- Linux and the GNU system
-
-The GNU project started 12 years ago with the goal of developing a
-complete free Unix-like operating system. "Free" refers to freedom,
-not price; it means you are free to run, copy, distribute, study,
-change, and improve the software.
-
-A Unix-like system consists of many different programs. We found some
-components already available as free software--for example, X Windows
-and TeX. We obtained other components by helping to convince their
-developers to make them free--for example, the Berkeley network
-utilities. Other components we wrote specifically for GNU--for
-example, GNU Emacs, the GNU C compiler, the GNU C library, Bash, and
-Ghostscript. The components in this last category are "GNU software".
-The GNU system consists of all three categories together.
-
-The GNU project is not just about developing and distributing some
-useful free software. The heart of the GNU project is an idea: that
-software should be free, and that the users' freedom is worth
-defending. For if people have freedom but do not consciously
-appreciate it, they will not keep it for long. If we want to make
-freedom last, we need to call people's attention to the freedoms they
-have in free software.
-
-The GNU project's method is that free software and the idea of users'
-freedom support each other. We develop GNU software, and as people
-encounter GNU programs or the GNU system and start to use them, they
-also think about the GNU idea. The software shows that the idea can
-work in practice. Some of these people come to agree with the idea,
-and then they are more likely to write additional free software.
-Thus, the software embodies the idea, spreads the idea, and grows from
-the idea.
-
-By 1992, we had found or written all of the essential major components
-of the system except the kernel, which we were writing. (This kernel
-consists of the Mach microkernel plus the GNU HURD. Currently it is
-running but not ready for users. The first test release was made in
-1996.)
-
-Then the Linux kernel became available. Linux is a free
-Unix-compatible kernel initially written by Linus Torvalds. It was
-not written for the GNU project, but Linux and the almost-complete GNU
-system made a useful combination. This combination provided all the
-major essential components of a Unix-compatible operating system, and
-with some work, people made it into a usable system. It was a variant
-GNU system, based on the Linux kernel.
-
-Ironically, the popularity of these systems undermines our method of
-communicating the GNU idea to people who use GNU. These systems are
-mostly the same as the GNU system--the main difference being the
-choice of kernel. But people usually call them "Linux systems". At
-first impression, a "Linux system" sounds like something completely
-distinct from the "GNU system," and that is what most users think it
-is.
-
-Most introductions to the "Linux system" acknowledge the role played
-by the GNU software components. But they don't say that the system as
-a whole is a modified version of the GNU system that the GNU project
-has been developing and compiling since 1984. They don't say that the
-goal of a free Unix-like system like this one came from the GNU
-project. So most users don't know these things.
-
-Since human beings tend to correct their first impressions less than
-subsequent information calls for, those users who later learn about
-the relationship between these systems and the GNU project still often
-underestimate it.
-
-This leads many users to identify themselves as a separate community
-of "Linux users", distinct from the GNU user community. They use all
-of the GNU software; in fact, they use almost all of the GNU system;
-but they don't think of themselves as GNU users, and often they don't
-think that the GNU idea relates to them.
-
-It leads to other problems as well--even hampering cooperation on
-software maintenance. Normally when users change a GNU program to
-make it work better on a particular system, they send the change to
-the maintainer of that program; then they work with the maintainer,
-explaining the change, arguing for it, and sometimes rewriting it for
-the sake of the overall coherence and maintainability of the package,
-to get the patch installed.
-
-But people who think of themselves as "Linux users" are more likely to
-release a forked "Linux-only" version of the GNU program, and consider
-the job done. We want each and every GNU program to work "out of the
-box" on Linux-based systems; but if the users do not help, that goal
-becomes much harder to achieve.
-
-How should the GNU project deal with this problem? What should we do
-now to spread the idea that freedom for computer users is important?
-
-We should continue to talk about the freedom to share and change
-software--and to teach other users to value these freedoms. If we
-enjoy having a free operating system, it makes sense for us to think
-about preserving those freedoms for the long term. If we enjoy having
-a variety of free software, it makes sense for to think about
-encouraging others to write additional free software, instead of
-additional proprietary software.
-
-We should not accept the idea of two separate communities for GNU and
-Linux. Instead we should spread understanding that "Linux systems"
-are variants of the GNU system, and that the users of these systems
-are GNU users as well as Linux users (users of the Linux kernel).
-Users who know this will naturally tend to take a look at the GNU
-philosophy which brought these systems into existence.
-
-I've written this article as one way of doing that. Another way is to
-use the terms "Linux-based GNU system" or "GNU/Linux system", instead
-of "Linux system," when you write about or mention such a system.
-
-
-Copyright 1996 Richard Stallman
-Verbatim copying and redistribution is permitted
-without royalty as long as this notice is preserved.
-
+ Linux and the GNU system
+
+The GNU project started in 1984 with the goal of developing a complete
+free Unix-like operating system: GNU. "Free" refers to freedom, not
+price; it means you are free to run, copy, distribute, study, change,
+and improve the software.
+
+A Unix-like system consists of many different programs. We found some
+components already available as free software--for example, X Windows
+and TeX. We obtained other components by helping to convince their
+developers to make them free--for example, the Berkeley network
+utilities. This left many missing components that we had to write in
+order to produce GNU--for example, GNU Emacs, the GNU C compiler, the
+GNU C library, Bash, and Ghostscript. The GNU system consists of all
+these components together.
