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How Can Gnu Be An Operating System, If I Can't Get Something Called “gnu” And Install It? |
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Answer» Many packaged and installable versions of GNU are AVAILABLE. None of them is called simply “GNU”, but GNU is what they basically are. We expected to release the GNU system packaged for installation, but this plan was overtaken by events: in 1992 others were already packaging GNU variants CONTAINING Linux. Starting in 1993 we sponsored an effort to make a better and freer GNU/Linux distribution, called Debian GNU/Linux. The founder of Debian had already chosen that name. We did not ASK him to call it just “GNU” because that was to be the name of a system version with the GNU Hurd kernel—which wasn't ready YET. The GNU Hurd kernel never became sufficiently ready; we only recommend it to those interested in working on it. So we never packaged GNU with the GNU Hurd kernel. However, Debian packaged this combination as Debian GNU/Hurd. We are now developing an advanced Scheme-based package manager called Guix and a COMPLETE system distribution based on it called the Guix System Distribution or GuixSD. This includes repackaging a substantial part of the GNU system. We never took the last step of packaging GNU under the name “GNU”, but that doesn't alter what kind of thing GNU is. GNU is an operating system. Many packaged and installable versions of GNU are available. None of them is called simply “GNU”, but GNU is what they basically are. We expected to release the GNU system packaged for installation, but this plan was overtaken by events: in 1992 others were already packaging GNU variants containing Linux. Starting in 1993 we sponsored an effort to make a better and freer GNU/Linux distribution, called Debian GNU/Linux. The founder of Debian had already chosen that name. We did not ask him to call it just “GNU” because that was to be the name of a system version with the GNU Hurd kernel—which wasn't ready yet. The GNU Hurd kernel never became sufficiently ready; we only recommend it to those interested in working on it. So we never packaged GNU with the GNU Hurd kernel. However, Debian packaged this combination as Debian GNU/Hurd. We are now developing an advanced Scheme-based package manager called Guix and a complete system distribution based on it called the Guix System Distribution or GuixSD. This includes repackaging a substantial part of the GNU system. We never took the last step of packaging GNU under the name “GNU”, but that doesn't alter what kind of thing GNU is. GNU is an operating system. |
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