Terminology and Stylistic Choices
This project uses deliberate names for operating-system stacks. Do not blind-replace one register with another.
Three names for the same family of systems
People talk about the same family of systems in three different registers. Keep them distinct.
| Register | Term | Use |
|---|---|---|
Vernacular / everyday speech |
Linux |
What most people mean when they say the OS name. Prefer this in ordinary prose, platform lists, and definitional sentences ("commonly known as…"). |
FSF / GNU project (Richard M. Stallman) |
GNU+Linux (also written GNU/Linux) |
Official GNU advocacy naming: GNU userland + Linux kernel. Acknowledge it when discussing GNU naming or quoting that tradition. It also appears in everyday speech among people who follow that usage. |
House symbol (optional) |
Linux+GNU |
Dev-Centr stylistic token for kernel+userland order (Kernel+Userland). Introduce it only as our notation — never claim it is the common name, and never invent forms such as Linux+GNU+GNU. |
What went wrong (do not repeat)
A bad automated pass stuffed the house symbol into sentences that define or quote common naming — for example claiming the OS is "commonly known as Linux+GNU." That is false. The common name is Linux. The GNU-preferred name is GNU+Linux. Linux+GNU is only our optional house spelling.