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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/why-gnu-linux.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/why-gnu-linux.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2c79945 --- /dev/null +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/why-gnu-linux.html @@ -0,0 +1,263 @@ +<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.79 --> +<title>Why GNU/Linux? +- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> +<!--#include virtual="/gnu/po/why-gnu-linux.translist" --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<h2>What's in a Name?</h2> + +<p><strong>by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/">Richard Stallman</a></strong></p> + +<div class="announcement"> + <blockquote><p>To learn more about this issue, you can read +our <a href="/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">GNU/Linux FAQ</a>, our page on +<a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">Linux and the GNU Project</a>, which gives a history of the GNU/Linux system as it relates to this issue of naming, +and our page on <a href="/gnu/gnu-users-never-heard-of-gnu.html">GNU +Users Who Have Never Heard of GNU</a>. + +</p></blockquote> +</div> + +<p> +Names convey meanings; our choice of names determines the meaning of +what we say. An inappropriate name gives people the wrong idea. A +rose by any other name would smell as sweet—but if you call it a pen, +people will be rather disappointed when they try to write with it. +And if you call pens “roses”, people may not realize what +they are good for. If you call our operating system +Linux, that conveys a mistaken idea of the system's +origin, history, and purpose. If you call +it <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a>, that conveys +(though not in detail) an accurate idea.</p> +<p> +Does this really matter for our community? Is it important whether people +know the system's origin, history, and purpose? Yes—because people +who forget history are often condemned to repeat it. The Free World +that has developed around <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> +is not guaranteed to survive; the problems that +led us to develop GNU are not completely eradicated, and they threaten +to come back.</p> + +<p> +When I explain why it's appropriate to call the operating system +GNU/Linux rather than Linux, people +sometimes respond this way:</p> + +<blockquote><p> +<em> + Granted that the GNU Project deserves credit for this work, is + it really worth a fuss when people don't give credit? Isn't the + important thing that the job was done, not who did it? You + ought to relax, take pride in the job well done, and not worry + about the credit. +</em> +</p></blockquote> +<p> +This would be wise advice, if only the situation were like that—if +the job were done and it were time to relax. If only that were true! +But challenges abound, and this is no time to take the future for +granted. Our community's strength rests on commitment to freedom and +cooperation. Using the name <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> +is a way for people to remind +themselves and inform others of these goals.</p> + +<p> +It is possible to write good free software without thinking of GNU; +much good work has been done in the name of Linux also. But the term +“Linux” has been associated ever since it was first coined +with a philosophy that does not make a commitment to the freedom to +cooperate. As the name is increasingly used by business, we will +have even more trouble making it connect with community spirit.</p> + +<p> +A great challenge to the future of free software comes from the +tendency of the “Linux” distribution companies to add +nonfree software to <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> +in the name of convenience and power. All the major commercial +distribution developers do this; none limits itself to free software. +Most of them do not clearly identify the nonfree +packages in their distributions. Many even develop nonfree software +and add it to the system. Some outrageously advertise +“Linux” systems that are “licensed per seat”, +which give the user as much freedom as Microsoft Windows.</p> + +<p> +People try to justify adding nonfree software in the name of the +“popularity of Linux”—in effect, valuing popularity above +freedom. Sometimes this is openly admitted. For instance, Wired +Magazine said that Robert McMillan, editor of Linux Magazine, “feels +that the move toward open source software should be fueled by +technical, rather than political, decisions.” And Caldera's +<abbr title="Chief Executive Officer">CEO</abbr> openly urged +users +to <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/stallman-love-is-not-free/">drop +the goal of freedom and work instead for the “popularity of +Linux”</a>.</p> + +<p> +Adding nonfree software to the <a +href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> system may increase the +popularity, if by popularity we mean the number of people using some +of <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> in combination with +nonfree software. But at the same time, it implicitly encourages the +community to accept nonfree software as a good thing, and forget the +goal of freedom. It is not good to drive faster if you can't stay on the +road.</p> + +<p> +When the nonfree “add-on” is a library or programming +tool, it can become a trap for free software developers. When they +write free software that depends on the nonfree package, their +software cannot be part of a completely free system. Motif and Qt +trapped large amounts of free software in this way in the past, +creating problems whose solutions took years. Motif remained somewhat +of a problem until it became obsolete and was no longer used. Later, +Sun's nonfree Java implementation had a similar effect: +the <a href="/philosophy/java-trap.html">Java Trap</a>, fortunately now +mostly corrected.</p> + +<p> +If our community keeps moving in this direction, it could redirect the +future of <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> into a mosaic of free and nonfree components. +Five years from now, we will surely still have plenty of free +software; but if we are not careful, it will hardly be usable without +the nonfree software that users expect to find with it. If this +happens, our campaign for freedom will have failed.