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{{Short description|Free software collection}}
{{two other uses|the operating system|the animal|Wildebeest||}}
{{About|the free software collection|the animal|Wildebeest|other uses}}

{{Distinguish|XNU}}
{{Primary sources|date=July 2010}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Use American English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox OS {{Infobox OS
| name = GNU | name = GNU
| logo = ] | logo = Heckert GNU white.svg
| logo size = 100px
| family = ]
| screenshot = Gnu hurd debian 1.png
| latest_release_version =
| caption = ] with ] and web browser ]
| latest_release_date =
| family = ]
| latest_test_version =
| developer = Community
| latest_test_date =
| source model = ]
| marketing_target =
| marketing target = Personal computers, mobile devices, embedded devices, servers, mainframes, supercomputers
| language = Multilingual
| language = <!--Exactly which?-->
| kernel_type = ]
| userland = GNU
| ui = None
| kernel_type = ] (]) or ] (GNU ], fork of ])
| license = ] and other ]s
| license = ], ], ], ], ]<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gnu.org/licenses/ |title = GNU Licenses}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html |title = GNU FSDG}}</ref>
| working_state = In Development / Unofficial, non production-ready releases
| website = {{URL|https://www.gnu.org/home.en.html|gnu.org}}
| supported_platforms = ], ]
| programmed in = Various languages (notably ] and ])
| updatemodel =
| working_state = Current
| package_manager =
| supported_platforms = ] (with ] kernel only) and ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] <!-- Do not include 64 bit extensions of 32 bit ISAs, e.g. sparc64, ppc64, x86-64 &c. --> (with ] kernel only)
| website = {{url|http://gnu.org/}}
}} }}
'''GNU''' {{IPAc-en|audio=En-gnu.ogg|ɡ|n|uː}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnu.org/ |title= What is GNU?| work = The GNU Operating System |date=September 4, 2009 |publisher=] |accessdate=October 9, 2009 |quote=The name "GNU" is a ] for "GNU's Not Unix!"; it is pronounced ''g-noo'', as one syllable with no vowel sound between the ''g'' and the ''n''.}}</ref><!-- /gnu:/ is not a possible English pronunciation-->
<ref name="IU">http://kb.iu.edu/data/acuo.html</ref>
is a ] computer ] developed by the ], ultimately aiming to be a "complete ]-compatible software system"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html |title=GNU Manifesto |publisher=Gnu.org |date= |accessdate=2011-07-27}}</ref><ref name="IU"/>
composed wholly of ]. Development of GNU was initiated by ] in 1983<ref>http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/128513,qa-richard-stallman-founder-of-the-gnu-project-and-the-free-software-foundation.aspx</ref> and was the original focus of the ] (FSF).<ref name=computerworld>Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. "" in '']'', April 9, 2009: "But after more than 25 years in development, GNU remains incomplete: Its kernel, Hurd, has never really made it out of the starting blocks. ... Almost no one has actually been able to use the OS; it's really more a set of ideas than an operating system."</ref><ref name=Hillesley>Hillesley, Richard. "", June 30, 2010. See especially : "Nearly twenty years later the HURD has still to reach maturity, and has never achieved production quality." ... "Some of us are still wishing and hoping for the real deal, a GNU operating system with a GNU kernel."</ref><ref>Lessig, Lawrence. ''The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World'', p. 54. Random House, Inc., 2001. ISBN 978-0-375-50578-2. Referring to Stallman, Lessig wrote, "He had mixed all of the ingredients needed for an operating system to function, but he was missing the core."</ref> Non-GNU kernels, most famously the ], can also be used with GNU.<ref>http://www.ntchosting.com/linux-operating-system.html</ref><ref>http://oreilly.com/openbook/debian/book/ch01_02.html</ref><ref>https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/installation-guide/hppa/what-is-linux.html</ref> The FSF maintains that ], when used with GNU tools and utilities, should be considered a ], and promotes the term ''GNU/Linux'' for such systems (leading to the ]).<ref>{{ cite newsgroup | url = http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.misc/msg/1241a2919efc4bc3 | title = Linux is a GNU system and the DWARF support | newsgroup = comp.os.linux.misc | date = 8 September 1994 | author = Matt Welsh | accessdate = 3 February 2008 | quote = RMS's idea (which I have heard first-hand) is that Linux systems should be considered GNU systems with Linux as the kernel. }}</ref><ref>http://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/285750/debian-gnulinux-seeks-alignment-free-software-foundation</ref><ref>http://www.tldp.org/LDP/sag/html/gnu-or-not.html</ref>


'''GNU''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-gnu.ogg|ɡ|n|uː}})<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gnu.org/ |title = What is GNU? |work = The GNU Operating System | date = September 4, 2009 | publisher = ] |access-date=October 9, 2009 | quote =The name ‘GNU’ is a ] for ‘GNU's Not Unix‘; it is pronounced ''g-noo'', as one syllable with no vowel sound between the ''g'' and the ''n''.}}</ref><ref name="rms-zagreb-talk" /> is an extensive collection of ] (394 packages {{As of|2024|June|lc=y}}),<ref>{{cite web
''GNU'' is a ] for ''"GNU's Not Unix!"''<ref name="IU"/><ref>http://www.thefreedictionary.com/GNU%27s+Not+Unix</ref>, chosen because GNU's design is ], but differs from Unix by being free software and containing no ] code.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gnu.org/ | title = The GNU Operating system | accessdate = 2008-08-18 }}</ref> Programs released under the auspices of the GNU Project are called ''GNU packages'' or ''GNU programs''. The system's basic components include the ] (GCC), the ] (binutils), the ] shell, the ] (glibc), and ] (coreutils).<ref>http://developer.amd.com/tools/opensource/gnu/Pages/default.aspx</ref> GNU developers have contributed Linux ] of GNU applications and utilities, which are now also widely used on other operating systems such as ] variants, ] and ].<ref>http://www.buzzle.com/articles/linux-history-and-introduction.html</ref>
| url = https://www.gnu.org/software/software.html
| title = Software – GNU Project
| last = Stallman
| first = Richard
| website = GNU Project
| access-date = 2022-01-09
| publisher=Free Software Foundation, Inc
}}</ref> which can be used as an ] or can be used in parts with other operating systems.<ref name="handbookonopensource" /><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html | title = GNU Manifesto |publisher = FSF | work = GNU project |access-date= 2011-07-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url= https://archive.org/details/cathedralbaz00raym | url-access= registration | title = The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary | publisher= "O'Reilly Media, Inc." | pages = –12 | isbn= 978-0-59600108-7 | last = Raymond | first =Eric | date = 2001-02-01}}</ref> The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popularly known as ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=1.2. What is GNU/Linux?|url=https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch01s02.en.html|access-date=2024-06-07|website=www.debian.org}}</ref> Most of GNU is licensed under the ]'s own General Public License (]).


