You start off by referring to "the Linux operating system", but there is no such thing. Linux is just the kernel, and it takes a lot more to make an operating system. Hence what you are really referring to are "Linux based operating systems". What you call the collection of components that come together to form the operating system is entirely different.
"GNU/Linux" is not correct either. I would best describe this as the operating system framework. There is no "GNU/Linux" operating system to download and install. You must install what are typically called "distributions". So in effect, the actual operating system name is the distribution name (e.g. CentOS, Ubuntu, etc...).
Most Linux based operating systems will also heavily depend on GNU software, so you may be tempted to lump everything under "GNU/Linux". However you also have systems that use the Linux kernel with little or no GNU software (e.g. Android, OpenWRT).
You are trying to reconcile a name for two different things. Once you understand the composition of an OS and how Linux and GNU contribute to the entire system, your question becomes moot.
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You start off by referring to "the Linux operating system", but there is no such thing. Linux is just the kernel, and it takes a lot more to make an operating system. Hence what you are really referring to are "Linux based operating systems". What you call the collection of components that come together to form the operating system is entirely different.
"GNU/Linux" is not correct either. I would best describe this as the operating system framework. There is no "GNU/Linux" operating system to download and install. You must install what are typically called "distributions". So in effect, the actual operating system name is the distribution name (e.g. CentOS, Ubuntu, etc...).
Most Linux based operating systems will also heavily depend on GNU software, so you may be tempted to lump everything under "GNU/Linux". However you also have systems that use the Linux kernel with little or no GNU software (e.g. Android, OpenWRT).
You are trying to reconcile a name for two different things. Once you understand the composition of an OS and how Linux and GNU contribute to the entire system, your question becomes moot.