shell and some other parts.

I have successfully installed KDE on this (via Cygwin plus a mesa/llvmpipe build of opengl32.dll). It seemed to work OK.

There's always someone that doesn't get the joke, my bad.