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Comments for 2008-07-21-gnu+linux.en

Playing devil's advocate:

Please don't hide behind such poor excuses as "everyone else calls it Linux" or "Linux is shorter and more convenient". You're not everyone else (one would hope you're better than that), and GNU is actually shorter than Linux.

I don't think it is just a poor excuse, but actually it is the reason everybody calls it "Linux". Being a word to identify something, "everybody uses it" is a big motivation to keep using it, as you want to be understood when you are talking.

The size comparison shouldn't be between "Linux" and "GNU", but between "Linux" and "GNU, the system people call Linux but I call differently". Because most people won't understand you are talking about the same system other people call Linux if you just say "GNU", and you will have to explain them you are actually talking about the same system but using a different name.

-- ehabkost, Tue Aug 12 13:09:13 2008