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Comment by gkya | Hacker News Reader

Well, want it or not GNU/ is a big part of Linux distros, at least until a distro with an alternative userland and c library makes it to the top. And even then most of open source has some GNU somewhere in the foundation.

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The insistence that Linux be called GNU/Linux when even Linus calls it Linux is exactly the kind of behaviour that alienates people who would otherwise align with them.

There is also no requirement that a Linux distribution includes any GNU software at all, should we refer to them as e.g Busybox/Linux?

> The insistence that Linux be called GNU/Linux when even Linus calls it Linux is exactly the kind of behaviour that alienates people who would otherwise align with them.

I don't agree with this actually, that's why I didn't even mention this. I believe GNU was indispensable to the wider Linux phenomenon. It's a matter of being fair and technically precise.

Is there an OS that uses Linux as the kernel but then no GNU software on top of that? It would be interesting to see, at least.

Isn't android effectively that?

yep

Android

Alpine Linux (of Docker fame)

Lots of embedded stuff

yes

I think Android does that.

you too

me three

Linux is not called GNU/Linux, but most of the distros need be because the three major components are the GNU userland, the Linux kernel and the distro's utilites and customisations.

> a distro with an alternative userland and c library makes it to the top

Android shot past all the others to become the most popular operating system in the world, in case you didn't notice.

> until a distro with an alternative userland and c library makes it to the top

Not that it invalidates your point, but it has happened.

Alpine Linux (e.g. Docker) and Android

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