], founder of the GNU project]]
The ] (GPL), the ] (LGPL), and the ] (GFDL) were written for GNU and the GNU ] was written as an extended version of GPL version 3 for programs run over a network, but the GNU Project's licenses are also used by many unrelated projects. A minority of the software used by GNU, such as the ], is licensed under ]s.


GNU is also the project within which the ] concept originated. ], the founder of the project, views GNU as a "technical means to a social end".<ref>{{Citation | contribution = KTH | publisher = FSF | title = Philosophy | series = GNU | contribution-url = https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/stallman-kth.html | first = Richard | last = Stallman | type = speech | place = Stockholm, Sweden | year = 1986}}.</ref> Relatedly, ] states in his introduction to the second edition of Stallman's book '']'' that in it Stallman has written about "the social aspects of software and how Free Software can create community and social justice".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.openisbn.com/isbn/9781441436856/|title=Free Software, Free Society: Selected Essays Of Richard M. Stallman|isbn=9781441436856|access-date=2016-03-24|last1=Stallman|first1=Richard M.|last2=Gay|first2=Joshua|date=December 2009|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform }}</ref>
Richard Stallman views GNU as a "technical means to a social end".<ref> www.gnu.org</ref>

== Name ==
''GNU'' is a ] for "GNU's Not Unix!",<ref name = "handbookonopensource" /><ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.thefreedictionary.com/GNU%27s+Not+Unix |title=GNU's Not Unix | publisher =The free dictionary | access-date = 2012-09-22}}</ref> chosen because GNU's design is ], but differs from ] by being free software and containing no Unix code.<ref name="handbookonopensource">{{cite book|last1=St. Amant|first1=Kirk|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKHuvgEACAAJ|title=Handbook of Research on Open Source Software: Technological, Economic, and Social Perspectives|last2=Still|first2=Brian|year=2007|publisher=Information Science Reference |isbn=978-1-59140999-1|oclc=1028442948}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | publisher = FSF | work = GNU project | url = https://www.gnu.org/ | title = The GNU Operating system | access-date = 2008-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Marshall |first = Rosalie | place = ] | url = https://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/128513,qa-richard-stallman-founder-of-the-gnu-project-and-the-free-software-foundation.aspx |title = Q&A: Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation | publisher = PC & Tech Authority |date = 2008-11-17 |access-date = 2012-09-22}}</ref> Stallman chose the name by using various plays on words, including the song '']''.<ref name="rms-zagreb-talk">{{cite AV media |url=https://mjesec.ffzg.hr/~dpavlin/stallman2006/free_software_movement_and_the_future_of_freedom_zagreb_09_march_2006.ogg |title=The Free Software Movement and the Future of Freedom |first=Richard |last=Stallman |author-link=Richard Stallman |publisher=] |location=Zagreb, Croatia|date=March 9, 2006 |access-date=February 20, 2007}}</ref>{{rp|at=45:30|}}


== History == == History ==
Development of the GNU software was initiated by ] while he worked at ]. It was called the GNU Project, and was publicly announced on September 27, 1983, on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft ]s by Stallman.<ref>{{cite newsgroup |title=new UNIX implementation |first=Richard |last=Stallman |date=September 27, 1983 |newsgroup=net.unix-wizards |message-id=771@mit-eddie.UUCP |url=https://groups.google.com/group/net.unix-wizards/msg/4dadd63a976019d7 |access-date=August 18, 2008 }}</ref> Software development began on January 5, 1984, when Stallman quit his job at the Lab so that they could not claim ownership or interfere with distributing GNU components as free software.<ref name="intervention">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jXC6H8lRjlUC |title=Inter/vention: Free Play in the Age of Electracy |first1=Jan Rune |last1=Holmevik |first2=Ian |last2=Bogost |first3=Gregory |last3=Ulmer |publisher=MIT Press |date=March 2012 |isbn=978-0-262-01705-3|pages=69–71}}</ref>


The goal was to bring a completely free software operating system into existence. Stallman wanted computer users to be free to study the source code of the software they use, share software with other people, modify the behavior of software, and publish their modified versions of the software. This philosophy was published as the ] in March 1985.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.math.utah.edu/ftp/pub/tex/bib/toc/dr-dobbs-1980.html#10(3):March:1985 |journal=Dr. Dobb's Journal of Software Tools |title=The {GNU} Manifesto |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=30 |date=March 1985 |first=Richard |last=Stallman |author-link = Richard Stallman |access-date=2011-10-18}}</ref>
The plan for the GNU operating system was publicly announced on September 27, 1983, on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft ]s by ].<ref>{{cite newsgroup | title = new UNIX implementation | first = Richard | last = Stallman | date = 27 September 1983 | newsgroup = net.unix-wizards | newsgroup = net.usoft | id = 771@mit-eddie.UUCP | url = http://groups.google.com/group/net.unix-wizards/msg/4dadd63a976019d7 | accessdate = 2008-08-18 }}</ref> Software development began on January 5, 1984, when Stallman quit his job at the ] (MIT) Artificial Intelligence Laboratory so that they could not claim ownership or interfere with distributing GNU as free software. Richard Stallman chose the name by using various plays on words, including the song '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fsfeurope.org/documents/rms-fs-2006-03-09.en.html#the-name-gnu| title=Stallman explaining why the name "GNU" was chosen|publisher=FSFE|accessdate=2007-02-20}}</ref>


