The criticism is pretty ridiculous. I can’t stand Stallman’s prescriptivist takes on language, but he was and is always right about the naming. I remember the people who insisted that it’s because the kernel was the most important part immediately called it Android and not Linux, then made a bunch of excuses.

Just be honest and don’t hide behind “I don’t use GNU so there!” kind of obnoxious stupidity. We say Linux because it stuck, not because the kernel is more important. Saying GNU or GNU/Linux or whatever was always a reasonable request that people rejected because they were either just too used to Linux or were actively worthless scumbag dumbfucks.

If Stallman had his way, the entire Linux ecosystem would be in the same state as GNU Hurd. His vision, work, and activism in the days of Unix was a massive benefit to free software at large, probably forever. Now he thinks Debian isn't free enough because it offers an optional nonfree repository.

I see it the same way you might give a loved one an occasional ribbing for something they have an ongoing hangup about, or even once yelled about several years ago.

It sucks for him and his recognition that "Linux" is such a good name that people use it for the entire OS. But the dude is basically still a hero. Anybody who helped really get the FOSS/GNU/Linux movement going is. We have a huge amount of the tech world that runs so well on free and open software, plus it's well beyond the critical mass where it isn't going anywhere and will be an option permanently (barring some event that also, you know, ends civilization).