I’ve tried using my incredible (british) brain using Google to see if these open source titans ever engaged in a battle of “friendly conversation” with one another.

I was always interested what Stallman thought of the angry but smart finnish man who gave us the robust penguin kernel that breathes life into older machines and powers supercomputers for the weather.

The same with Torvalds thoughts on Stallmans GNU involvement and him as a person.

This is because you sometimes had different organisations in the FOSS and OSS community that take on different meanings so I wanted a better idea if these chaps ever spoke in an interview together.

TLDR : Does finnish man like bearded GNU jesus man and the same vice versa

  • PseudoSpock@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 months ago

    I’m picturing Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny swapping hunting signs on a tree… “Linux season!” “GNU season!”, back and forth. The rest of us just watching like Elmer Fud.

  • єχтяαναgαηтєηzумє@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    Stallman’s attempt to rename Linux to incorporate the GNU name not happening was frustrating on his end it seems. Everytime someone calls their system a Linux based OS and not GNU/Linux based OS downplays the work he put in. However, Linus’s kernel was more elaborate than GNU Hurd, so it was incorporated. It’s said Stallman is a visionary, while Linus is a programist. While there’s never been any display of tension in a back and forth between them online, it’s always seemed to me they appreciate and also despise various aspects of each another.

    • cbarrick@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      However, Linus’s kernel was more elaborate than GNU Hurd, so it was incorporated.

      Quite the opposite.

      GNU Hurd was a microkernel, using lots of cutting edge research, and necessitating a lot of additional complexity in userspace. This complexity also made it very difficult to get good performance.

      Linux, on the other hand, was just a bog standard Unix monolithic kernel. Once they got a libc working on it, most existing Unix userspace, including the GNU userspace, was easy to port.

      Linux won because it was simple, not elaborate.

        • cbarrick@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Maybe.

          Linux won because it worked. Hurd was stuck in research and development hell. They never were able to catch up.

    • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Everytime someone calls their system a Linux based OS and not GNU/Linux based OS downplays the work he put in.

      Absolutely, and the fact that people didn’t adopt it creates confusion, some people claim Android is also Linux, which you can argue, but it’s definitely NOT GNU/Linux, and it’s definitely NOT a free desktop OS as defined by freedesktop.org either. There’s a huge difference.
      Especially since Android generally means Android with Google apps, and not AOSP. AOSP is open source, but Android with Google apps is not.

    • Nibodhika@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Should we call it X/GNU/Linux as to not downplay the work the people at Xorg put in? Also possibly Systemd/X/GNU/Linux, how about Plasma/Systemd/X/GNU/Linux, and since nowadays browsers do most of the tasks I think it’s only fair Firefox/Plasma/Systemd/X/GNU/Linux, or maybe Chromium/GNOME/Dinit/Wayland/Musl/Linux, you know what these two have in common? Just the Kernel, but you would say they’re both the same OS.

      I’m not saying GNU is not great nor am I saying that they didn’t contributed or that they’re worthless. But GNU is not special, X, Systemd, and other such components are just as essentials to Linux as GNU, and no one claims they should be added to the name of the OS.

  • TheImpressiveX@lemmy.ml
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    6 months ago

    TLDR : Does finnish man like bearded GNU jesus man and the same vice versa

    My impression is that they both have a respect for each other, although they don’t necessarily like each other.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I can’t remember having seen them debating each other, either in person or otherwise. But their positions are well known. Linus chose the GPL license from an engineering/pragmatic viewpoint, while Stallman is an idealist.

    Apparently they are quite friendly:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDxMJQLXmBE

    • Tyoda@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      Why does this look and sound like the inspirational scene of a Mockumentary?

    • pingveno@lemmy.ml
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      6 months ago

      I tried Debian/Herd on a spare box. I think that lasted for what, a week? It was a less than complete experience, so I moved on to more fruitful experiments.

  • LeroyJenkins@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    (Linus leans back in his chair, a glint of amusement in his eyes, and gestures toward Richard Stallman who is seated across from him. Richard, ever the passionate advocate, is already gesturing with his hands.)

    “Well, if you’re talking about the revolution in computing, you can’t forget about this fella right here, Mr. Stallman.”

    (He gives Richard a playful nudge.)

    “He’s the one who really gave us the framework, the ideals, the whole ‘free software’ movement.”

    Richard, his eyes gleaming with conviction, jumps in.

    “It’s not just about code, Linus. It’s about freedom, about users having control over their own technology. It’s about sharing, about building on each other’s work, and refusing to be locked in by proprietary systems.” (He leans forward, his voice gaining intensity.)

    "We had to fight for that freedom, against the corporations who wanted to control every bit of software, every line of code. But we won, and GNU is proof that free software can not only work but thrive. "

    Linus nods in agreement, a hint of respect in his voice.

    “He’s right, you know. Without the GNU tools, without Richard’s vision, Linux wouldn’t be what it is today. It wouldn’t be as powerful, as flexible, as truly free.”

    (He turns back to you, a mischievous glint in his eyes.)

    “But don’t let them fool you, we weren’t always the best of friends. We had our disagreements, our battles over licensing, our philosophical differences. But hey, that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?”

    (He grins, leaning back in his chair.)

    “In the end, we were all working towards the same goal, a world where software is free for all to use, share, and improve. And that’s a goal worth fighting for, wouldn’t you say?”

  • 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works
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    6 months ago

    I know lemmy has a gigantic hate boner for LLMs, but if you plugged this scenario into a good one (probably not the bog standard “free” chatgpt in bing) you’ll probably get a very entertaining conversation.