A kernel is not much like the FOUNDATION of a house because building an operating system is not much like building a house.

A house is built from lots of LITTLE general parts that are CUT and put together in situ. They have to be put together from the bottom up. Thus, when the foundation has not been built, no substantial part has been built; all you have is a hole in the ground.

By contrast, an operating system consists of complex components that can be developed in any order. When you have developed most of the components, most of the work is DONE. This is much more like the INTERNATIONAL Space Station than like a house. If most of the Space Station modules were in orbit but awaiting one other essential module, that would be like the GNU system in 1992.

A kernel is not much like the foundation of a house because building an operating system is not much like building a house.

A house is built from lots of little general parts that are cut and put together in situ. They have to be put together from the bottom up. Thus, when the foundation has not been built, no substantial part has been built; all you have is a hole in the ground.

By contrast, an operating system consists of complex components that can be developed in any order. When you have developed most of the components, most of the work is done. This is much more like the International Space Station than like a house. If most of the Space Station modules were in orbit but awaiting one other essential module, that would be like the GNU system in 1992.