Richard Stallman's experience with the ] (ITS),<ref name="intervention" /> an early operating system written in ] that became obsolete due to discontinuation of ], the computer architecture for which ITS was written, led to a decision that a ] system was necessary.<ref name="rms-zagreb-talk" />{{rp|at=40:52|}}<ref name="opensource2.0">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/opensources2.000diborich |title=Open Sources 2.0: The Continuing Evolution |publisher="O'Reilly Media, Inc." |first1=Chris |last1=DiBona |first2=Mark |last2=Stone |first3=Danese |last3=Cooper |date=October 2005 |pages=–40 |isbn=9780596008024}}</ref> It was thus decided that the development would be started using ] and ] as system programming languages,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://laurel.datsi.fi.upm.es/~ssoo/IG/download/timeline.html|title=Timeline of GNU/Linux and Unix|quote=Both C and Lisp will be available as system programming languages.}}</ref> and that GNU would be compatible with Unix.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=53zaxy423xcC|title=Beginning Portable Shell Scripting: From Novice to Professional (Expert's Voice in Open Source)|date=November 2008|pages=177–178 |isbn=9781430210436 |last1=Seebach |first1=Peter|publisher=Apress }}</ref> At the time, Unix was already a popular ] operating system. The design of Unix was modular, so it could be reimplemented piece by piece.<ref name="opensource2.0" />
The goal was to bring a wholly free software operating system into existence. Stallman wanted computer users to be "free", as most were in the 1960s and 1970s&nbsp;– free to study the source code of the software they use, free to share the software with other people, free to modify the behaviour of the software, and free to publish their modified versions of the software. This philosophy was later published as the ] in March 1985.


Much of the needed software had to be written from scratch, but existing compatible third-party free software components were also used such as the ] typesetting system, the ], and the ] microkernel that forms the basis of the ] core of ] (the official kernel of GNU).<ref name="linuxinterface">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ps2SH727eCIC|title=The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook|pages=5–6|date=October 2010 |isbn=9781593272203 |last1=Kerrisk |first1=Michael|publisher=No Starch Press }}</ref> With the exception of the aforementioned third-party components, most of GNU has been written by volunteers; some in their spare time, some paid by companies,<ref name="cygnus">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781565925823 |title=Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution |publisher=O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. |date=January 1999 |isbn=978-1-56592-582-3 }}</ref> educational institutions, and other non-profit organizations. In October 1985, Stallman set up the ] (FSF). In the late 1980s and 1990s, the FSF hired software developers to write the software needed for GNU.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LlCnYt2snHYC |title=The Software Industry | pages=187–196 |isbn=9783642315091 |last1=Buxmann |first1=Peter |last2=Diefenbach |first2=Heiner |last3=Hess |first3=Thomas |date=2012-09-30|publisher=Springer }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=50maN7VmpusC | title=Practical UNIX and Internet Security, 3rd Edition | publisher=O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. |date=February 2003 | page=18 |isbn=9781449310127}}</ref>
Richard Stallman's experience with the ] (ITS), an early operating system written in ] that became obsolete due to discontinuation of ], the computer architecture for which ITS was written, led to a decision that a ] system was necessary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fsfeurope.org/documents/rms-fs-2006-03-09.en.html#choosing-the-unix-design| title=Stallman describing why a Unix-like design was chosen | publisher = FSFE | accessdate = 2007-02-20}}</ref> It was thus decided that GNU would be mostly compatible with Unix. At the time, Unix was already a popular ] operating system. The design of Unix was modular, so it could be reimplemented piece by piece.


As GNU gained prominence, interested businesses began contributing to development or selling GNU software and technical support. The most prominent and successful of these was ],<ref name="cygnus" /> now part of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-232971.html|title=Red Hat buys software firm, shuffles CEO|author=Stephen Shankland|date=15 November 1999|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=CNET|access-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>
Much of the needed software had to be written from scratch, but existing compatible third-party free software components were also used such as the ] typesetting system, the ], and the ] microkernel that forms the basis of the ] core of ] (the official kernel of GNU). With the exception of the aforementioned third-party components, most of GNU has been written by volunteers of the GNU Project; some in their spare time, some paid by companies, educational institutions, and other non-profit organizations. In October 1985, Stallman set up the ] (FSF). In the late 1980s and 1990s, the FSF hired software developers to write the software needed for GNU.


== Components ==
As GNU gained prominence, interested businesses began contributing to development or selling GNU software and technical support. The most prominent and successful of these was ], now part of ].
{{Main|List of GNU packages}}


The system's basic components include the ] (GCC), the ] (glibc), and ] (coreutils),<ref name="handbookonopensource" /> but also the ] (GDB), ] (binutils),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.amd.com/tools-and-sdks/archive/gcc-and-gnu-toolchains-for-amd-platforms/ |title=GCC & GNU Toolchains – AMD |publisher=Developer.amd.com |access-date=2015-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316191013/https://developer.amd.com/tools-and-sdks/archive/gcc-and-gnu-toolchains-for-amd-platforms/ |archive-date=2015-03-16 }}</ref> and the ] shell.<ref name="linuxinterface" /><ref>{{cite book| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vvuzDziOMeMC|title=Beginning Linux Programming|chapter=The GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation| isbn=9781118058619| last1=Matthew| first1=Neil| last2=Stones| first2=Richard| date=2011-04-22|publisher=John Wiley & Sons }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7MhTb9X4aYgC|title=Emerging Free and Open Source Software Practices|pages=262–264|date=May 2007| isbn=9781599042107| last1=Sowe| first1=Sulayman K| last2=Stamelos| first2=Ioannis G| last3=Samoladas| first3=Ioannis M|publisher=Idea Group Inc (IGI) }}</ref> GNU developers have contributed to Linux ]s of GNU applications and utilities, which are now also widely used on other operating systems such as ] variants, ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzle.com/articles/linux-history-and-introduction.html |title=Linux: History and Introduction |publisher=Buzzle.com |date=1991-08-25 |access-date=2012-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211040818/https://www.buzzle.com/articles/linux-history-and-introduction.html |archive-date=2017-12-11 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2018}}
{{See also|GNU/Linux naming controversy}}


