What is gnu

GPLv3 was not wholly met with approval within the open source community, with some projects, including the Linux kernel , preferring to stick with the GPLv2. Developers can omit it when licensing their software; the Linux kernel, for instance, is licensed under GPLv2 without the any later version clause.

The GNU project has made many valuable contributions to the world of free and open source, and its tools and programs are widely used around the world. Image by Freddie01 from Pixabay. GNU head by Aurelio A. The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish freedom 1.

Access to the source code is a precondition for this. However, the GNU Project is not limited to the core operating system.

We aim to provide a whole spectrum of software, whatever many users want to have. This includes application software. See the Free Software Directory for a catalogue of free software application programs. We also want to provide software for users who are not computer experts. We also want to provide games and other recreations. Plenty of free games are already available.

How far can free software go? There are no limits, except when laws such as the patent system prohibit free software. The ultimate goal is to provide free software to do all of the jobs computer users want to do—and thus make proprietary software a thing of the past.

We defend the rights of all software users. More precisely, free software means users of a program have the four essential freedoms :. Developments in technology and network use have made these freedoms even more important now than they were in Nowadays the free software movement goes far beyond developing the GNU system.

See the Free Software Foundation's web site for more about what we do, and a list of ways you can help. GNU is a Unix-like operating system. That means it is a collection of many programs: applications, libraries, developer tools, even games.

GNU is typically used with a kernel called Linux. Volunteers continue developing the Hurd because it is an interesting technical project. UK universities find that many students are fed up with virtual courses and want to attend class physically. Others feel the opposite. If you are a student, or have been admitted, and you are disgusted with being forced to use nonfree software for school, now is your chance to make a difference — tell the university you don't want to do that.

Be civil to the staff, but show how strongly you feel this. Chat network. Read the full announcement and the follow-up update. The GNU Project supports the Free Software Foundation's petition to call on school administrators around the world to stop requiring students to run nonfree software.

Sign the petition for freedom in the classroom.