>> The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself;

True, but it's the "first part" (since GNU runs on top of it) so I call it Linux/GNU.

GNU provides the user space, and a bunch of command line utilities, but that's pretty useless these days without a GUI. So mostly I call it Linux/GNU/Gnome.

I do spend quite a bit of time in a browser though, I mean a machine that can't browse the web is pretty useless. So my friends refer to it as Linux/Gnu/Gnome/Firefox.

Of course to have a good experience in the browser you need an Adblocker. Adblock Plus is the one I use.

I've instructed all the people in the office to call it Linux/Gnu/Gnome/Firefox/AdBlock Plus. Recently though I had to chastise someone for leaving out the word "plus". I mean what are we, Barbarians??

These types of interjections haven’t meaningfully changed anything for the better in the past 20 years of people making them.

Instead, people get interested in something new and interesting. Then, for a proportion of them, some stranger will come along and language-police them.

If you believe in free software or some variant, don’t put pointless barriers in the way of people adopting it.

It's true though

“GNU” was always crappy branding. Nobody wants to read it or say it or explain it. “Linux” sounds cool. So everyone calls the whole system “Linux”.