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GNL is Not Linux
- greenyoda 10y ago"When you build a house, you use many tools: hammers, saws, drills, etc. When the house is complete, do you call that a Craftsman/House, a Makita/House, or a Home Depot/House? Of course you don't, because that would be stupid. We don't name things after the tools we use to build them; we name things in ways that make sense because they describe the whole of the thing clearly and completely." This analogy is flawed. The GNU tools (gcc, bash, ls, cat, etc.) aren't just used to build the Linux kernel, they're distributed along with the Linux kernel and are essential to anyone who wants to actually use Linux to do useful work. If I gave you a Linux kernel without these tools, it would be completely useless for everyday tasks. Perhaps a standalone kernel could run a device like a microwave oven or a router, where the user doesn't need to directly interact with the file system, but if you want to run Linux on your server or laptop, you're going to need bash, ls, etc. In contrast, a house builder does not give you their tools along with the house, and most people live happily in their houses without knowing the first thing about how to use a power tool.