
GNL is Not Linux - reuven
http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=2909572
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greenyoda
_" When you build a house, you use many tools: hammers, saws, drills, etc.
When the house is complete, do you call that a Craftsman/House, a
Makita/House, or a Home Depot/House? Of course you don't, because that would
be stupid. We don't name things after the tools we use to build them; we name
things in ways that make sense because they describe the whole of the thing
clearly and completely."_

This analogy is flawed. The GNU tools (gcc, bash, ls, cat, etc.) aren't just
used to build the Linux kernel, they're _distributed_ along with the Linux
kernel and are essential to anyone who wants to actually use Linux to do
useful work. If I gave you a Linux kernel without these tools, it would be
completely useless for everyday tasks. Perhaps a standalone kernel could run a
device like a microwave oven or a router, where the user doesn't need to
directly interact with the file system, but if you want to run Linux on your
server or laptop, you're going to need bash, ls, etc.

In contrast, a house builder does not give you their tools along with the
house, and most people live happily in their houses without knowing the first
thing about how to use a power tool.