Many GNU programs have been ported to other operating systems, including ] platforms such as ]<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0SM3PEH9gagC|title=Integrating Linux and Windows|page=30|date=December 2000| isbn=9780130306708| last1=McCune| first1=Mike|publisher=Prentice Hall Professional }}</ref> and macOS.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o9K8KEQic5sC|title=A Practical Guide To Unix For Mac Os X Users|page=4|year=2005| isbn=9780131863330| last1=Sobell| first1=Mark G| last2=Seebach| first2=Peter|publisher=Prentice Hall Professional }}</ref> GNU programs have been shown to be more reliable than their proprietary Unix counterparts.<ref> – October 1995 – Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~blbowers/fuzz-2001.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222035742/http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~blbowers/fuzz-2001.pdf |archive-date=2009-12-22 |url-status=live|title=An Inquiry into the Stability and Reliability of UNIX Utilities}}</ref>
== Copyright, licenses, and stewardship ==


{{As of|2024|June}}, there are a total of 467 GNU packages (including decommissioned, 394 excluding) hosted on the official GNU development site.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/software.html |title=Software – GNU Project|publisher=Free Software Foundation, Inc |date=2016-01-13 |access-date=2016-01-13}}</ref>
The GNU Project recommends that contributors assign the copyright for GNU packages to the Free Software Foundation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnu.org/prep/maintain/html_node/Copyright-Papers.html |title=Copyright Papers - Information For Maintainers of GNU Software |publisher=Gnu.org |date=2011-06-30 |accessdate=2011-07-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.html |title=Why the FSF gets copyright assignments from contributors |publisher=Gnu.org |date=2011-07-15 |accessdate=2011-07-27}}</ref> though the Free Software Foundation considers it acceptable to release small changes to an existing project to the ] domain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-recommendations.html |publisher=Free Software Foundation |title=How to choose a license for your own work |deadurl=no |accessdate=2012-07-12}}</ref> However, this is not required; package maintainers may retain copyright to the GNU packages they maintain, though since only the copyright holder may enforce the license used (such as the GNU GPL), the copyright holder in this case enforces it rather than the Free Software Foundation.<ref>http://www.catb.org/esr/Licensing-HOWTO.html</ref>


==GNU as an operating system==
Copyright law grants the copyright-holder significant control over the copying and distributing of a work, but FSF wrote a license for the GNU software which grant recipients permission to copy and redistribute the software under highly permissive terms. For most of the 80s, each GNU package had its own license: the Emacs General Public License, the GCC General Public License, etc. In 1989, FSF published a single license they could use for all their software, and which could be used by non-GNU projects: the ] (GPL).
{{Main|GNU variants}}


In its ], and one still common in hardware engineering, the operating system is a basic set of functions to control the hardware and manage things like ] and ]s. In modern terminology used by software developers, the collection of these functions is usually referred to as a ], while an 'operating system' is expected to have a more extensive set of programs. The GNU project maintains two kernels itself, allowing the creation of pure GNU operating systems, but the GNU toolchain is also used with non-GNU kernels. Due to the two different definitions of the term 'operating system', there is an ongoing ]. (See below.)
This license is now used by most GNU programs, as well as a large number of free software programs that are not part of the GNU Project; it is the most commonly used ]. It gives all recipients of a program the right to run, copy, modify and distribute it, while forbidding them from imposing further restrictions on any copies they distribute. This idea is often referred to as ].


=== With kernels maintained by GNU and FSF ===
In 1991, the ] (LGPL), then known as the Library General Public License, was written for certain libraries. 1991 also saw the release of version 2 of the GNU GPL. The ] (FDL), for documentation, followed in 2000. The GPL and LGPL were revised to version 3 in 2007, improving their international applicability, and adding protection for users whose hardware restricts software changes.
], an example of an FSF approved distribution that uses a ] model]]


==== GNU Hurd ====
Most GNU software is distributed under the GPL. A minority is distributed under the LGPL, and a handful of packages are distributed under ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=225606&cid=18272276 |title=What the GPLv3 Means for MS-Novell Agreement |publisher=Slashdot.org |date=2007-03-08 |accessdate=2011-07-27}}</ref>
The original kernel of GNU Project is the ] (together with the ] microkernel), which was the original focus of the ] (FSF).<ref name = "handbookonopensource" /><ref name = computerworld>Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. "", '']'', April 9, 2009: "... after more than 25 years in development, GNU remains incomplete: its kernel, Hurd, has never really made it out of the starting blocks. ... Almost no one has actually been able to use the OS; it's really more a set of ideas than an operating system."</ref><ref name= Hillesley>{{Citation | last = Hillesley | first = Richard | newspaper = The H | url = https://www.h-online.com/open/features/GNU-HURD-Altered-visions-and-lost-promise-1030942.html | edition = online | title = GNU HURD: Altered visions and lost promise | date = June 30, 2010 | page = | quote = Nearly twenty years later the HURD has still to reach maturity, and has never achieved production quality. ... Some of us are still wishing and hoping for the real deal, a GNU operating system with a GNU kernel.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lessig |first1=Lawrence |title=The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World |date=2001 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-375-50578-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/futureo_les_2001_00_1645|url-access=registration |page= |quote=He had mixed all of the ingredients needed for an operating system to function, but he was missing the core.}}</ref>


