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SubjectRe: Linux isn't an operating system
You've proposed that we agree on the term "Linux system" for the
complete systems based on Linux, and give credit to GNU developers "in
the second breath". That is a reasonable way of giving credit, but it
has two drawbacks:

* It is what most people have been doing, and that is what has led to
our present problems.

* The real issue is not giving credit, but encouraging the cooperation
that we all need.

I'm sure that if I let this issue drop, and let the issues of
cooperation drift, we could all "get along" with no visible disputes.
But this is because the substantive problems would quietly continue to
grow. We need to do more than get along; we need to work together.

People using almost the same collection of software have defined two
different community identities--"GNU user" and "Linux user". And the
people in one community tend not to make an effort to cooperate with
those in the other. This suggests that the real root of the problem
is in this social structure, not in the individuals concerned. To
have more cooperation, we need to change the structure. We need to
pay more conscious attention to our ties and common interests, and to
the larger community that includes all of us.

To effect a change, we have to do something different from what we
have done in the past.

I've proposed the term "Linux-based GNU system" as a way of doing
this, because I think it is an accurate description. Other people
have suggested the term "GNU-based Linux system". That too would
promote cooperation, if people use it often. Both terms emphasize the
relationship rather than implying separation and isolation.



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