Re: [vox] Stallman on Slashdot

[nbs <MAPSnbs@sonic.net>]

On Tue, May 21, 2002 at 09:06:45AM -0700, Peter Jay Salzman wrote:
<snip>
> 
> true, but apache isn't an operating system, is it?

This brings up the confusion question of "what the hell /IS/ an operating
system?"

These days, it's full of cocoa and registries and web browsers and
bash prompts.

I think the line has gotten a lot blurrier between where the OS, the
kernel, the tools, and the interface all start and end.

My first thought would be to say this started with MacOS, but honestly,
MacOS was really an all-in-one OS.  Starting with Windows, the GUI became
the important thing, but it still wasn't the underlying OS.  But without it,
you wouldn't call the OS "Windows," you'd call it "DOS."

Ugh... my head is spinning.  Time to boot up my Atari 800XL.
Ahhh... much better.  Just an OS.  Time to plug in a BASIC cartridge and
boot an AtariDOS floppy and then load an application or game. :)

-bill!
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