With the April 30, 2015 release of the Debian GNU/Hurd 2015 distro,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Debian-GNU-Hurd-2015|title=Debian GNU/Hurd 2015 Released – Phoronix|website=www.phoronix.com|access-date=2016-03-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lists.debian.org/debian-hurd/2015/04/msg00047.html|title=Debian GNU/Hurd 2015 released!|website=lists.debian.org|access-date=2016-03-24}}</ref> GNU now provides all required components to assemble an operating system that users can install and use on a computer.<ref name="status">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd/status.html|title=status|website=www.gnu.org|access-date=2016-03-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/|title=Debian – Debian GNU/Hurd|website=www.debian.org|access-date=2016-03-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/hurd-install|title=Debian – Debian GNU/Hurd – Configuration|website=www.debian.org|access-date=2016-03-24}}</ref>
== GNU software ==
{{Main|List of GNU packages}}


However, the Hurd kernel is not yet considered production-ready but rather a base for further development and non-critical application usage.<ref>{{Citation | url=https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd/status.html | publisher = Free Software Foundation | title = Status | access-date = 2017-04-24 | date = 2015-05-03}}</ref><ref name="status" />
Prominent components of the GNU system include the ] (GCC), the ] (glibc), the ] ], and the ] ].


==== Linux-libre ====
Many GNU programs have been ported to a multitude of other operating systems, including various ] platforms such as ] and ]. They are often installed on proprietary Unix systems as replacements for the proprietary utilities originally included. However, this practice is controversial:{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} these GNU component programs were developed with the goal of replacing entire proprietary UNIX systems with free software, not enhancing these systems.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}
In 2012, a fork of the ] became officially part of the GNU Project in the form of ], a variant of Linux with all proprietary components removed.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://directory.fsf.org/GNU_Linux-libre |title = GNU Linux-libre | date = 2012-12-17 | access-date = 2013-02-09}}</ref>
The GNU Project has endorsed Linux-libre distributions, such as ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{Citation | contribution-url = https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html | contribution = List of Free GNU/Linux Distributions | title = GNU Project | publisher = Free Software Foundation (FSF)}}.</ref>


=== With non-GNU kernels ===
Many GNU programs have been tested against their proprietary Unix counterparts and shown to be more reliable.<ref> - October 1995 - Computer Sciences Department,University of Wisconsin</ref>
], an example of an ]]]


Because of the development status of Hurd, GNU is usually paired with other kernels such as ]<ref>{{Citation | chapter-url = https://oreilly.com/openbook/debian/book/ch01_02.html |title= Debian open book | chapter = 1.2 What is Linux? |publisher = O'Reilly |date=1991-10-05 |access-date = 2012-09-22}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | edition = 12.4 | contribution-url = https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/installation-guide/armhf/ch01s03.html | contribution = What is GNU/Linux? | publisher = Canonical | title = Ubuntu Installation Guide | access-date = 2015-06-22 | archive-date = June 21, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150621214422/https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/installation-guide/armhf/ch01s03.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> or ].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CHkHNChvPqIC |title=Open Source Software: Implementation and Management| page = 129| isbn= 978-1-55558320-0| last1 = Kavanagh | first1 = Paul| date = 2004-07-26|publisher=Elsevier }}</ref> Whether the combination of GNU libraries with external kernels is a GNU operating system with a kernel (e.g. GNU with Linux), because the GNU collection renders the kernel into a usable operating system as understood in modern software development, or whether the kernel is an operating system unto itself with a GNU layer on top (i.e. Linux with GNU), because the kernel can operate a machine without GNU, is a matter of ongoing debate. The FSF maintains that an operating system built using the ] and GNU tools and utilities should be considered a ], and promotes the term ''GNU/Linux'' for such systems (leading to the ]). This view is not exclusive to the FSF.<ref>{{cite newsgroup | url = https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.misc/msg/1241a2919efc4bc3 | title = Linux is a GNU system and the DWARF support | newsgroup = comp.os.linux.misc | date = 8 September 1994 | first = Matt | last = Welsh | access-date = 3 February 2008 | quote = RMS's idea (which I have heard first-hand) is that Linux systems should be considered GNU systems with Linux as the kernel.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Proffitt |first = Brian |url=https://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/285750/debian-gnulinux-seeks-alignment-free-software-foundation | title =Debian GNU/Linux seeks alignment with Free Software Foundation | work =ITworld | date =2012-07-12 |access-date= 2012-09-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tldp.org/LDP/sag/html/gnu-or-not.html |title= 1.1. Linux or GNU/Linux, that is the question | work = SAG | publisher= TLDP | access-date = 2012-09-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ccm.net/faq/478-gnu-operating-system|title=GNU Operating System – CCM FAQ|website=CCM|language=en|access-date=2018-04-08|quote=GNU is an operating system that offers a set of free open source programs.|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215074114/https://ccm.net/faq/478-gnu-operating-system|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.snom.com/footer/source-code-gpl-open-source/|title=Source Code & GPL Open Source|last=Snom Technology|website=www.snom.com|language=en|access-date=2018-04-08|quote=Variants of the GNU operating system, which use the kernel Linux, are now widely used; though these systems are often referred to as "Linux", they are more accurately called "GNU/Linux systems".|archive-date=April 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409044219/https://www.snom.com/footer/source-code-gpl-open-source/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Notably, ], one of the biggest and oldest Linux distributions, refers to itself as ''Debian GNU/Linux''.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/basic-defs.en.html#whatisdebian| title = Chapter 1. Definitions and overview}}</ref>
As of 2007, there are a total of 319 GNU packages hosted on the official GNU development site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://savannah.gnu.org/stats/ |title=Statistics [Savannah&#93; |publisher=Savannah.gnu.org |date=2011-02-13 |accessdate=2011-07-27}}</ref>


