What makes a distribution GNU and are there Linux distributions, that are not GNU? [duplicate]
@slm, thanks for the link, but IMHO not a dup at all: my central question is Does there exist a fully usable operational system for a PC, based on Linux, but not on GNU? i.e. the opposite of the other question.
Realize this is all IMO: for one thing, this Q is not really a good fit for the site in it’s current form. 2, there are several Q’s on the site that touch on this, rather than spend time pointing them all out I linked to that Q since it felt like the one that was most duplicate to this, even though it’s the contrapositive of this Q. This Q is overly broad, and opens itself to too much opinion.
@Vorac: Since you reverted my edit, I’ll not attempt to edit this again, but I’ll just point out that, afaik, «operating system» is the correct, standard term, not «operation system».
4 Answers 4
The Free Software Foundation argues that the majority of Linux distributions are in fact GNU systems, which happen to use a Linux kernel. They base this claim on the fact that GNU was a longstanding project to develop a free operating system before Linux came along, and that the kernel was only the last missing piece. They are right in that practically all Linux-based desktop and server distributions use at least some GNU components, perhaps most importantly the GNU C Library (glibc), GNU Core Utilities (coreutils) and the Bash shell. Furthermore, Linux kernel development is inherently tied to GCC, due to the utilization of GCC extensions.
Some embedded system, perhaps most notably Google’s Android, don’t use any GNU components or libraries. In Android, for instance, the GNU C Library is replaced by Google’s own, BSD-based Bionic C Library. The FSF agrees that it is not appropriate the refer to such system as «GNU systems» or «GNU/Linux», but on the other hand they wouldn’t want these to be referred to as merely «Linux» systems either. At least we can draw the conclusion that there seems to be consensus about the fact that using GNU tools to build the kernel, does not make a system a «GNU system».
While there are GNU packages that cannot be compiled with the Intel compiler, the Linux kernel itself can be. The Gentoo wiki has a couple of pages on how to do this. Also, check out this link
The history of the GNU/Linux terminology goes back to the early 1990s.
In 1991 Linus Torvalds began the Linux kernel project out of his bedroom in Helsinki. Not long afterwards the Linux kernel began to gain substantial traction, aided by the rise of the Internet.
Richard Stallman’s GNU project was at the time still planning to use the HURD microkernel as the kernel of the planned GNU operating system. However, when Linux distributions (free Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel) started forming around the new Linux kernel project, Stallman became interested. When the Debian project began in 1993, under the leadership of Ian Murdock, the FSF gave some financial support to the young project. However, the Debian developers quickly parted ways with Stallman and the FSF, in part on technical issues. One issue for example was that Stallman wanted to retain debugging symbols in the program, while Debian wanted to strip them.
Once Debian and the FSF parted ways, Stallman requested that Debian refer to itself as GNU/Linux. The request was made to Bruce Perens, since Murdock had handed leadership over to him. Since these organizations had parted on good terms, and shared (and share) common goals, the Debian developers did as he asked. Of course it is true that Stallman has promoted such names independently, but the cooperation of an actual Linux-based operating system in referring to themselves as such has been significant in promoting the usage of such a name.
The rationale as given by Stallman included that (a) the core of the system aside from the Linux kernel was largely GNU tools, (b) the Linux kernel was in some sense the culmination/completion of the GNU project, who had been trying to get a working kernel for some time, so it should use this name as a way of acknowledging and reminding people of the ideals of the GNU project. Reason (a) tends to be mentioned rather more often, though it was not exactly true then, and is even less true now, Though clearly important parts of a Linux based operating system depend on GNU tools e.g. bash, gcc, binutils, gdb, libc etc., in some cases these can be replaced by other tools. So, such arguments are at least debatable, and have, indeed, been much debated.
As far as I know only Debian and (some of) its derivatives (following the lead of its parent) refer to themselves as GNU/Linux. However, the other so-called Linux distributions such as Fedora, Gentoo, etc. are in substance no different from Debian — it is mostly the same software. So one has equally good reason to refer to them as GNU/Linux.
