GNU
:GNU: /gnoo/, _not_ /noo/ 1. [acronym: `GNU's Not Unix!', see {{recursive acronym}
}] A Unix-workalike development effort of the Free Software
Foundation headed by Richard Stallman <>. GNU EMACS and the
GNU C compiler, two tools designed for this project, have become very
popular in hackerdom and elsewhere. The GNU project was designed partly
to proselytize for RMS's position that information is community property
and all software source should be shared. One of its slogans is "Help
stamp out software hoarding!" Though this remains controversial (because
it implicitly denies any right of designers to own, assign, and sell the
results of their labors), many hackers who disagree with RMS have
nevertheless cooperated to produce large amounts of high-quality
software for free redistribution under the Free Software Foundation's
imprimatur. The GNU project has a web page at `http://www.gnu.org'. See
EMACS
, copyleft
, General Public Virus
, Linux
2. Noted Unix
hacker John Gilmore <>, founder of Usenet's anarchic alt.*
hierarchy.
Jargon File Version 4.3.1, 29 JUN 2001 =
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