[CLUE-Talk] gnu-hurd article

[Dave Price]

On Sun, Nov 10, 2002 at 05:48:15AM -0700, Roger Frank wrote:
> I never did understand why GNU/Hurd was there at all.  There are
> about a zillion flavors of Linux around with what seems like
> a decent kernel.  If I tire of installing the distro of the week,
> I tinker with FreeBSD.  That's about all the fun I can stand.
> So what is the driving force behind the GNU/Hurd piece at all?
> Does it have a particular application or customer segment that
> is different than Linux or BSD?  Or is it a just personal thing with
> the Stallman and FSF?
> 
> ---
> Roger Frank


Historically, the hurd (and Stallman's gnu project) predates linux.
It is just that RMS (what he thought were) the easiest pieces first,
and left the kernel for the last.  Linus built a kernel first, and
borrowed the gnu project's tools to build a complete unix clone.

He just never gave up the idea of a complete gnu (Free Software
Foundation) system - so the hurd effort continues.  The gnu/linux
community owes a great deal to RMS and his idea of a free unix system -
not to mention gcc, glibc, etc.

aloha,
dave