this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] azvasKvklenko@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 day ago (4 children)

What you’re referring to as Linux is actually Uutils/Linux…

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[–] feanpoli@lemmy.ml 112 points 1 day ago (4 children)

While shifting to Rust might be a good idea for improving safety and performance, adopting the MIT license represents a fundamental change that will enable large tech companies to develop and distribute proprietary software based on the new MIT-licensed Core Utilities. This shift moves away from the original vision of the project which was to ensure that the software remains free and open as enshrined in the GPL's copyleft principles. The permissive nature of the MIT license also will increase fragmentation, as it allows proprietary forks that diverge from the main project. This could weaken the community-driven development model and potentially lead to incompatible versions of the software.

[–] InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 4 points 16 hours ago

This is stupid,, businesses just use busybox and move on.

Nobody is freaking out that their smart toaster doesn't have the full version of troff.

[–] WarmApplePieShrek@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Open source has been captured and corporatized.

But Ubuntu has always been extremely corporate.

[–] kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

That doesn't mean we should make it easier for them, if anything that means we need a V4 of the GPL that addresses and combats that

[–] WarmApplePieShrek@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

No I mean less permissive, a license that can ensure major corporations cant just take someone's work and overshadow them

[–] pmk@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do large tech companies contribute a lot to the GPL coreutils?

[–] feanpoli@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

Yes, they do. The GPL's copyleft clause requires companies to release the source code of any modifications they distribute, ensuring contributions back to the community. The MIT license, however, allows proprietary forks without this obligation. In other terms, the MIT license is effectively permitting companies to "jump out" of the open-source ecosystem they make use of.

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[–] Abnorc@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If this happened, would Ubuntu based operating systems be impacted as well? I might start to learn Debian or LMDE if so.

[–] MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 day ago

MIT license is still open source, so Ubuntu based operating systems can still be open source. The problem is that this makes it less needed that they have to be. However most current projects will probably stay proper open source projects and likely continue to use a better license.

[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 day ago

Fuck Ubuntu fuck MIT fuck everything

[–] mactan@lemmy.ml 76 points 1 day ago (1 children)

genuinely my only problem with it is the license. I really hate how much stuff is mit or apache now. I've seen some really nice projects get taken over and privatized in the last few years and nobody has learned

[–] bunitor@lemmy.eco.br 30 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

sadly, i think that's exactly the reason why so many gnu coreutils/libc/compiler competitors keep croping up: people want to get rid of the gpl as much as possible. if they could replace the linux kernel with a non gpl variant they would

not that the people creating the projects necessarily have this intention, but the projects are certainly being picked up and sponsored mainly for that reason

[–] kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 15 hours ago

Imo thats also why its devolped as well, people genuenly like permissive licenses because apparently coporate leeches arent an issue to them.

[–] Mwa@lemm.ee 31 points 1 day ago

Can't wait for proprietary apps to not work on distros that still use gnu core utilities.

[–] adrianhooves@lemmy.today 3 points 1 day ago (3 children)

this means ubuntu is no longer a linux distro?? because if linux hardcore people think that linux is kernel+gnu then that means both android and ubuntu are not distros!! i believe the opposite, linux kernel? linux distro of course!! and ubuntu is the android of linux distros even if android is a linux distro itself

[–] JustVik@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ubuntu is no longer GNU/Linux distro. Linux is just a kernel.:)

[–] lengau@midwest.social 3 points 22 hours ago

It using glibc still distinguishes it as more of a GNU system than, say, Alpine.

[–] Drito@sh.itjust.works 1 points 18 hours ago

IMHO distros share the same apps. The defaults can differ, the implementations too but the user can install apps that are on other distros.

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[–] that_leaflet@lemmy.world 92 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Clickbait. The VP Engineering for Ubuntu made a post that he was looking into using the Rust utils for Ubuntu and has been daily driving them and encouraged others to try

It’s by no means certain this will be done.

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 day ago

Clickbait

With mental outlaw, it's usually that or ragebait, to rile up his audience.

[–] cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Clickbait. The VP Engineering for Ubuntu made a post that he was looking into using the Rust utils for Ubuntu and has been daily driving them and encouraged others to try

It’s by no means certain this will be done.

Here is that post. It isn't certain to happen, but he doesn't only say that he is daily driving them. He says his goal is to make them the default in 25.10:

My immediate goal is to make uutils’ coreutils implementation the default in Ubuntu 25.10, and subsequently in our next Long Term Support (LTS) release, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, if the conditions are right.

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[–] adrianhooves@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

oh no!! wait but that means that xubuntu will still be around?? because as far as i know, xfce has some elements that use agpl and that would interfere with some rust code and would hurt xubuntu. would that make xubuntu stop existing?

[–] Ferk@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

IANAL, but as far as I know there's no problem with distributing MIT software as a GPL component, since MIT allows imposing extra restrictions (like the share-the-source limitations of the GPL) to the code, so you can in theory turn every MIT software into GPL, what you can't do is turn GPL software into MIT, so if the GPL software links MIT libraries that are part of its function, that instance of MIT software needs to follow the GPL.

[–] fxdave@lemmy.ml 1 points 18 hours ago

do they interfere?

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