</p> + +<p> +If releasing free alternatives were simply a matter of programming, +solving future problems might become easier as our community's +development resources increase. But we face obstacles that threaten +to make this harder: laws that prohibit free software. As software +patents mount up, and as laws like the +<abbr title="Digital Millennium Copyright Act">DMCA</abbr> are +used to prohibit the development of free software for important jobs +such as viewing a DVD or listening to a RealAudio stream, we will find +ourselves with no clear way to fight the patented and secret data +formats except to <strong>reject the nonfree programs that use +them</strong>.</p> + +<p> +Meeting these challenges will require many different kinds of effort. +But what we need above all, to confront any kind of challenge, is to +remember the goal of freedom to cooperate. We can't expect a mere +desire for powerful, reliable software to motivate people to make +great efforts. We need the kind of determination that people have +when they fight for their freedom and their community—determination +to keep on for years and not give up.</p> + +<p> +In our community, this goal and this determination emanate mainly from +the GNU Project. We're the ones who talk about freedom and community +as something to stand firm for; the organizations that speak of +“Linux” normally don't say this. The magazines about +“Linux” are typically full of ads for nonfree software; +the companies that package “Linux” add nonfree software +to the system; other companies “support Linux” by +developing nonfree applications to run on GNU/Linux; the user groups +for “Linux” typically invite salesman to present those +applications. The main place people in our community are likely to +come across the idea of freedom and determination is in the GNU +Project.</p> + +<p> +But when people come across it, will they feel it relates to them?</p> + +<p> +People who know they are using a system that came out of the GNU +Project can see a direct relationship between themselves and GNU. +They won't automatically agree with our philosophy, but at least they +will see a reason to think seriously about it. In contrast, people +who consider themselves “Linux users”, and believe that +the GNU Project “developed tools which proved to be useful in +Linux”, typically perceive only an indirect relationship between +GNU and themselves. They may just ignore the GNU philosophy when they +come across it.</p> + +<p> +The GNU Project is idealistic, and anyone encouraging idealism today +faces a great obstacle: the prevailing ideology encourages people to +dismiss idealism as “impractical”. Our idealism has been +extremely practical: it is the reason we have a +free <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> operating system. +People who love this system ought to know that it is our idealism made +real.</p> + +<p> +If “the job” really were done, if there were nothing at +stake except credit, perhaps it would be wiser to let the matter drop. +But we are not in that position. To inspire people to do the work +that needs to be done, we need to be recognized for what we have +already done. Please help us, by calling the operating +system <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a>.</p> + +<hr /> +<blockquote id="fsfs"><p class="big">This essay is published in +<a href="http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-software-free-society/"> +<cite>Free Software, Free Society: The Selected Essays of Richard +M. Stallman</cite></a>.</p></blockquote> + +</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> +<div id="footer"> +<div class="unprintable"> + +<p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to +<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. +There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> +the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent +to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> + +<p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, + replace it with the translation of these two: + + We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality + translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. + Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard + to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> + <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> + + <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + our web pages, see <a + href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations + README</a>. --> +Please see the <a +href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations +of this article.</p> +</div> + +<!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to + files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should + be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this + without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first. + Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the + document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the + document was modified, or published. + + If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too. + Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying + years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable + year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including + being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system). + + There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers + Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. --> + +<p>Copyright © 2000, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 Richard Stallman</p> + +<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license" +href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative +Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p> + +<!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" --> + +<p class="unprintable">Updated: +<!-- timestamp start --> +$Date: 2020/07/01 15:25:22 $ +<!-- timestamp end --> +</p> +</div> +</div> +</body> +</html> |