1081054 - Severely wrong by declaring Linux as an Operating System

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(www.mozilla.org :: Pages & Content, defect, P4)

Description

[toshazed]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Ubuntu; Linux i686; rv:32.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/32.0
Build ID: 20140924084003

Steps to reproduce:

In MDN and other resources of Mozilla I found declaration of Linux as an full Operating System.


Actual results:

I found that information is seriously wrong.


Expected results:

As far as known to me Linux is just a kernel not a full operating system. It depends on GNU system and tools to be build from its source, installed to a system and for its useability. As with the history without the GNU project the Linux kernel may not be born or spread out or not even our Mozilla also.

So if we declare and translate Linux as an operating system in MDN or other resources, we are doing seriously wrong by not giving credit to its most desirable party. And this wrong information reaches/goes to the public in seconds. For our future we are just vanishing our root and history of Software Freedom by doing So. 

We must have to give the credits properly to whom it goes to and not only do that for the last or recent one only.

My request to all of you, who ever writing articles or translating them or promoting please use the right form of words for an Open Operating system. Please use "GNU/Linux" rather than only "Linux" if you want to mention as an operating system and do translate them accordingly.

Comment 1

[Loic]

stricto sensu/largo sensu
Everybody says Linux, it's just a convention that everybody understands.

Comment 2

[toshazed]

(In reply to Loic from comment #1)
> stricto sensu/largo sensu
> Everybody says Linux, it's just a convention that everybody understands.

Dear Loic
Peace be upon you and Thanks for mentioning this dangerous practices, again. :)

When Mozilla was born no one ever listened about the Open Web then. But by promotional offers and many other activities Mozilla make us believing and about the real danger upcoming and teaches us how to be prepared and protect our freedom. Moreover some other non-standards has been wiped in that way and standards came out and ruled over.

You are not mentioning NT as to represent Windows or XNU for Mac OS. But when it comes for the open operating systems you are just wiping out the history and using only "Linux". This is seriously wrong and a very very very bad practice indeed.

It mandatory that, what we have done wrong in early days should be fixed or corrected now. At minimum we must give it a try. 

I have filed this bug just to wipe out the previous wrong doings/sub standards with the most accurate ones as the Mozilla is the most popular web culture now.

Hope you have got my point now. :D

Comment 3

[Robert Kaiser]

(In reply to toshazed from comment #0)
> Please use "GNU/Linux" rather than only "Linux" if you want to mention as an
> operating system and do translate them accordingly.

In my very personal and humble opinion, "GNU/Linux" is just as right or wrong as "Linux" alone, it's just using an additional brand name that doesn't really explain anything really useful to actual users. The fact is that almost all Linux (see what I'm doing here?) users, distributions and supporters use the term "Linux" to refer to OSes based on the Linux kernel (and various tools that may include but are surely not exclusive to one out of the GNU, KDE, GNOME, and many other projects). Not matter how much purists may think it's wrong or omitting something, the reality is that the word "Linux" is nowdays used as a synonym for this group of OSes. Like it or not, but that's the case.

Comment 4

[toshazed]

(In reply to Robert Kaiser (:[e-mail]) from comment #3)
> In my very personal and humble opinion, "GNU/Linux" is just as right or
> wrong as "Linux" alone, it's just using an additional brand name that
> doesn't really explain anything really useful to actual users. The fact is
> that almost all Linux (see what I'm doing here?) users, distributions and
> supporters use the term "Linux" to refer to OSes based on the Linux kernel
> (and various tools that may include but are surely not exclusive to one out
> of the GNU, KDE, GNOME, and many other projects). Not matter how much
> purists may think it's wrong or omitting something, the reality is that the
> word "Linux" is nowdays used as a synonym for this group of OSes. Like it or
> not, but that's the case.

Dear Robert
As a Mozillian I support Mozilla for purity, purity for value the user rights. And not like other substanderd or user freedom denying browers. A user must have the right to know what coming on next and what we have done in the past. 

If anyone denies his past he/she have no present and so no future. I am asking you all to stand for proper or accurate or pure history, history about how we were under closed monopoly and how we got free. 

We should not be so mean to wipe out our root or history about the freedom in the software world and do not hesitate to share the proper credit to all who deserves.

Hope You may not read this yet and I request you to read it carefully -- http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-users-never-heard-of-gnu.html

Comment 5

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Nobody says GNU/Linux nowadays, except ideological people. I checked various Linux distribution websites and they don't say GNU/Linux (Debian quotes it in a quite neutral way). They all say "operating system based on the Linux kernel".

Mozilla's role is not about taking a side here, and especially not in MDN. This is not the right place for this. Please understand that merely writing "Linux" does not mean Mozilla wipes the roots and history of free software. It's simply pragmatism.

Comment 6

[Reed Loden [:reed]]

I'm just going to close this out as WONTFIX.

We have far better things to worry about than GNU philosophical debates. "Linux" alone is perfectly fine for our cases, and I see no reason to modify it otherwise.

Comment 7

[toshazed]

Dear Julien and Loden
Plese do not skip this severe wrong doings by announcing Linux as an operating system anyhow. I have requested you all as to mention Linux as the kernel and announce Debian or Ubuntu or Redhat or LinuxMint as they goes like Windows or Mac. 

Moreover, On distorwatch you can find the most populer or the most solid one as for annoucement in public pages like MDN or elsewhere.

Please do not hide or skip the wrong doings by being judgemental. Mozilla does not go through anyhow nor the Mozillians does. We always stands for our freedom, freedom for doing good for everyone and never get washedout by the evil or wrongs.

For further reading --
1. http://gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#everyoneknows
2. http://gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#whatgood

Dear Loden 
I believe the whole Mozilla will rethink what I am asking for through this bug and not to be judgemental anyhow. And so I have stated this bug UNCONFIRMED again. Hope you won't mind. Please rethink and choose the better option you have to pass the true history to everyone in the open web.

Happy Hacking ;)

Comment 8

[Julien Wajsberg [:julienw]]

Toshazed, please provide a link to one or some of the erroneous text, after you. Until now you didn't put any example of what you're saying.

Comment 9

[toshazed]

Dear Julien
1. Here the Linux kernel was mentioned as an Operating system, even twice as 32 and 64 bit OS -- https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/
2. Here the Linux kernel was mentioned as an Operating system -- https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all.html
3. Here is the same wrong info, declaring the Linux kernel as a full Operating system -- http://planet.mozilla.org/thunderbird/

Hope you got my point and I am asking for change as like this page, where the Linux is explicitly declared as a kernel and as the os it is GNU/Linux along with the brand name (Ubuntu/LinuxMint/Debian etc.) -- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_OS/Firefox_OS_build_prerequisites

Thanks to you for asking me. And I am Shazedur Rahim Joardar Ring from Bangladesh, "toshazed" is my id. :D

Comment 10

[Hubert Figuiere [:hub]]

Back to the original resolution.

Comment 11

[toshazed]

(In reply to Hubert Figuiere [:hub] from comment #10)
> Back to the original resolution.

Dear Hubert
Are you going to freeze my voice? What do mean by "original resolution" where an active Q&A comment session is live and on?

We are fighting for freedom and how it will be possible by suppressing someone of us? Please do not suppress my voice and restate the bug to its active session.