GNUproject

The GNU Project is a free software project started by Richard Stallman in 1983 with the aim of creating a complete Unix-like operating system whose components are free software. The project introduced the idea of free software as a matter of user rights, emphasizing the ability to run, study, modify, and share software. The name GNU is a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix!”

In 1985, Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) to support GNU and advance the broader free software movement. The project generated a large collection of essential tools and components, including the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), the GNU C Library, the GNU Core Utilities, the Bash shell, and the Emacs editor. The GNU project planned the GNU Hurd as its kernel, but it has not achieved the same level of deployment as other kernels in practical systems.

A central pillar of GNU is its licensing approach. The GNU General Public License (GPL) and related licenses employ copyleft to ensure software freedom by requiring that modified and derivative works are released under the same terms. The GNU project has had a profound influence on the free software movement, software licensing, and collaborative development practices. The combination of GNU userland with the Linux kernel is commonly referred to as GNU/Linux, a nomenclature favored by those who emphasize GNU components.

Today, GNU continues to maintain and develop a wide range of free software, with the FSF acting as its primary organizational home and advocate. While the Linux kernel powers most modern systems, GNU remains a reference point for free software philosophy, licensing, and toolchain development.