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Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's not a minor difference: Linux is a kernel, Ubuntu is a distribution.

by mfukar 16y ago

rpledge 16y ago
Not sure who down voted you, you have a good point. I'm not a big StackOverflow follower, but if I had a generic kernel question I wouldn't ask it on a Ubuntu Q&A forum.
robryan 16y ago
That's true, but feels very specific still for a whole site. Imagine if stackoverflow itself was on that specific a topic area. It would have never got big originally.
praptak 16y ago
"Linux is a kernel" As a topic of questions? I think not. I believe that most people when thinking "site for questions about Linux" would include both kernel and Ubuntu questions within the scope. And of course a lot more - gnu tools, "which distro?" questions, advocacy, apps-related questions, libs, configuring the X server...
- mfukar 16y ago
  I'm not going to argue semantics here; if you happen to have noticed, the Unix/Linux, Ubuntu and SuperUser sites all have overlapping areas of interest. Does that mean they should all be one? The StackExchange people seem to think not, and when it comes to justification on appropriate and on-topic questions, the meta sites and the opinions of the moderators are good enough for me.
Robin_Message 16y ago
BEGIN-DICTIONARY-UPDATE-PACKET Linux - 1. a free Unix-type operating system. 2. (technical) the kernel of that operating system. See also GNU+Linux, GNU/Linux, Stallman R., bikeshedding, pedantry END-PACKET Ubuntu is a distribution of the Linux OS, so there is likely to be a large overlap in the questions - e.g. "How do I do X in bash (BTW, I'm on Ubuntu Randy Racoon)?" Many users may not want to ask a question outside the home forum of the distro they installed; conversly, most questions will apply to more than one distro. Merging these makes sense, except for community effects.
- mfukar 16y ago
  Of course there's going to be an overlap, amplified even further because most (non-technical) people will ignore the difference between the two. My point was that the two communities' lack of support for the merge is not really an application of "the narcissism of minor differences": the overlap exists, but it is not that important, at the moment. Perhaps in time, such a merge will be justified and users of those two sites might acknowledge that. I hope this clarifies my first post for you.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's not a minor difference: Linux is a kernel, Ubuntu is a distribution.

by mfukar 16y ago

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's not a minor difference: Linux is a kernel, Ubuntu is a distribution.

Not sure who down voted you, you have a good point. I'm not a big StackOverflow follower, but if I had a generic kernel question I wouldn't ask it on a Ubuntu Q&A forum.

robryan 16y ago

That's true, but feels very specific still for a whole site. Imagine if stackoverflow itself was on that specific a topic area. It would have never got big originally.

praptak 16y ago

"Linux is a kernel" As a topic of questions? I think not. I believe that most people when thinking "site for questions about Linux" would include both kernel and Ubuntu questions within the scope. And of course a lot more - gnu tools, "which distro?" questions, advocacy, apps-related questions, libs, configuring the X server...

mfukar 16y ago
I'm not going to argue semantics here; if you happen to have noticed, the Unix/Linux, Ubuntu and SuperUser sites all have overlapping areas of interest. Does that mean they should all be one? The StackExchange people seem to think not, and when it comes to justification on appropriate and on-topic questions, the meta sites and the opinions of the moderators are good enough for me.

Robin_Message 16y ago

BEGIN-DICTIONARY-UPDATE-PACKET Linux - 1. a free Unix-type operating system. 2. (technical) the kernel of that operating system. See also GNU+Linux, GNU/Linux, Stallman R., bikeshedding, pedantry END-PACKET Ubuntu is a distribution of the Linux OS, so there is likely to be a large overlap in the questions - e.g. "How do I do X in bash (BTW, I'm on Ubuntu Randy Racoon)?" Many users may not want to ask a question outside the home forum of the distro they installed; conversly, most questions will apply to more than one distro. Merging these makes sense, except for community effects.

mfukar 16y ago
Of course there's going to be an overlap, amplified even further because most (non-technical) people will ignore the difference between the two. My point was that the two communities' lack of support for the merge is not really an application of "the narcissism of minor differences": the overlap exists, but it is not that important, at the moment. Perhaps in time, such a merge will be justified and users of those two sites might acknowledge that. I hope this clarifies my first post for you.