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What does GNU stand for in GNU Linux?
GNU’s Not UNIX
During this period, Richard Stallman launched the GNU Project with the goal of creating “an operating system that is free software.” GNU, confusingly, stands for “GNU’s Not UNIX.” This project is responsible for the UNIX-like GNU OS.
What is the GNU part of Linux?
In a GNU/Linux system, Linux is the kernel component. The rest of the system consists of other programs, many of which were written by or for the GNU Project.
How can I contribute to the GNU / Linux project?
Thus, if you want to make an effective contribution to free GNU/Linux distributions, we suggest that you join the development of an existing free distro rather that starting a new free distro. These system distributions are free but quite different from GNU.
What do you need to know about the GNU Project?
To learn more about this issue, you can also read our page on Linux and the GNU Project, our page on Why GNU/Linux? and our page on GNU Users Who Have Never Heard of GNU. When people see that we use and recommend the name GNU/Linux for a system that many others call just “Linux”, they ask many questions.
Which is the most widely used version of the GNU system?
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called “Linux”, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
Why did Linus Torvalds start the GNU Project?
For example, many believe that once Linus Torvalds finished writing Linux, the kernel, its users looked around for other free software to go with it, and found that (for no particular reason) most everything necessary to make a Unix-like system was already available. What they found was no accident—it was the not-quite-complete GNU system.