== GNU variants == == Copyright, GNU licenses, and stewardship ==
The GNU Project recommends that contributors assign the copyright for GNU packages to the Free Software Foundation,<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.gnu.org/prep/maintain/html_node/Copyright-Papers.html |title=Copyright Papers | work = Information For Maintainers of GNU Software |publisher= FSF |date=2011-06-30 | access-date =2011-07-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | work = GNU | url= https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.html |title=Why the FSF gets copyright assignments from contributors | publisher = FSF | date= 2011-07-15 | access-date = 2011-07-27}}</ref> though the Free Software Foundation considers it acceptable to release small changes to an existing project to the ].<ref>{{cite web | work = GNU | url = https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-recommendations.html |publisher = Free Software Foundation |title=How to choose a license for your own work | access-date =2012-07-12}}</ref> However, this is not required; package maintainers may retain copyright to the GNU packages they maintain, though since only the copyright holder may enforce the license used (such as the GNU GPL), the copyright holder in this case enforces it rather than the Free Software Foundation.<ref>{{cite web| last = Raymond | first = Eric S | url = https://www.catb.org/esr/Licensing-HOWTO.html |title = Licensing HOWTO | publisher= CatB |date = 2002-11-09 | access-date = 2012-09-22}}</ref>
] is an example of a ]]]
{{Main|GNU variants}}


For the development of needed software, Stallman wrote a license called the ] (first called Emacs General Public License), with the goal to guarantee users freedom to share and change free software.<ref>{{Citation | title = Old licenses | series = GNU | publisher = FSF | contribution-url = https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-1.0.txt | contribution = GPL 1.0}}.</ref> Stallman wrote this license after his experience with ] and a program called UniPress, over a controversy around software code use in the ] program.<ref name = "twobits">{{cite book|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=MEmMl-tY8jEC | title = Two Bits: The Cultural Significance of Free Software | chapter = Writing Copyright Licenses | date =June 2008|isbn = 978-0-82234264-9 | last = Kelty | first = Christopher M| publisher = Duke University Press }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | url = https://www.free-soft.org/gpl_history/ | title = The History of the GNU General Public License | publisher = Free Software}}.</ref> For most of the 80s, each GNU package had its own license: the Emacs General Public License, the GCC General Public License, etc. In 1989, FSF published a single license they could use for all their software, and which could be used by non-GNU projects: the ] (GPL).<ref name="twobits" /><ref>{{Citation | url = https://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull5.html#SEC7 | date = Jun 11, 1998 | title = GNU's flashes | newspaper = GNU's Bulletin | volume = 1 | number = 5 | series = GNU Project | publisher = Free Software Foundation (FSF)}}.</ref>
Although the official kernel of GNU is the ] microkernel, variants using other kernels have been developed. Usage with the ], a ], is by far the most popular distribution-vector for GNU software, though unlike Hurd, the Linux kernel itself is not part of the GNU Project, though the GNU Project has endorsed variants using the Linux kernel, such as ].


This license is now used by most of GNU software, as well as a large number of free software programs that are not part of the GNU Project; it also historically has been the most commonly used ] (though recently challenged by the ]).<ref>{{cite web |url = https://osrc.blackducksoftware.com/data/licenses |title = Open Source License Data |work = Open Source Resource Center |publisher = Black Duck Software |access-date = September 24, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121008170109/https://osrc.blackducksoftware.com/data/licenses/ |archive-date = October 8, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://resources.whitesourcesoftware.com/blog-whitesource/top-open-source-licenses-trends-and-predictions |title= Top Open Source Licenses in 2020: Trends and predictions |publisher = WhiteSource Software |access-date = February 19, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200219122556/https://resources.whitesourcesoftware.com/blog-whitesource/top-open-source-licenses-trends-and-predictions |archive-date = February 19, 2020 }}</ref> It gives all recipients of a program the right to run, copy, modify and distribute it, while forbidding them from imposing further restrictions on any copies they distribute. This idea is often referred to as ].<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=c7ppFih2mSwC | title = Decoding Liberation: The Promise of Free and Open Source Software|pages= 46–52|date = August 2007|isbn=978-0-41597893-4| last1 = Chopra |first1 = Samir| last2 = Dexter | first2 = Scott| publisher = Routledge}}</ref>
Other GNU variants which do not use the ] as a kernel include ] (GNU plus the kernel of ]) and ]. Debian GNU/kFreeBSD and Debian GNU/NetBSD from ] bring the early plan of GNU on a BSD kernel full circle. (The Debian project distributes GNU itself as ].)


In 1991, the ] (LGPL), then known as the Library General Public License, was written for the ] to allow it to be linked with proprietary software.<ref>{{Citation | publisher = Free BSD | url = https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/bsdl-gpl/origins-lgpl.html | title = The origins of Linux and the LGPL}}.</ref> 1991 also saw the release of version 2 of the GNU GPL. The ] (FDL), for documentation, followed in 2000.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=2VElII9QeakC | title = Innovation Happens Elsewhere: Open Source as Business Strategy| pages = 133–34| date = April 2005 | isbn = 978-1-55860889-4| last1 = Goldman | first1 = Ron| last2= Gabriel | first2 = Richard P| publisher = Morgan Kaufmann}}</ref> The GPL and LGPL were revised to version 3 in 2007, adding clauses to protect users against hardware restrictions that prevent users from running modified software on their own devices.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gmfFsdIAejkC | title = Linux Essentials |chapter = Free Software and the GPL |year=2012 |isbn = 978-1-11819739-4 |last1=Smith |first1 = Roderick W| publisher = John Wiley & Sons }}</ref>
== GNU logo ==


