this post was submitted on 02 May 2024
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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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[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Lol I wasn't aware that nano is actually a GNU project. Checking the date on Wikipedia when it became one really threw me off today morning: 2001. Man I was living behind the moon and could not exit properly the entire time!

[–] palordrolap@kbin.social 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I remember using Pico, Nano's predecessor, in the mid-to-late '90s. Nano was created because there was a desire to distribute Pico with Linux. Unfortunately, the licensing was unclear so a clone had to be made. Fortunately there was no argument about editor appearance and behaviour.

As shocking as the 2001 date might be, it seems like Pico might have ceased development as recently as the end of 2022 along with its e-mail reader parent program Alpine (formerly Pine).

If true, Nano still has a few years to go before it will overtake its parent for longevity.

(Both vi and Emacs are far older, of course.)