GNU Project: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:21, 18 January 2025

Revision as of 11:39, 3 February 2025

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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180714090017/https://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html

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}}</ref> According to its manifesto, the founding goal of the project was to build a free operating system, and if possible, "everything useful that normally comes with a Unix system so that one could get along without any software that is not free." Development was initiated in January 1984. In 1991, the [[Linux kernel]] appeared, developed outside the GNU projectProject by [[Linus Torvalds]],<ref name="groups.google.com">{{cite web

| url = https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.minix/msg/b813d52cbc5a044b

| title = comp.os.minix

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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130509134305/http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.minix/msg/b813d52cbc5a044b

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}}</ref> and in December 1992 it was made available under version 2 of the [[GNU General Public License]].<ref name="gpl_version">{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/Historic/v0.99/linux-0.99.tar.Z |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130050958/ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/Historic/v0.99/linux-0.99.tar.Z |url-status=dead |archive-date=2017-01-30 |title=z-archive of Linux version 0.99 |website=The Linux Kernel Archives |date=December 1992 }}</ref> Combined with the operating system utilities already developed by the GNU projectProject, it allowed for the first operating system that was free software, commonly known as [[Linux]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Balsa |first=Andrew D. |title=The linux-kernel mailing list FAQ |url=http://vger.kernel.org/lkml/#s1-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001231709/http://vger.kernel.org/lkml/#s1-1 |archive-date=2012-10-01 |access-date=2013-06-13 |work=The Linux Kernel Archives |publisher=Kernel.org |quote=...we have tried to use the word "Linux" or the expression "Linux kernel" to designate the kernel, and GNU/Linux to designate the entire body of GNU/GPL'ed OS software,... ...many people forget that the linux kernel mailing list is a forum for discussion of kernel-related matters, not GNU/Linux in general...}}</ref><ref>{{cite web

| title = Losing graciously

| url = http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1316

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Richard Stallman announced his intent to start coding the GNU Project in a [[Usenet]] message in September 1983.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/net.unix-wizards/8twfRPM79u0/1xlglzrWrU0J | title = new Unix implementation | author = Richard Stallman | access-date = 2013-09-27 | archive-date = 2011-01-22 | archive-url = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20110122130054/https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/net.unix-wizards/8twfRPM79u0/1xlglzrWrU0J | url-status = live }}</ref> Despite never having used Unix prior, Stallman felt that it was the most appropriate system design to use as a basis for the GNU Project, as it was portable and "fairly clean".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://stallman.org/cgi-bin/showpage.cgi?path=/stallman-computing.html&term=unix&type=norm&case=0 |title=How I do my computing |author=Stallman, Richard |date=2022 |access-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131153156/https://stallman.org/cgi-bin/showpage.cgi?path=/stallman-computing.html&term=unix&type=norm&case=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

When the GNU projectProject first started they had an [[Emacs]] [[text editor]] with [[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]] for writing editor commands, a source level [[debugger]], a [[yacc]]-compatible [[parsing|parser]] generator, and a [[Linker (computing)|linker]].<ref>Wardrip-Fruin, Noah; and Nick Montfort. "The GNU Manifesto". ''The NewMediaReader''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT, 2003. pp.545–550.</ref> The GNU system required its own [[C (programming language)|C]] [[compiler]] and tools to be free software, so these also had to be developed. By June 1987, the project had accumulated and developed free software for an [[Assembly language|assembler]], an almost finished portable optimizing C compiler ([[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]]), an editor ([[Emacs|GNU Emacs]]), and various Unix utilities (such as <code>[[ls]]</code>, <code>[[grep]]</code>, <code>[[awk]]</code>, <code>[[make (software)|make]]</code> and <code>[[GNU linker|ld]]</code>).<ref>{{cite web

| url = https://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull3.html#SEC11

| title = GNU's Bulletin, vol. 1 no. 3

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== Free software ==

The GNU projectProject uses software that is free for users to copy, edit, and distribute. It is free in the sense that users can change the software to fit individual needs. The way programmers obtain the free software depends on where they get it. The software could be provided to the programmer from friends or over the Internet, or the company a programmer works for may purchase the software.

== Funding ==

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{{main|GNU}}

The first goal of the GNU projectProject was to create a whole free-software operating system. Because UNIX was already widespread and ran on more powerful machines, compared to contemporary [[CP/M]] or [[MS-DOS]] machines of time,<ref>{{cite web

| url = https://www.gnu.org/bulletins/bull1.txt

| title = GNU's Bulletin Volume 1 No.1

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}}</ref>

By 1992, the GNU projectProject had completed all of the major operating system utilities, but had not completed their proposed [[Kernel (operating system)|operating system kernel]], [[GNU Hurd]]. With the release of the [[Linux kernel]], started independently by [[Linus Torvalds]] in 1991, and released under the GPLv2 with version 0.12 in 1992, for the first time it was possible to run an operating system composed completely of free software. Though the Linux kernel is not part of the GNU projectProject, it was developed using [[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]] and other GNU programming tools and was released as free software under the [[GNU General Public License]].<ref>{{cite web

| url = https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.minix/browse_thread/thread/76536d1fb451ac60/b813d52cbc5a044b

| title = What would you like to see most in minix?

