a long rebuttal to the Linux-is-the-engine fallacy

[Antonio Olivares]

> >> why would they have bothered with rewriting a much
> smaller piece of
> >> it?
> 
> > If it is really free, why does this last paragraph
> belong in your
> > argument?
> 
> The argument about why it is correct to say that what some
> people
> mistake for Linux is actually the GNU operating system?  I
> don't see
> what this has to do with freedom.  Sure, they can use it,
> or write
> something else.  But if they use it, that won't make it
> something
> else, no matter how wonderful the kernel they use with it
> is.
> 
> -- 

What does that have to do with freedom?

They have a right to call it what they want.  That is their freedom and they are exercising it :) 

For instance the USA fought a war with Great Britian/England for independence.  They won and became an independent nation.  They named the country United States of America(USA), they should have named it England/USA because most of the people came from over there?

Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821.  They declared for independence in 1810.  When they won, they named their country, Mexico not Spain/Mexico.  

Similarly for many nations in North, Central and South America.  This can be adapted to other nations as well.  

There are several Something/Something else combinations that do exist, I will give you some examples

Austria-Hungary, the combined Austria and Hungary 
Czechoslovakia, the Czechs and the Slovakians united together

What happened to them?, they disintegrated, Austria-Hungary became Austria and Hungary respectively.  Also Czechoslovakia split up and became Czech Republic and Slovakia Republic. 

There is also the Yugoslavia case, where a great leader named Tito united the Serbians, Macedonians, Boznia-Herzogovina, Croatia, etc.  Look at the landscape now, most are independent nations.  A new nation was even born named Kosovo, if they named their nation in regards to who ruled their country, the name would be very long :(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo

Does that make sense?

Brazil fought a war with Portugal(1821-1825) for independence.  Brazil won, and they named their country Brazil, not Portugal/Brazil. 

http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/bat/brazil/fbrazil1821b.htm

It makes sense that they got their freedom and adopted a new name free from the original. Similarly, it makes sense to call the system Linux without strings attached.  If they want to be politically correct, then they can call it GNU/Linux so that RMS can sleep better at night.  

Regards,

Antonio