Besides GNU's packages, the GNU Project's licenses can<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU Licenses |url=https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#DoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=Gnu project}}</ref> and are used by many unrelated projects, such as the ], often used with GNU software. A majority of free software such as the X Window System,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-08-25 |title=COPYING · master · xorg / xserver · GitLab |url=https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/blob/master/COPYING |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=GitLab |language=en}}</ref> is licensed under ]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Permissive vs. copyleft open source licenses 2021 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1245665/worldwide-permissive-copyleft-open-source-licenses/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref>
The logo for GNU is a ] head. The well-known drawing was originally done by Etienne Suvasa. A bolder and simpler version designed by Aurelio Heckert is now preferred.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnu.org/graphics/agnuhead.html |title=A GNU Head - Free Software Foundation (FSF) |publisher=Gnu.org |date=2011-07-13 |accessdate=2011-07-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnu.org/graphics/heckert_gnu.html |title=A Bold GNU Head - Free Software Foundation (FSF) |publisher=Gnu.org |date=2011-07-13 |accessdate=2011-07-27}}</ref> It appears in GNU software and in printed and electronic documentation for the GNU Project, and is also used in Free Software Foundation materials.


==See also== == Logo ==
]
{{Portal|Free software}}
The logo for GNU is a ] head. Originally drawn by Etienne Suvasa, a bolder and simpler version designed by Aurelio Heckert is now preferred.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/graphics/agnuhead.html |title=A GNU Head |publisher= Free Software Foundation (FSF)|date=2011-07-13 |access-date=2011-07-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/graphics/heckert_gnu.html |title=A Bold GNU Head |publisher=]|date=2011-07-13 |access-date=2011-07-27}}</ref> It appears in GNU software and in printed and electronic documentation for the GNU Project, and is also used in Free Software Foundation materials.
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There was also a modified version of the official logo. It was created by the ] in September 2013 in order to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/gnu30/ |title=GNU 30th Anniversary |publisher=]|date=2013-10-08 |access-date=2014-12-15}}</ref>
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== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
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== References == == References ==
{{Reflist|2}} {{Reflist|30em}}


== External links == == External links ==
{{Commons}} {{Commons}}

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Latest revision as of 20:35, 18 January 2025

Free software collection This article is about the free software collection. For the animal, see Wildebeest. For other uses, see GNU (disambiguation). Not to be confused with XNU.

Operating system
GNU
Debian GNU/Hurd with Xfce4 and web browser Midori
DeveloperCommunity
Written inVarious languages (notably C and assembly language)
OS familyUnix-like
Working stateCurrent
Source modelFree software
Latest preview0.9 (18 December 2016) [±]
Marketing targetPersonal computers, mobile devices, embedded devices, servers, mainframes, supercomputers
PlatformsIA-32 (with Hurd kernel only) and Alpha, ARC, ARM, AVR32, Blackfin, C6x, ETRAX CRIS, FR-V, H8/300, Hexagon, Itanium, M32R, m68k, META, MicroBlaze, MIPS, MN103, OpenRISC, PA-RISC, PowerPC, s390, S+core, SuperH, SPARC, TILE64, Unicore32, x86, Xtensa, RISC-V (with Linux-libre kernel only)
Kernel typeMicrokernel (GNU Hurd) or Monolithic kernel (GNU Linux-libre, fork of Linux)
UserlandGNU
LicenseGNU GPL, GNU LGPL, GNU AGPL, GNU FDL, GNU FSDG
Official websitegnu.org

GNU (/ɡnuː/ ) is an extensive collection of free software (394 packages as of June 2024), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popularly known as Linux. Most of GNU is licensed under the GNU Project's own General Public License (GPL).

Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU project

GNU is also the project within which the free software concept originated. Richard Stallman, the founder of the project, views GNU as a "technical means to a social end". Relatedly, Lawrence Lessig states in his introduction to the second edition of Stallman's book Free Software, Free Society that in it Stallman has written about "the social aspects of software and how Free Software can create community and social justice".

Name

GNU is a recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix!", chosen because GNU's design is Unix-like, but differs from Unix by being free software and containing no Unix code. Stallman chose the name by using various plays on words, including the song The Gnu.

History

Development of the GNU software was initiated by Richard Stallman while he worked at MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. It was called the GNU Project, and was publicly announced on September 27, 1983, on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft newsgroups by Stallman. Software development began on January 5, 1984, when Stallman quit his job at the Lab so that they could not claim ownership or interfere with distributing GNU components as free software.

The goal was to bring a completely free software operating system into existence. Stallman wanted computer users to be free to study the source code of the software they use, share software with other people, modify the behavior of software, and publish their modified versions of the software. This philosophy was published as the GNU Manifesto in March 1985.

Richard Stallman's experience with the Incompatible Timesharing System (ITS), an early operating system written in assembly language that became obsolete due to discontinuation of PDP-10, the computer architecture for which ITS was written, led to a decision that a portable system was necessary. It was thus decided that the development would be started using C and Lisp as system programming languages, and that GNU would be compatible with Unix. At the time, Unix was already a popular proprietary operating system. The design of Unix was modular, so it could be reimplemented piece by piece.

Much of the needed software had to be written from scratch, but existing compatible third-party free software components were also used such as the TeX typesetting system, the X Window System, and the Mach microkernel that forms the basis of the GNU Mach core of GNU Hurd (the official kernel of GNU). With the exception of the aforementioned third-party components, most of GNU has been written by volunteers; some in their spare time, some paid by companies, educational institutions, and other non-profit organizations. In October 1985, Stallman set up the Free Software Foundation (FSF). In the late 1980s and 1990s, the FSF hired software developers to write the software needed for GNU.

As GNU gained prominence, interested businesses began contributing to development or selling GNU software and technical support. The most prominent and successful of these was Cygnus Solutions, now part of Red Hat.

Components

Main article: List of GNU packages

The system's basic components include the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), the GNU C library (glibc), and GNU Core Utilities (coreutils), but also the GNU Debugger (GDB), GNU Binary Utilities (binutils), and the GNU Bash shell. GNU developers have contributed to Linux ports of GNU applications and utilities, which are now also widely used on other operating systems such as BSD variants, Solaris and macOS.

