The GNU Operating System
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The GNU Operating System
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Richard Stallman announced in September 1983 the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU. GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom.
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and in Canada.
What is GNU?
The GNU Project was launched in 1984 to
develop a complete Unix-like operating system which is free software mdash;software which
respects your freedom.
Unix-like operating systems are built from a collection of applications, libraries, and
developer tools mdash;plus a program to allocate resources and talk to
the hardware, known as a kernel.
The Hurd, GNU's kernel, is actively
developed, but is still some way from being ready for daily use, so GNU
is often used with a kernel called
Linux.
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Savannah was down for a few days recently due to a password compromise and then a disk failure. Also, some Apache features have been turned off for web pages. Full news items.
US citizens: Stop the Internet blacklist bill. Sign the petition at http://demandprogress.org/blacklist, and see the post on fsf.org for more information.
Interested in free video formats? We need your help! The FSF is looking for a few volunteers willing to commit an average of a few hours per week as reliable technical consultants helping people transcode their videos to free formats like WebM and Ogg Theora.
For other news, as well as for items that used to be in this GNUs
Flashes section, see What's New in
and about the GNU Project.
GNUstep
GNUstep is a fully-functional
object-oriented development environment. We need developers to write and
port applications to GNUstep so that we can make it a great experience
for users.
The combination of GNU and
Linux is the GNU/Linux operating system, now used
by millions and sometimes incorrectly called simply
ldquo;Linux rdquo;.
The name ldquo;GNU rdquo; is a recursive acronym for ldquo;GNU's
Not Unix! rdquo;; it is pronounced g-noo, as one
syllable with no vowel sound between the g and the
n.
What is Free Software?
ldquo;Free software rdquo;
is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you
should think of ldquo;free rdquo; as in ldquo;free speech rdquo;,
not as in ldquo;free beer rdquo;.
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run,
copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More
precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the
software:
The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs
(freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
(freedom 2).
The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements
to the public, so that the whole community benefits
(freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
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Support current FSF
campaigns.
Watch and share this movie: Patent Absurdity mdash;made
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members like you.
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Free software philosophy
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Why Open Source Misses the Point of Free Software
Free software for Windows
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Windows 7 Sins
Support free media formats
The Free Software
Foundation is the principal organizational sponsor of the GNU Operating System. Our
mission is to preserve, protect and promote the freedom to use, study,
copy, modify, and redistribute computer software, and to defend the
rights of Free Software users.
Support GNU and the FSF by buying manuals and gear, joining the FSF as an associate
member or by making a
donation.
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Copyright copy; 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
The FSF also has sister
organizations in Europe, Latin America and India.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are
permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this
notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.
Updated:
$Date: 2010/12/02 17:31:35 $
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