I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as GNU/Windows, is in fact, GNU/Windows/NT, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus

I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as GNU/Windows, is in fact, GNU/Windows/NT, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Windows plus NT. GNU/Windows is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another non-free component of a fully functioning Microsoft system made useful by the NT kernel, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX. Many computer users run a modified version of the NT system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of NT which is widely used today is often called “GNU/Windows”, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the NT system, developed by Microsoft's NT team. There really is a GNU/Windows, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. GNU/Windows is the userspace: programs that you run as the user. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. GNU/Windows is normally used in combination with the NT kernel: the whole system is basically GNU with Windows added with NT added, or GNU/Windows/NT. All the so-called “Linux” distributions are really distributions of GNU/Windows/NT.