[wellylug] Forking Linux.

[Pete Black]

Linux is an OS kernel. Simple as that.

Solaris with X.org/GNOME etc. might as well be called GNU/Solaris, in 
the same way as a more strictly 'correct' term for what we know as 
'Linux' would be GNU/Linux.

> > > Is it time to fork the Linux concept?
>
> Sun Microsysems are doing some interesting things on the desktop which 
> causes problems with my lexicon in defining what Linux is and isn't.
>
> As mentioned here...
> http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/dp/20041028#what_s_new_in_solaris1
> ... the latest development realease of Solaris x86 includes X.Org as 
> the default instead of XSun
>
> So if you have the Solaris kernel with X.Org, Gnome, Mozilla, 
> OpenOffice.org is it a Linux distro? As far as the uninformed end user 
> is concerned it might as well be.
>
> Given the move to open source Solaris (one could say open it up 
> further than what it is already, as the source code is already 
> available) we end up with the BSDs, Linux & Solaris all on an arguably 
> even footing running Gnome, what do we call this thing when the kernel 
> itself is so interchangable?
>
> For example... on my x86 laptop I use Gnome on a Linux distro 
> (currently Ubuntu), in the Sun office I use Gnome via a SunRay, 
> connected to a server running Solaris on Sparc. On my PC I use Sun JDS 
> which again is Gnome on Linux, though I'm going to also try the next 
> development version which is Gnome on Solaris x86.
>
> To save my brain from exploding I now just call myself a 'Gnome User' 
> as it is the one constant in my computing world.
>
>
>