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List:       fedora-devel-list
Subject:    Re: F35 Change: "Fedora Linux" in /etc/os-release
From:       Kevin Kofler via devel <devel () lists ! fedoraproject ! org>
Date:       2021-03-11 12:57:34
Message-ID: s2d43u$14dh$1 () ciao ! gmane ! io
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Matthew Miller wrote:
> Check this out from back in the day:
> https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/File:Logo-history-variations.jpg
> 
> Under that scheme, it was obvious that we did a number of different
> things, all of them "Fedora".

But those things have one thing in common, they are all gone (except the 
project): Core and Extras have merged, Legacy has been discontinued, the 
Foundation has never materialized.

> The merger with Extras and creation of a real community project was
> essential to our ongoing success, but it also introduced a community /
> output confusion.

All that is left from the above is the Fedora Project that produces Fedora. 
I do not see a big confusion there. Every community-developed product is 
produced by a project community.

And other attempts at resolving this alleged "community / output confusion" 
in Free Software communities have only led to more naming chaos, not less, 
see, e.g., the KDE rebranding fiasco. (There are about 99500 search engine 
hits for "KDE 5", a phrase that officially does not exist due to the 
rebranding from "KDE 4" to "(KDE) Plasma 4" in the 4.x era.)

In most cases, it is obvious whether Fedora, the GNU/Linux distribution, or 
Fedora, the community that develops it, are meant. When not, it can be 
easily clarified as Fedora GNU/Linux vs. the Fedora Project in the specific 
context.

> This has gotten worse in recent years as we introduce new and different
> things, leading to things like people saying "Oh, that's in CoreOS, not
> Fedora", where the shorthand is more confusing than helpful.

And I think it makes sense to say that: CoreOS is a very different operating 
system from Fedora as we know it (even if they share the GNU/Linux base) and 
so should (continue to) have a completely different brand, not Fedora.

>> 2. Why Linux and not GNU/Linux? Linux is just a kernel. GNU/Linux is an
>> OS.
> 
> Fedora Linux is an OS. Although GNU project utilities are indeed
> essential, Fedora Linux consists of more than those plus Linux, and the
> contributions of many of those other projects is equally essential.

But the Linux kernel is just a small part of the operating system, and not 
even the characterizing part: Android also uses the Linux kernel, and it is 
a completely different operating system!

> Additonally:
> 
> * We are not part of GNU, and in fact listed by them as specifically not
>   endorsed because we have policy disagreements.

Fedora is not "part of Linux" either. The easiest way to avoid any such 
confusion is to just call it Fedora.

And besides, Debian is also not on the FSF-approved distro list (mainly 
because of the existence of the non-free section), and is still allowed to 
call itself "Debian GNU/Linux".

> * Interjections aside, "Linux" is what people in general know. Adding more
>   words and punctuation does not seem as good for a general audience.

But this contributes to spreading the misnomer.

        Kevin Kofler
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