←back to thread

Ubuntu on Windows

(blog.dustinkirkland.com)
2049 points bpierre | 2 comments | 30 Mar 16 16:35 UTC | HN request time: 0.41s | source
Show context
AimHere ◴[30 Mar 16 20:52 UTC] No.11392908[source]▶
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.

replies(12): >>11392913 #>>11393045 #>>11393084 #>>11393200 #>>11393385 #>>11393429 #>>11393564 #>>11393576 #>>11393782 #>>11393824 #>>11393880 #>>11394049 #
1. nv-vn ◴[30 Mar 16 23:41 UTC] No.11393880[source]▶
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.

replies(1): >>11394012 #
2. ◴[31 Mar 16 00:05 UTC] No.11394012[source]▶