Subject: Re: bug#9210: Documentation: misleading wording

From: Bob Friesenhahn <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2011 13:29:40 -0500 (CDT)

On Sun, 31 Jul 2011, Christophe Jarry wrote:

> Dear maintainers,
>
> Today I browsed
> http://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/html_node/Configure-notes.html#Configure-notes
> and read this:
>
>    When building on some linux systems [...]
>
> I am surprised you use the name "linux" to designate the entire system. I think
> you should use "GNU/Linux" instead. For more information, please read
> http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html.

While libtool is a GNU project, I think that this effort by the FSF to 
independently re-entitle Linux to "GNU/Linux" subsequent to the 
effective failure of their Hurd OS is foolish and it ignores that most 
software in a typical "Linux" system is not the Linux kernel or 
FSF/GNU software.  I think that it is better to stick with the names 
that the developers of the Linux kernel and the users prefer to use.

The same logic could be used to create the names GNU/FreeBSD, 
GNU/NetBSD, GNU/Solaris, GNU/Darwin, etc., because most of these OSs 
include some GNU components.

Bob
-- 
Bob Friesenhahn
[email-masked], http://www.simplesystems.org/users/bfriesen/
GraphicsMagick Maintainer,    http://www.GraphicsMagick.org/