GNU Octave is "the GNU counterpart of Matlab" but above all Gnu Octave is Gnu Octave!!!

[antonio palestrini]

Continuing this funny (but not to much) discussion

> Aside from the obvious problems with trademark infringement that
> statement poses, it sounds as strange as saying Linux is a "GNU
> Windows".

This is false since Linux has nothing to do with windows but Unix!!!
In a sense, we may say Linux is a GNU Unix or the GNU counterpart of
Unix. It reproduces the Unix commands but nobody of us will use a
linux software or compile something
not taking attention to the difference between Unix and Linux.
Even though they are very very similar nobody call Linux a Unix clone
(neither a windows clone :-))

> Could somebody recall what Matlab is, since I use Octave I don't seem to
> remember? And what version of Matlab do you want to clone, they tend to evolve?

you get the point. Many of us do not use matlab anymore so the word clone is
annoying. What are we following I don't remember!!!! Ok I know that many of you
use Octave to run Matlab code but this stuff has to do with the word
"portability"..
Octave has an high level of Matlab code portability!!!! To be precise
... the highest!!

> > I think John's statement yesterday (I hope I
> > remember correctly since I already deleted the mail) that
> > Octave is a free implementation of the Matlab language is the
> > most accurate description.

> Right, we can just start calling things GNU X if X isn't GNU.  We
> can't call The GIMP GNU Photoshop.

Rigth they are built in different way even though they solve similar problems.
It is not correct to read (as often happens in the web) "Gimp is the
Gnu counterpart
of Photoshop"! On the contrary Octave is now "the GNU counterpart of
Matlab". This is what I mean with the short GNU Matlab. But you are
right the short expression may cause troubles so forget about it.

> Office mates joke around and
> tell me they use "non-GNU Gnucash" when referring to Quicken.

:-)

Ok summing up ... Gnu Octave is Gnu Octave!!!

have a good nigth to all of you.
antonio

--
Prof. Antonio Palestrini
DSGSS - University of Teramo, Italy
e-mail: address@hidden