You seem to like the lines-of-code metric. There are many lines of GNU code in a typical Linux distribution. You seem to suggest that (more LOC) == (more important). However, I submit to you that raw LOC numbers do not directly correlate with importance. I would suggest that clock cycles spent on code is a better metric. For example, if my system spends 90% of its time executing XFree86 code, XFree86 is probably the single most important collection of code on my system. Even if I loaded ten times as many lines of useless bloatware on my system and I never excuted that bloatware, it certainly isn’t more important code than XFree86. Obviously, this metric isn’t perfect either, but LOC really, really sucks. Please refrain from using it ever again in supporting any argument.
Can confirm it’s a shitty metric. I once saved the company I was working at few millions by changing one line of code. And it took 3 days to find it. And it was only 3 characters changed.
That’s the curse and blessing of our profession: efficiency of work is almost impossible to measure once you go beyond very simple code.
You can feel like a hero for changing three characters and finally fixing that nasty, or you can feel like an absolute disgrace for needing days to find such a simple fix. Your manager employs the same duality of judgement
I feel like a hero in this particular case, it was a bug in a code that was written when I was still too young to even read. And no one knew how to run it. We didn’t have access to the pipelines so no one knew how to build it and how to run it. It was a very obscure hybrid of C and PHP. I basically had to be the compiler, I went line by line through the whole codebase, searching for the code path that caused the error. Sounds easy enough, right? Just CTRL+click in your IDE. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone decided that function names should be constructed as a string using at least 20 levels of nesting where each layer adda something to the function name and then it’s finally called. TL;DR it was a very shitty code.
What the fuck. I’m so appalled I had to leave this useless comment to digitally stare with an agape mouth.
To be fair, they said I’ll be dealing with legacy code from time to time during the interview.
But did you add 3 characters? Gotta bump up that code count bruh.
Nope, removed 3, added 1.
I wrote a program that does nothing but busy loop on all cores. stylist_trend/Linux is my favourite OS.
i’m partial to the more relaxing sleep(500)/linux os, but to each their own
Any good sleep will give back control to other threads.
Then this:
:(){ :|:& };:
is most important code in existence.What you refer to as Linux, is actually called Forkbomb/Linux, or as I’ve recently taken to calli-
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No, he doesn’t. He suggests that there are Linux systems with no GNU code, like one I’m replying from, and whether “no” meant “no SLOC” or “no instructions spent executing” or “no packages” absolutely doesn’t matter.
Ubuntu: “Linux”
Fedora: “Linux”
Arch: “Linux”
Gentoo: “Linux”
Slackware: “Linux”
Debian: “Free Operating System”There’s more truth to that than most people realize: Linux is only one kernel option in Debian:
Debian: “Libre Operating System”
FTFY
Lifree
Freebre?
Bruh
Been running a Linux based os for coming up on two years. I still definitely do not care about this.
Been running a Linux based os for coming up on twenty years. I still definitely do not care about this.
But the compiler is GNU!
If you compile windows with GCC is it gnu/windows?
So, how’s Hurd doing these days? If they want their own operating system, maybe they should release version 1.0 of their kernel.
There are distros without GNU, like alpine.
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It shows that Unix’s implementation of echo uses 10 lines of code, other *nixen use 60 to 100, and gnu uses 250. The implication being, I suppose, that GNU has such a high line of code count because it’s very verbose or padded
Not only comments and padding, but also features/flags/options in GNU echo
Implementation is the actual code with the logic that does the thing you want it do, as opposed to the command, which is how you tell the system what it should do.
The command can be the same on multiple OSs, but the implementation can be different.
In case of Linux and the coreutils (which are the basic programs you need beside the kernel to make a functioning system, stuff like mkdir) the most common implementation of all the coreutils is the one made by GNU. Stallmann did a lot of work on that so he wants credit for making a big part of the OS.
The same program (
echo
) implemented in different operating systems (and the GNU version).
That’s how they get more lines of code.
Well, no surprise they have more lines of code. And that’s even if you disregard printing help.
I honestly never cared about this, it’s the first time I write something about that, but any Linux-based OS is made of countless different software. What limits the number of names to two? Why can’t I call my OS OpenVPN/Gnu/Linux, then why not Wayland/OpenVPN/Gnu/Linux? That would be crazy. A single recognizable name is what makes it.
Furthermore by definition an operating system is an interface between userspace applications to the hardware, hence the operating system should be just Linux.
Not shitting on GNU at all, but this push for calling the OS Gnu/Linux seems futile
SystemD/Linux
Furthermore by definition an operating system is an interface between userspace applications to the hardware, hence the operating system should be just Linux.
It gets more complicated with microkernels, though because you literally can’t run anything without some important processes running in userspace.
That’s a good point, thank you for your time
I ca GNU
I mean I don’t think there must be a heated debate about it you know. You can call it GNU because you probably value more GNU, some others call it GNU/Linux and some Linux. It’s okay as long as it’s understandable
True
busybox, musl and llvm enter the room
holds up linux os without gnu software WHATS THIS THEN HUH?!
Gnun’t/Linux
GNL (GNU isn’t Linux) / Linux
Take a look at Alpine, Void, and (most importantly) Chimera Linux.
I thought it was arch?
I use arch/linux, btw.
As a german I also use Arsch, btw., for sitting.
Arch/linux = 0.5 or so right
More like 32.33, repeating of course.
Alpine Linux: what’s up, guys?
The shortest proper name is GNU.
Inb4 Alpine, which is just called “Linux” internally.
People use terrible words in CS and engineering in general. Doesn’t mean we don’t challenge them.
I mean, GNU wants to be called an operating system but it can’t talk to hardware.
Linux want to be called an operating system but it’s a kernel.
if only there was a way to combine these two…
With a / obviously
adjunction space moment
And hardware can’t talk to it. Has it ever occurred to you that there’s more at stake here? That companies feel the need to lock away hardware in order to drive their profit line.
At least GNU has something interesting to say about computer science. And for what it’s worth, it’s telling to know that you woild rather disparage GNU rather than the purposeful decisions made by executives and manufactuers to render both hardware and software undocumented and subjugating.
But no! That’s “unfixable” and we need to learn how to “deal with it.” God forbid anyone makes a ruckus about it. Freedom for me but not for thee in this fast paced economy.
You picked the status quo and are now complaining that people reject the status quo.
I feel like you misunderstood. Operating system has many functions, one of the most important ones is talking to hardware. GNU cannot do that because that’s the kernel’s job. And the kernel is Linux. So they claim they’re an operating system but can’t do the most fundamental thing an operating system needs to do.
Well by that token Linux can’t claim to be an OS either, since as your own comment mentions it only performs one function of an OS. It’s important that it can talk to hardware but it’s not an OS if it can’t do anything else.
That’s debatable, Linux (the kernel) does much more than communicate with hardware - it manages memory allocations, handles processes etc. GNU is a set of tools. While some tools are needed for the OS to even make sense (without tools it just sits there and does nothing), you could write a simple program used as the init process and nothing else than the program and Linux is needed. Which leads me to believe that the kernel is the OS.
What? GNU has a kernel, it’s called Linux!
no. gnu does have a kernel. But it’s not linux. it’s called gnu hurd. It is actually about a year older than linux. It isn’t finished, and barely anyone uses it
GNU Hurd technically isn’t the kernel. GNU Mach is.
GNU has both Hurd and Linux, very powerful indeed!
just, no. linux is simply not a gnu project. at all.
If it were, we wouldn’t be hearing about them wanting to call it gnu/linux because, in their own words, the os is “gnu with linux added”
they’d just want to call it gnu.
a very quick google search could have told you that