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}}</ref>

As of present, the GNU projectProject has not released a version of [[GNU/Hurd]] that is suitable for production environments since the commencement of the GNU/Hurd project over {{Time ago|Dec 31, 1990}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd/status.html|title=GNU Hurd/ hurd/ status|website=GNU Operating System|publisher=Free Software Foundation|access-date=2018-04-15|quote="It may not be ready for production use, as there are still some bugs and missing features."|archive-date=2020-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112030809/https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd/status.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== GNU/Linux ==

A stable version (or variant) of GNU can be run by combining the GNU packages with the [[Linux kernel]], making a functional [[Unix-like]] system. The GNU projectProject calls this GNU/Linux, and the defining features are the combination of:

* GNU packages<ref name=gnu_packages>{{cite web

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}}</ref><ref name=gnu_packages_fsf>[http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/GNU GNU @ Free Software Directory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205084519/http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/GNU |date=2015-12-05 }} (fsf.org)</ref> (except for GNU Hurd) <br />The GNU packages consist of numerous operating system tools and utilities ([[Bash (Unix shell)|shell]], [[GNU Core Utilities|coreutils]], compilers, libraries, etc.)<ref name=gnu_packages /><ref name=gnu_packages_fsf /> including a library implementation of all of the functions specified in [[POSIX]] System Application Program Interface (POSIX.1).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/POSIX.html |title=POSIX – The GNU C Library |access-date=2014-04-18 |archive-date=2014-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424011018/http://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/POSIX.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[[GNU C Library#A temporary fork]]</ref> The GCC compiler can generate machine-code for a large variety of computer-architectures.<ref>[[GNU Compiler Collection#Architectures|GCC Architectures]]</ref>

* [[Linux kernel]] – this implements program scheduling, multitasking, device drivers, memory management, etc. and allows the system to run on a large [[List of Linux-supported computer architectures|variety of computer-architectures]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kernel.org/#whatislinux |title=The Linux Kernel Archives |access-date=2016-07-25 |archive-date=2011-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221140221/http://www.kernel.org/#whatislinux |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Linus Torvalds]] released the [[Linux kernel]] under the [[GNU General Public License]] in 1992;<ref name=linux_free>{{Cite web |url=http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/linux/historical/kernel/old-versions/RELNOTES-0.12 |title=Release Notes for Linux v0.12 |access-date=2012-12-24 |archive-date=2013-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526191714/http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/linux/historical/kernel/old-versions/RELNOTES-0.12 |url-status=live }}</ref> it is however not part of the GNU projectProject.<ref>[https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#allgpled Should the GNU/name convention be applied to all programs that are GPL'ed?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907132420/http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#allgpled |date=2013-09-07 }} GNU/Linux FAQ by Richard Stallman</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#whyslash Why do you write “GNU/Linux” instead of “GNU Linux”?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907132420/http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#whyslash |date=2013-09-07 }} GNU/Linux FAQ by Richard Stallman</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#claimlinux Isn't it wrong for us to label Linus Torvalds' work as GNU?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907132420/http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#claimlinux |date=2013-09-07 }} GNU/Linux FAQ by Richard Stallman</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#linusagreed Does Linus Torvalds agree that Linux is just the kernel?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907132420/http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#linusagreed |date=2013-09-07 }} GNU/Linux FAQ by Richard Stallman</ref>

* non-GNU programs – various free software packages which are not a part of the GNU Project but are released under the [[GNU General Public License]] or another [[Free software license#FSF-approved .22free software.22 licenses|FSF-approved Free Software License]].

Within the GNU website, a list of projects is laid out and each project has specifics for what type of developer is able to perform the task needed for a certain piece of the GNU projectProject. The skill level ranges from project to project but anyone with background knowledge in programming is encouraged to support the project.

The packaging of GNU tools, together with the Linux kernel and other programs, is usually called a [[Linux distribution]] (distro). The GNU Project calls the combination of GNU and the Linux kernel "GNU/Linux", and asks others to do the same,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#why |title=Why do you call it GNU/Linux and not Linux? |access-date=2014-04-18 |archive-date=2013-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907132420/http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#why |url-status=live }}</ref> resulting in the [[GNU/Linux naming controversy]].