Much of its development is done by unpaid volunteers. These tools enable users to perform tasks ranging from the mundane such as copying or removing files from the system to the arcane such as writing and compiling programs or doing sophisticated editing in a variety of document formats.
While many groups and individuals have contributed to Linux, the largest single contributor is still the Free Software Foundation, which created not only most of the tools used in Linux, but also the philosophy and the community that made Linux possible.
The Linux kernel first appeared in , when a Finnish computing science student named Linus Torvalds announced an early version of a replacement kernel for Minix to the Usenet newsgroup comp. Linus Torvalds continues to coordinate the work of several hundred developers with the help of a number of subsystem maintainers.
There is an official website for the Linux kernel. Information about the linux-kernel mailing list can be found on the linux-kernel mailing list FAQ. Linux users have immense freedom of choice in their software. I pioneered terminal-independent display support in ITS. Since then I have implemented one crashproof file system and two window systems for Lisp machines, and designed a third window system now being implemented; this one will be ported to many systems including use in GNU. Software sellers want to divide the users and conquer them, making each user agree not to share with others.
I refuse to break solidarity with other users in this way. I cannot in good conscience sign a nondisclosure agreement or a software license agreement.
For years I worked within the Artificial Intelligence Lab to resist such tendencies and other inhospitalities, but eventually they had gone too far: I could not remain in an institution where such things are done for me against my will. So that I can continue to use computers without dishonor, I have decided to put together a sufficient body of free software so that I will be able to get along without any software that is not free.
Unix is not my ideal system, but it is not too bad. The essential features of Unix seem to be good ones, and I think I can fill in what Unix lacks without spoiling them. And a system compatible with Unix would be convenient for many other people to adopt. GNU is not in the public domain. Everyone will be permitted to modify and redistribute GNU, but no distributor will be allowed to restrict its further redistribution. That is to say, proprietary modifications will not be allowed.
I want to make sure that all versions of GNU remain free. Many programmers are unhappy about the commercialization of system software. It may enable them to make more money, but it requires them to feel in conflict with other programmers in general rather than feel as comrades. The fundamental act of friendship among programmers is the sharing of programs; marketing arrangements now typically used essentially forbid programmers to treat others as friends. The purchaser of software must choose between friendship and obeying the law.
Naturally, many decide that friendship is more important. But those who believe in law often do not feel at ease with either choice. They become cynical and think that programming is just a way of making money. By working on and using GNU rather than proprietary programs, we can be hospitable to everyone and obey the law. In addition, GNU serves as an example to inspire and a banner to rally others to join us in sharing.
This can give us a feeling of harmony which is impossible if we use software that is not free. For about half the programmers I talk to, this is an important happiness that money cannot replace.
I am asking computer manufacturers for donations of machines and money. One consequence you can expect if you donate machines is that GNU will run on them at an early date. The machines should be complete, ready to use systems, approved for use in a residential area, and not in need of sophisticated cooling or power.
I have found very many programmers eager to contribute part-time work for GNU. For most projects, such part-time distributed work would be very hard to coordinate; the independently-written parts would not work together. But for the particular task of replacing Unix, this problem is absent. A complete Unix system contains hundreds of utility programs, each of which is documented separately. Most interface specifications are fixed by Unix compatibility. If each contributor can write a compatible replacement for a single Unix utility, and make it work properly in place of the original on a Unix system, th these utilities will work right when put together.
Even allowing for Murphy to create a few unexpected problems, assembling these components will be a feasible task. The kernel will require closer communication and will be worked on by a small, tight group. If I get donations of money, I may be able to hire a few people full or part time. I view this as a way of enabling dedicated people to devote their full energies to working on GNU by sparing them the need to make a living in another way.
This means much more than just saving everyone the price of a Unix license. It means that much wasteful duplication of system programming effort will be avoided. This effort can go instead into advancing the state of the art.
Complete system sources will be available to everyone. As a result, a user who needs changes in the system will always be free to make them himself, or hire any available programmer or company to make them for him. Users will no longer be at the mercy of one programmer or company which owns the sources and is in sole position to make changes.
Schools will be able to provide a much more educational environment by encouraging all students to study and improve the system code. I was very much inspired by this. Finally, the overhead of considering who owns the system software and what one is or is not entitled to do with it will be lifted.
Arrangements to make people pay for using a program, including licensing of copies, always incur a tremendous cost to society through the cumbersome mechanisms necessary to figure out how much that is, which programs a person must pay for. And only a police state can force everyone to obey them. Consider a space station where air must be manufactured at great cost: charging each breather per liter of air may be fair, but wearing the metered gas mask all day and all night is intolerable even if everyone can afford to pay the air bill.
And the TV cameras everywhere to see if you ever take the mask off are outrageous. Copying all or parts of a program is as natural to a programmer as breathing, and as productive. It ought to be as free. If people would rather pay for GNU plus service than get GNU free without service, a company to provide just service to people who have obtained GNU free ought to be profitable.
We must distinguish between support in the form of real programming work and mere handholding. The former is something one cannot rely on from a software vendor.
If your problem is not shared by enough people, the vendor will tell you to get lost. If your business needs to be able to rely on support, the only way is to have all the necessary sources and tools. Then you can hire any available person to fix your problem; you are not at the mercy of any individual. With Unix, the price of sources puts this out of consideration for most businesses. With GNU this will be easy.
It is still possible for there to be no available competent person, but this problem cannot be blamed on distribution arrangements. Such services could be provided by companies that sell just hand-holding and repair service. If it is true that users would rather spend money and get a product with service, they will also be willing to buy the service having got the product free.
The service companies will compete in quality and price; users will not be tied to any particular one. There are various forms of free or very cheap publicity that can be used to inform numbers of computer users about something like GNU.
But it may be true that one can reach more microcomputer users with advertising. If this is really so, a business which advertises the service of copying and mailing GNU for a fee ought to be successful enough to pay for its advertising and more.
This way, only the users who benefit from the advertising pay for it. GNU will remove operating system software from the realm of competition. Can you contribute to any of these High Priority Areas? Can you help maintain a GNU package? It supports both Spanish and English interfaces.
It has been adopted by the United Nations University for implementation and training, and several hospitals and health ministries around the world. We defend the rights of all software users. Feel free to join them! There are also other ways to contact the FSF. Free Software Supporter :. Defend privacy , and support global copyright reform with LQDN. Support current FSF campaigns. Fight against software patents: worldwide , and in Europe. More action items. Free phone operating system, decentralization, federation and self-hosting, free drivers, firmware and hardware designs, real-time voice and video chat, encourage contribution by people underrepresented in the community, and more.
Also, these packages are looking for co-maintainers: aspell , bison , gnuae , gnubik , metaexchange , powerguru , xboard. See the package web pages for more information. Set language.
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