Many GNU programs have been ported to other operating systems, including proprietary platforms such as Microsoft Windows and macOS. GNU programs have been shown to be more reliable than their proprietary Unix counterparts.

As of June 2024, there are a total of 467 GNU packages (including decommissioned, 394 excluding) hosted on the official GNU development site.

GNU as an operating system

Main article: GNU variants

In its original meaning, and one still common in hardware engineering, the operating system is a basic set of functions to control the hardware and manage things like task scheduling and system calls. In modern terminology used by software developers, the collection of these functions is usually referred to as a kernel, while an 'operating system' is expected to have a more extensive set of programs. The GNU project maintains two kernels itself, allowing the creation of pure GNU operating systems, but the GNU toolchain is also used with non-GNU kernels. Due to the two different definitions of the term 'operating system', there is an ongoing debate concerning the naming of distributions of GNU packages with a non-GNU kernel. (See below.)

With kernels maintained by GNU and FSF

Parabola GNU/Linux-libre, an example of an FSF approved distribution that uses a rolling release model

GNU Hurd

The original kernel of GNU Project is the GNU Hurd (together with the GNU Mach microkernel), which was the original focus of the Free Software Foundation (FSF).

With the April 30, 2015 release of the Debian GNU/Hurd 2015 distro, GNU now provides all required components to assemble an operating system that users can install and use on a computer.

However, the Hurd kernel is not yet considered production-ready but rather a base for further development and non-critical application usage.

Linux-libre

In 2012, a fork of the Linux kernel became officially part of the GNU Project in the form of Linux-libre, a variant of Linux with all proprietary components removed. The GNU Project has endorsed Linux-libre distributions, such as Trisquel, Parabola GNU/Linux-libre, PureOS and GNU Guix System.

With non-GNU kernels

Trisquel, an example of an FSF approved distribution

Because of the development status of Hurd, GNU is usually paired with other kernels such as Linux or FreeBSD. Whether the combination of GNU libraries with external kernels is a GNU operating system with a kernel (e.g. GNU with Linux), because the GNU collection renders the kernel into a usable operating system as understood in modern software development, or whether the kernel is an operating system unto itself with a GNU layer on top (i.e. Linux with GNU), because the kernel can operate a machine without GNU, is a matter of ongoing debate. The FSF maintains that an operating system built using the Linux kernel and GNU tools and utilities should be considered a variant of GNU, and promotes the term GNU/Linux for such systems (leading to the GNU/Linux naming controversy). This view is not exclusive to the FSF. Notably, Debian, one of the biggest and oldest Linux distributions, refers to itself as Debian GNU/Linux.

Copyright, GNU licenses, and stewardship

The GNU Project recommends that contributors assign the copyright for GNU packages to the Free Software Foundation, though the Free Software Foundation considers it acceptable to release small changes to an existing project to the public domain. However, this is not required; package maintainers may retain copyright to the GNU packages they maintain, though since only the copyright holder may enforce the license used (such as the GNU GPL), the copyright holder in this case enforces it rather than the Free Software Foundation.

For the development of needed software, Stallman wrote a license called the GNU General Public License (first called Emacs General Public License), with the goal to guarantee users freedom to share and change free software. Stallman wrote this license after his experience with James Gosling and a program called UniPress, over a controversy around software code use in the GNU Emacs program. For most of the 80s, each GNU package had its own license: the Emacs General Public License, the GCC General Public License, etc. In 1989, FSF published a single license they could use for all their software, and which could be used by non-GNU projects: the GNU General Public License (GPL).

This license is now used by most of GNU software, as well as a large number of free software programs that are not part of the GNU Project; it also historically has been the most commonly used free software license (though recently challenged by the MIT license). It gives all recipients of a program the right to run, copy, modify and distribute it, while forbidding them from imposing further restrictions on any copies they distribute. This idea is often referred to as copyleft.

In 1991, the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), then known as the Library General Public License, was written for the GNU C Library to allow it to be linked with proprietary software. 1991 also saw the release of version 2 of the GNU GPL. The GNU Free Documentation License (FDL), for documentation, followed in 2000. The GPL and LGPL were revised to version 3 in 2007, adding clauses to protect users against hardware restrictions that prevent users from running modified software on their own devices.

Besides GNU's packages, the GNU Project's licenses can and are used by many unrelated projects, such as the Linux kernel, often used with GNU software. A majority of free software such as the X Window System, is licensed under permissive free software licenses.

Logo

The original GNU logo, drawn by Etienne Suvasa

The logo for GNU is a gnu head. Originally drawn by Etienne Suvasa, a bolder and simpler version designed by Aurelio Heckert is now preferred. It appears in GNU software and in printed and electronic documentation for the GNU Project, and is also used in Free Software Foundation materials.

30th anniversary logo

There was also a modified version of the official logo. It was created by the Free Software Foundation in September 2013 in order to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the GNU Project.

See also

References

  1. "GNU Licenses".
  2. "GNU FSDG".
  3. "What is GNU?". The GNU Operating System. Free Software Foundation. September 4, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2009. The name 'GNU' is a recursive acronym for 'GNU's Not Unix'; it is pronounced g-noo, as one syllable with no vowel sound between the g and the n.
  4. ^ Stallman, Richard (March 9, 2006). The Free Software Movement and the Future of Freedom. Zagreb, Croatia: Free Software Foundation Europe. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
  5. Stallman, Richard. "Software – GNU Project". GNU Project. Free Software Foundation, Inc. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  6. ^ St. Amant, Kirk; Still, Brian (2007). Handbook of Research on Open Source Software: Technological, Economic, and Social Perspectives. Information Science Reference. ISBN 978-1-59140999-1. OCLC 1028442948.
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