There aren’t a lot of systems around using the Linux kernel without the GNU userland, since the two to a large extent developed together and are intertwined in various ways. (For example the Linux kernel is written in the extended (GNU) C of gcc, and won’t build with a standard C compiler.) As Thomas said, the obvious example is Android, but since it has been so heavily forked by Google it is questionable whether it is correct to refer to the Android kernel as Linux anymore, though there is talk of a merge/reconciliation in the future.
On a side note, it is unfortunate to note that Stallman and the FSF apparently push the GNU/Linux terminology rather hard. For example, Jonathan Corbet wrote in an LWN comment that the FSF refuses to talk to him unless he uses the term GNU/Linux. Jon, in addition to being a LWN founder, is also a senior and respected kernel developer. In its entirety, the comment says:
Just to be clear on this: we stopped asking the FSF for comments many years ago because the FSF refused to talk to us without prior promises from us on what we would say and which terms we would use. We are unwilling to make such promises. If the FSF’s policy on such things has changed, we would be pleased to know about it.
This is clearly a reference to the insistence on GNU/Linux terminology among other things.
The above history is covered in some detail in Chapter 6 («Boot Then Root») of «Rebel Code» by Glyn Moody.
What is a Linux Distribution? What does it mean?
Most people consider Ubuntu, Debian, etc as Linux. But, those are Linux distributions. When you want to use Linux on your system or server, first you need to select the Linux distribution or Linux-based operating system for installation. There are many Linux distributions are available that you can choose for your Linux server.
In this guide, we learn what is a Linux Distribution and what does it mean.
What is a Linux Distribution?
Linux distribution, also known as “Linux distro”, is a single operating system that is composed of various components. Generally, a Linux distribution is a collection of Linux kernel, gnu shell utilities, an installer, additional software packages, a package management system, a window manager, and a desktop environment.
Linux users may use the term Linux-based operating systems. When you say Linux, it just means the kernel. The kernel is the core of the operating system that interacts more with the hardware. Linus Torvalds released the first version of the Linux kernel in 1991.
Most of the software is developed independently by programmers, it is free and open-source software. This software is available in source code form and compiled binaries. Linux distribution may also include some proprietary software which is mostly available in binary code.
Most Linux distributions provide updates to the Linux kernel and other software to keep all packages updated in your system.
GNU/Linux
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) and its founder Richard Stallman promote the term GNU/Linux for operating systems that use Linux kernel and GNU software.
In the early 80s UNIX was proprietary and expensive, Richard Stallman initiated the plan to complete a Unix-like operating system called GNU. The kernel developed for GNU was named GNU Hurd. But the free software community choose to use Kernel released by Linux Torvald due to difficulty with the microkernel design of GNU Hurd.
Modern free and open-source software operating systems consists of contributions from GNU projects, Linux kernel developers, and vendors. The distributions use GNU C Library, GNU Core utilities, and bash shell. For these reasons, they like to call it GNU/Linux.
Which Linux Distribution to Use
You may choose a Linux-based operating system depending on your personal requirements such as Desktop experience, Gaming, Stylist, Available Software, Community Support, etc.
Ubuntu LTS, Debian, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are considered stable Linux distributions that will be supported with bug fixes and security updates for many years.
Some distributions are commercially backed distributions such as Fedora Linux, OpenSUSE, and Ubuntu, and others are community-driven distributions which include Gentoo, Arch Linux, Debian, Linux Mint, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux.
Linux Distributions such as Fedora, Pop OS, Linux Mint, and Manjaro Linux work out of the box, easy installation, and many ready-to-use apps. Pop OS based on Ubuntu is more focused on the graphical interface and gaming experience.
Linux distributions such as Linux Arch come with a wide package repository, rolling release model, and package management tools that provide various features. For Windows users to get the same look and feel Deepin Linux and Zorin OS can help.
On top of choosing a Linux Distro, you can choose your favorite Desktop Environments such as KDE, MATE, GNOME, Cinnamon, Xfce, COSMIC from System76 or LXQT. Mostly the Linux Distros comes with a default desktop environment.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of Linux distros that are actively maintained. So you have the choice to choose the best among them.
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