+
+The GNU project is not just about developing and distributing some
+useful free software. The heart of the GNU project is an idea: that
+software should be free, that software users should have freedom to
+participate in a community. To run your computer, you need an
+operating system; if it is not free, your freedom has been denied. To
+have freedom, you need a free operating system. We therefore set out
+to write one.
+
+In the long run, though, we cannot expect to keep the free operating
+system free unless the users are aware of the freedom it gives them,
+and value that freedom. People who do not appreciate their freedom
+will not keep it long. If we want to make freedom last, we need to
+spread awareness of the freedoms they have in free software.
+
+The GNU project's method is that free software and the idea of users'
+freedom support each other. We develop GNU software, and as people
+encounter GNU programs or the GNU system and start to use them, they
+also think about the GNU idea. The software shows that the idea can
+work in practice. Some of these people come to agree with the idea,
+and then they are more likely to write additional free software.
+Thus, the software embodies the idea, spreads the idea, and grows from
+the idea.
+
+Early on in the development of GNU, various parts of it became popular
+even though users needed proprietary systems to run them on. Porting
+the system to many systems and maintaining them required a lot of
+work. After that work, most GNU software is easily configured for a
+variety of different platforms.
+
+By 1991, we had found or written all of the essential major components
+of the system except the kernel, which we were writing. (This kernel
+consists of the Mach microkernel plus the GNU HURD. The first test
+release was made in 1996. Now, in 2002, it is running well, and
+Hurd-based GNU systems are starting to be used.)
+
+That was the situation when Linux came into being. Linux is a kernel,
+like the kernel of Unix; it was written by Linus Torvalds, who
+released it under the GNU General Public License. He did not write
+this kernel for GNU, but it fit into the gap in GNU. The combination
+of GNU and Linux included all the major essential components of a
+Unix-compatible operating system. Other people, with some work made
+the combination into a usable system. The principal use of Linux, the
+kernel, is as part of this combination.
+
+The popularity of the GNU/Linux combination is success, in the sense
+of popularity, for GNU. Ironically, the popularity of GNU/Linux
+undermines our method of communicating the ideas of GNU to people who
+use GNU.
+
+When GNU programs were only usable individually on top of another
+operating system, installing and using them meant knowing and
+appreciating these programs, and thus being aware of GNU, which led
+people to think about the philosophical base of GNU. Now users can
+install a unified operating system which is basically GNU, but they
+usually think these are "Linux systems". At first impression, a
+"Linux system" sounds like something completely distinct from the "GNU
+system," and that is what most users think.
+
+This leads many users to identify themselves as a separate community
+of "Linux users", distinct from the GNU user community. They use more
+than just some GNU programs, they use almost all of the GNU system,
+but they don't think of themselves as GNU users. Often they never
+hear about the GNU idea; if they do, they may not think it relates to
+them.
+
+Most introductions to the "Linux system" acknowledge that GNU software
+components play a role in it, but they don't say that the system as a
+whole is a modified version of the GNU system that the GNU project has
+been developing and compiling since Linus Torvalds was in junior high
+school. They don't say that the main reason this free operating
+exists is that the GNU Project worked persistently to achieve its goal
+of freedom.
+
+As a result, most users don't know these things. They believe that
+the "Linux system" was developed by Linus Torvalds "just for fun", and
+that their freedom is a matter of good fortune rather than the
+dedicated pursuit of freedom. This creates a danger that they will
+leave the survival of free software to fortune as well.
+
+Since human beings tend to correct their first impressions less than
+called for by additional information they learn later, these users
+will tend to continue to underestimate their connection to GNU even if
+they do learn the facts.
+
+When we began trying to support the GNU/Linux system, we found this
+widespread misinformation led to a practical problem--it hampered
+cooperation on software maintenance. Normally when users change a GNU
+program to make it work better on a particular system, they send the
+change to the maintainer of that program; then they work with the
+maintainer, explaining the change, arguing for it, and sometimes
+rewriting it for the sake of the overall coherence and maintainability
+of the package, to get the patch installed. But people who thought of
+themselves as "Linux users" showed a tendency to release a forked
+"Linux-only" version of the GNU program and consider the job done. In
+some cases we had to redo their work in order to make GNU programs run
+as released in GNU/Linux systems.
+
+How should the GNU project encourage its users to cooperate? How
+should we spread the idea that freedom for computer users is
+important?
+
+We must continue to talk about the freedom to share and change
+software--and to teach other users to value these freedoms. If we
+value having a free operating system, it makes sense to think about
+preserving those freedoms for the long term. If we value having a
+variety of free software, it makes sense to think about encouraging
+others to write free software, instead of proprietary software.
+
+However, it is not enough just to talk about freedom; we must also
+make sure people know the reasons it is worth listening to what we
+say.
+
+Long explanations such as our philosophical articles are one way of
+informing the public, but you may not want to spend so much time on
+the matter. The most effective way you can help with a small amount
+of work is simply by using the terms "Linux-based GNU system" or
+"GNU/Linux system", instead of "Linux system," when you write about or
+mention such a system. Seeing these terms will show many people the
+reason to pay attention to our philosophical articles.
+
+The system as a whole is more GNU than Linux; the name "GNU/Linux" is
+fair. When you are choosing the name of a distribution or a user
+group, a name with "GNU/Linux" will reflect both roots of the combined
+system, and will bring users into connection with both--including the
+spirit of freedom and community that is the basis and purpose of GNU.
+
+
+Copyright 1996, 2002 Richard Stallman
+Verbatim copying and redistribution is permitted
+without royalty as long as this notice is preserved.
+
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