Confusing on the kernel Linux and whole system GNU/Linux in basic-commands

[Osama Khalid]

Binary package hint: ubuntu-docs

In basic-commands document, there must be a clear difference between GNU/Linux, the whole system (or we can just call it 'Ubuntu') and the kernel Linux.
These messages must be change as they aren't talking about the kernel itself:

1.
<emphasis role=\"strong\">Note that Linux is case sensitive.</emphasis>
User, user, and USER are all different to Linux.

2.
Every command and nearly every application in Linux will have a man (manual)
file, so finding them is as simple as typing <command>man command</command>
to bring up a longer manual entry for the specified command. For example,
<screen>man mv</screen> will bring up the <command>mv</command> (move)
manual.

3.
<screen>man intro</screen> is especially useful - it displays the
\"Introduction to user commands\" which is a well-written, fairly brief
introduction to the Linux command line.

4.
For more detailed tutorials on the Linux command line, please see:

[Dougie Richardson (dougierichardson)]

The word has come to mean the entire operating system and associated packages in much the same way as "Hoover" has come to mean "vacuum cleaner" or "Coke" has come to mean "cola".

The use of the term Ubuntu in this context is inappropriate as it conveys that Linux is Ubuntu, which is no more correct than any of the other terms.

Moreover, even the Linux Home Page describes it as:

"Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world."

Wikipedia as:

"Linux (commonly pronounced IPA: /ˈlɪnəks/ in English; variants exist[1]) is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel."

I think this conveys the correct spirit and although there is a difference in so far as GNU/Linux is GNU tools combined with the Linux kernel, very few people see this differentiation and in the absence of a suitable word to express the concept of the system as a whole, frankly I don't see the need.

[Osama Khalid (osamak)]

I would agree with you if Bash isn't a GNU software. Here, we don't explain the 'kernel' *at all*, we explain the GNU shell tool which has no relative to the 'kernel'. I think you can also use the Bash package under any UNIX-like operating system, e.g. BSD. which means it has nothing to do with the kernel.

If it's wrong, it is wrong--no matter how many use the wrong term. When we use the correct term, we help users understanding the story of our system.

[Dougie Richardson (dougierichardson)]

With respect, this is splitting hairs. Bash is GNU but the way it is accessed mightn't be a GNU program at all. I don't think its necessary to explain the kernel at all in the basic commands section - perhaps a reference in the introduction section (which I _think_ there already is), illustrating that there is a difference between the terms but that the term "Linux" is used meaning the "whole package".

In the examples you have cited, the better replacement term is "bash".

[Osama Khalid (osamak)]

Bash is a part of GNU project and it isn't the correct alternative always. In number one, the whole operating system is case sensitive, not only Bash (filenames, most of programming language, and so on). In number two, you can see clearly that the whole system is meant so as in number three and four. We don't have to 'explain' the GNU/Linux story, we shall only name it correctly when we mean the entire operating system.

Anyways, I think the issue is simple enough. Replacing the few terms will mention the operating system correctly and will cause no problems, as we always do in Ubuntu Documentation.

[Dougie Richardson (dougierichardson)]

This might be "simple enough" for you but it is not clear to me and as you haven't supplied a patch I need to understand what you are reporting before I patch it, otherwise there will be more bug reports.

Which terms do you want used in each example?

[Osama Khalid (osamak)]

I reported that 'Linux' is confusing and used wrongly. I suggested (above) 'GNU/Linux' or 'Ubuntu'. I think GNU/Linux is the best choice as this document is a general statement and could be applied on any GNU/Linux operating system, not only Ubuntu.

[Phil Bull (philbull)]

Hi Osama,

While there is technically an ambiguity between "Linux the operating system" and "Linux the kernel", in practice there is no confusion, for the following reasons:

 * Most users neither know nor care what a kernel is, and any user documentation is going to be referring to "Linux the operating system" 99% of the time anyway; the fact that there is a kernel named "Linux" is irrelevant to most users.
 * The kernel is an integral part of the operating system, so for most purposes "Linux the operating system" and "Linux the kernel" are synonymous. There is no need to differentiate between the two.
 * "Linux" is the dominant term used to refer to "Linux the operating system". Attempting to use the term "GNU/Linux" may confuse users, who may have only ever heard it referred to as "Linux".

I concede that the term "Linux" is used wrongly in this context, but that doesn't matter; everyone else uses it wrongly too. There is little value in trying to correct people's usage of these terms, especially since doing so may confuse some readers. "Linux" is the more common term, so we should continue to use that.

[Osama Khalid (osamak)]

GNU/Linux isn't confusing, because it is already used in Ubuntu documentations and the term explained in about-ubuntu. It is even used twice in basic-commands, the aim is to use it instead of the incorrect current one. The user who finds the term 'GNU/Linux', will google for it and find out the whole 'story'.

[Phil Bull (philbull)]

Hi Osama,

I disagree that the term "GNU/Linux" isn't confusing. Try asking a few non-technical computer users their opinion. We can't rely on users having read "about-ubuntu" either - most users look at the documentation to find a small snippet of information and then stop reading. Very few read the whole documentation. It is best for individual topics to stand alone without requiring any detailed preparatory reading.

Also, I don't think that the aim of our user documentation should be to encourage people to learn more about Linux. Rather, it should be to provide users with answers to their problems. User assistance must always take preference over evangelism.

[Dougie Richardson (dougierichardson)]

Hi Osama,

You have done the same thing yourself - you said "google for it" instead of "used an Internet search engine". That's the point, language changes - nouns often become verbs if their meaning is widely enough understood and there's no well known alternative.

[Matthew East (mdke)]

Closing this bug on the basis of the above comments.