<html> <head> <meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"> </head> <body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 25/06/13 10:39, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote: </div> <blockquote cite="mid:a852623f8fece818d1bcef4ad3edaac5,8738s61t5f.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp" type="cite"> <pre wrap="">Did you deliberately drop rms? He probably does not read this list, you know.</pre> </blockquote> No, I just clicked on the option "reply list" provided my Thunderbird where normally "reply all" appears expecting it to do the right thing. <blockquote cite="mid:a852623f8fece818d1bcef4ad3edaac5,8738s61t5f.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp" type="cite"> <pre wrap=""> David Ingamells writes: > GNU is no more an operating system ... GNU is an organisation. Surely it doesn't hurt to use the acronym "GNU" as those who do affiliate with it do. "GNU" is an operating system (although currently most widely used combined with a 3rd-party kernel, as you pointed out). </pre> </blockquote> AFAIK there is not yet any distribution that uses only GNU - any there are many people who consider that the (extended) kernel is the most significant part - and the most difficult part - of any OS. <blockquote cite="mid:a852623f8fece818d1bcef4ad3edaac5,8738s61t5f.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp" type="cite"> <pre wrap="">The "GNU Project" is an organization, but not formally incorporated AFAIK -- it doesn't handle money or employ people (for legal services or development). The "FSF" is a formally incorporated organization with several goals related to promoting software freedom, one of which is supporting the GNU Project with legal services and computing infrastructure (but that support is not restricted to the GNU Project). Occasionally it provides development resources as well (or at least it has done so in the past), but it prefers to rely on volunteers for this purpose. I do think Richard made a mistake by focusing on the "GNU/Linux" controversy here. The issue AFAICS is that the GNU Project doesn't manage, maintain, or directly support individual GNU projects. Rather, project leadership and development effort is expected to come from within each individual GNU project. (In 1985, this was a hope; in 2013, it's an empirical fact that it works.) </pre> </blockquote> sort of works - but many important projects are suffering from lack of (quality) resources who can commit sufficient time, as this thread is proving. <blockquote cite="mid:a852623f8fece818d1bcef4ad3edaac5,8738s61t5f.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp" type="cite"> <pre wrap=""> And at this point we're back to the consensus: a volunteer is needed. Support for the transition from Canonical would be nice. As Martin describes the Ubuntu developer spirit, it might even be forthcoming! Transitional support from the GNU Project (in spirit) or the FSF (real resources) would be nice too, but rms clearly is not presently disposed to provide it (and he has the decisive vote). </pre> </blockquote> <blockquote cite="mid:a852623f8fece818d1bcef4ad3edaac5,8738s61t5f.fsf@uwakimon.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp" type="cite"> <pre wrap=""> Steve </pre> </blockquote> <div class="moz-signature">-- <meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> <title></title> <style type="text/css">  </style> David Ingamells Test Architect Mapscape Henri Wijnmalenweg 5b | 5657 EP Eindhoven | The Netherlands Phone +31 (0)40 7113571 | Fax +31 (0)40 7113599 <a href="http://www.mapscape.eu/"> www.mapscape.eu </a> Mapscape B.V. is ISO9001:2008 certified. This e-mail and any attachment may contain corporate proprietary information and may only be read, copied and used by the intended recipient. If you have received it by mistake, please notify us immediately by reply e-mail and delete this e-mail and its attachments from your system. We believe but do not warrant that this message and any attachments are virus free. Mapscape B.V. is registered at the Kamer van Koophandel Oost-Brabant located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, number 17210210. </div> </body> </html>