Re: When can we expect a version 1.0 of the GNU Operating System?

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   > The priority of the GNU project has always been to free users,
   > not to develop the GNU system.  Since we have a free system, our
   > priorities are to work on furthering the goal of freedom for all
   > computer users.

   The Web site of the GNU Project emphasizes how important freedom is
   for users, but it says that the GNU Project was launched in 1984 to
   develop the GNU system and that its primary goal is to offer a
   Unix-compatible system that would be 100% free software. [1]

Which we achived back in the 90s, so our goal is to continue to make
sure that we provide a 100% free software system by replacing any new
fangled software that deprives users of their free.  It isn't to make
things easier (though important), or technically superious (also
important): a free software program that is impossible to install and
technically inferior is still better than the alternative.

   I think you are confusing the goals of the GNU Project with the
   goals of the Free Software Foundation.

The goals of the FSF and GNU project are exactly the same: kick the
software hoarders out.

   The release of the GNU Operating System is very important for
   freedom.

Maybe it is important, but it would be important for the GNU project
as such, not for user freedom since it does not bring anything new to
the able (and by this I mean in the sense of freedom -- we already
have a 100% free system in the form of gNS, Trisquel, etc).  In the
long run, I think projects like GNU Linux-Libre and GNUzilla are
_very_ important project, since that really shows the weakness of the
"plain" versions and how the subjugate users.  GUIX does bring
interesting technical advantages though, but that is not a goal of the
GNU project -- though we tend to strive for it anyway.

   Currently, there are distributions like Trisquel and gNewSense,
   which are free according to the GNU guidelines for software
   distributions. [3] I have used them and I have contributed to
   them. But when you have problems as a user (even as a developer)
   with those distributions you usually have to go upstream to deal
   with developers, users, software, documentation, and forums that
   don't care about freedom.

You will always have these problems, GNU contains programs not part of
the GNU project.

   With a release of an official GNU Operating System a better
   computing environment would be available for the whole world. So it
   does help achieve the goals of the GNU Project and the goals of the
   FSF.

   I don't understand why you think otherwise,

Because I don't see how it helps to free users: GUIX is a 100%
operating system, so is gNS.  From the GNU projects point of view, the
goal is simple, 100% free operating system.  Since we have that, and
we have other challanges to fight it is clear that those challanges
are of higher priority, either software like LibreJS, seeing that we
can still boot our computers with coreboot (not even a GNU project or
entirely aligned with our goals), or working on music and videos
formats unencumbered by patents like FLAC, and Theora.  And whatever
else these nasty people will throw our way...