GNU Project: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search

GNU Project (view source)

Revision as of 14:44, 23 October 2009

953 bytes removed ,  23 October 2009
no edit summary
(New page: {{otheruses2|GNU}} The '''GNU Project''' is a free software, mass collaboration project, announced on September 27 1983, by Richard Stallman at MIT. It initiated t...)
 
No edit summary
The '''GNU Project''' is a [[free software]], [[mass collaboration]] project, announced on [[September 27]] [[1983]], by [[Richard Stallman]] at [[MIT]]. It initiated the [[GNU]] [[operating system]], software development for which began in January 1984. The founding goal of the project was, in the words of its initial announcement, to develop "''a sufficient body of free software [...] to get along without any software that is not free'.'' "<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html |title=The GNU Manifesto |date=2007-07-21 |publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]] |accessdate=2007-11-10}}</ref>▼
{{otheruses2|GNU}}
▲The '''GNU Project''' is a [[free software]], [[mass collaboration]] project, announced on [[September 27]] [[1983]], by [[Richard Stallman]] at [[MIT]]. It initiated the [[GNU]] [[operating system]], software development for which began in January 1984. The founding goal of the project was, in the words of its initial announcement, to develop "''a sufficient body of free software [...] to get along without any software that is not free.''"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html |title=The GNU Manifesto |date=2007-07-21 |publisher=[[Free Software Foundation]] |accessdate=2007-11-10}}</ref>
 
To make this happen, the GNU Project began working on an operating system called [[GNU]]. GNU is a [[recursive acronym]] that stands for "GNU's Not Unix". This goal of making a free software operating system was achieved in 1992 when the last gap in the GNU system, a [[kernel (computer science)|kernel]], was filled by a third-party [[Unix]]-style kernel called "[[Linux kernel|Linux]]" being released as Free Software, under a GNU [[GPL]] v2 license.
 
Current work of the GNU Project includes software development, awareness building, and political campaigning.
 
==Philosophy and activism==
{{main|Free software movement}}
Although most of the GNU Project's output is technical in nature, it was launched as a social, ethical, and political initiative. As well as producing software and licenses, the GNU Project has published a large number of philosophical writings, the majority of which were authored by [[Richard Stallman]].
 
==Operating system development==
The first goal of the GNU project was to create a whole free-software operating system. By 1992, the GNU project had completed all of the major operating system components except for their kernel, [[GNU Hurd]]. The [[Linux kernel]], started independently by [[Linus Torvalds]] in 1991 filled the last gap, and Linux version 0.12 was released under the [[GPL]] in 1992. Together, Linux and GNU formed the first completely free-software operating system. Though the Linux kernel is not part of the GNU project, it was developed using [[GNU Compiler Collection|GCC]] and other gnu programming tools.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.minix/browse_thread/thread/76536d1fb451ac60/b813d52cbc5a044b What would you like to see most in minix?] Linus Benedict Torvalds (Aug 26 1991, 2:12 am) - comp.os.minix | Google Groups</ref>
 
==Strategic projects==
 
===GNOME===
One example is the [[GNOME]] desktop. This development effort was launched by the GNU Project because another desktop system, [[KDE]], was becoming popular but required users to install certain [[proprietary software]]. To prevent people from being tempted to install that proprietary software, the GNU Project simultaneously launched two projects. One was the [[Harmony toolkit]]. This was an attempt to make a free software replacement for the proprietary software that KDE depended on. Had this project been successful, the problem with KDE would have been solved. The second project was GNOME, which tackled the same issue from a different angle. It aimed to make a replacement for KDE, one which didn't have any dependencies on proprietary software. The Harmony project didn't make much progress, but GNOME developed very well. Eventually, the proprietary component that KDE depended on was released as free software.
 
===Gnash===
Another example is [[Gnash]]. Gnash is software to play content distributed in the [[Adobe Flash]] format. This has been marked as a priority project by GNU because it was seen that many people were installing a free software operating system and using a free software web-browser, but were then also installing the proprietary software plug-in from Adobe.
 
==Recognition==
*2001: [[USENIX#USENIX Lifetime achievement award|USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usenix.org/directory/flame.html |title=USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award ("The Flame") |quote=Awarded for the ubiquity, breadth, and quality of its freely available redistributable and modifiable software, which has enabled a generation of research and commercial development. |accessdate=2007-12-05}}</ref>
 
== See also ==
 
 
==External links==
Valarauca
51

edits

Retrieved from "https://lug.mtu.edu/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/5619"

Navigation menu