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[1]
GNU [2] is a recursive acronym, standing for GNU [3]'s Not Unix [4].
The GNU [5] project was started by Richard Stallman [6], an MIT AI
Lab hacker, who was frustrated by the policies of various computer
companies who were removing access to the source code of their
products. He found this made his life more difficult, and instead of
just bitching about it, he resolved to replace all the software that
he needed to use with a version that would always make the source code
available.
The GNU [7] project is run by the Free Software Foundation [8] (FSF),
founded by Stallman. It has produced several large and important
programs that enable people to use source-available software. These
include a compiler suite gcc [9], a programmer's editor emacs [10], a
C runtime library glibc [11] and a large range of smaller Unix-style
utilities.
All their software is made available under a variety of the GNU [12]
Public Licence, or GPL [13]. This licence is often controversial,
because in order to meet Stallman's goal of ensuring he never loses
access to source code, it requires that anyone who changes the source
of a GPL [14]ed program must make those changes available under the
terms of the GPL [15].
Links:
------
[1] http://www.gnu.org/
[2] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GNU
[3] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GNU
[4] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?Unix
[5] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GNU
[6] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?RichardStallman
[7] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GNU
[8] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?FreeSoftwareFoundation
[9] http://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/gcc.html
[10] http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs.html
[11] http://www.gnu.org/software/libc/libc.html
[12] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GNU
[13] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GPL
[14] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GPL
[15] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?GPL
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