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GNU is the only operating system developed specifically to give its users freedom. What is GNU, and what freedom is at stake?
[Escape to Freedom: A video from the FSF](https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/help-others-find-free-software-watch-and-share-escape-to-freedom)
What is GNU?
------------
GNU is an operating system that is [free software](/philosophy/free-sw.html)—that is, it respects users' freedom. The GNU operating system consists of GNU packages (programs specifically released by the GNU Project) as well as free software released by third parties. The development of GNU made it possible to use a computer without software that would trample your freedom.
We recommend [installable versions of GNU](/distros/free-distros.html) (more precisely, GNU/Linux distributions) which are entirely free software. [More about GNU below](#More-GNU).
[Try GNU/Linux](/distros/free-distros.html)
[](/distros/screenshots/dragora-tde.jpg)
[Dragora 3.0-beta2](https://dragora.org/index.html) with [TDE](https://www.trinitydesktop.org/) desktop
[](/home.html?distro=dragora#gnu-linux)
Dragora / TDE
[](/home.html?distro=guix#gnu-linux)
Guix / GNOME3
[](/home.html?distro=hyperbola#gnu-linux)
Hyperbola / i3
[](/home.html?distro=parabola#gnu-linux)
Parabola / LXDE
[](/home.html?distro=pureos#gnu-linux)
PureOS / GNOME3
[](/home.html?distro=trisquel#gnu-linux)
Trisquel / MATE
... or [Try parts of GNU](https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Free_Software_Directory:Free_software_replacements)
What is the Free Software Movement?
-----------------------------------
The free software movement campaigns to win for the users of computing the freedom that comes from free software. Free software puts its users in control of their own computing. Nonfree software puts its users under the power of the software's developer. See [the video explanation](/audio-video/philosophy-recordings.html#rms-201404070).
What is Free Software?
----------------------
**Free software means the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software.**
Free software is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.”
More precisely, free software means users of a program have the [four essential freedoms](/philosophy/free-sw.html):
* The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).
* 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.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2).
* The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
Developments in technology and network use have made these freedoms [even more important now](/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html) than they were in 1983.
Nowadays the free software movement goes far beyond developing the GNU system. See [the Free Software Foundation's web site](https://www.fsf.org) for more about what we do, and a list of [ways you can help](/help).
More about GNU
--------------
GNU is a Unix-like operating system. That means it is a collection of many programs: applications, libraries, developer tools, even games. The development of GNU, started in January 1984, is known as the GNU Project. Many of the programs in GNU are released under the auspices of the GNU Project; those we call [GNU packages](/software/).
The name “GNU” is a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix.” [“GNU” is pronounced _g'noo_](/pronunciation/pronunciation.html), as one syllable, like saying “grew” but replacing the _r_ with _n_.
The program in a Unix-like system that allocates machine resources and talks to the hardware is called the “kernel.” GNU is typically used with a kernel called Linux. This combination is the [**GNU/Linux operating system**](/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html). GNU/Linux is used by millions, though many [call it “Linux” by mistake](/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html).
GNU's own kernel, the [GNU Hurd](/software/hurd/hurd.html), was started in 1990 (before Linux was started). Volunteers continue developing the Hurd because it is an interesting technical project.
[More information](/gnu/gnu.html)
[](https://snowflake.torproject.org/)
The GNU Project strongly urges the community to communicate in ways that are friendly, welcoming and kind. See the [GNU Kind Communications Guidelines](/philosophy/kind-communication.html).
> _As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously._
> —[Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography](https://www.ushistory.org/franklin/autobiography/page55.htm)
### [Planet GNU](https://planet.gnu.org/)[](https://planet.gnu.org/rss20.xml)
[Richard Stallman Interviewed in Bolzano, Italy](https://savannah.gnu.org/news/?id=10732): Richard Stallman was interviewed during his visit to the University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, in February. Clear questions with short, simply wo...
[Free Software Directory meeting on IRC: Friday, March 7, starting at 12:00 EST (17:00 UTC)](http://www.fsf.org/events/fsd-2025-03-07-irc): Join the FSF and friends on Friday, March 7 from 12:00 to 15:00 EST (17:00 to 20:00 UTC) to help im...
[Free Software Directory meeting on IRC: Friday, February 28, starting at 12:00 EST (17:00 UTC)](http://www.fsf.org/events/fsd-2025-02-28-irc): Join the FSF and friends on Friday, February 28 from 12:00 to 15:00 EST (17:00 to 20:00 UTC) to...
### Take Action
* **[Support current FSF campaigns](https://www.fsf.org/campaigns)**.
* [Sign the petition for freedom in the classroom](https://my.fsf.org/give-students-userfreedom).
* [Join the Copilot Watch Group](https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Copilot_Watch_Group).
[More action items](/server/takeaction.html)
**Can you help GNU with any of these projects?**
* [GNU high priority enhancement projects](/help/priority-projects.html)
* [Free program to subtract background music](/help/music-subtraction.html)
**Can you contribute to any of the [long-term high priority projects](//www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/)?**
**Can you help [maintain a GNU package](/server/takeaction.html#unmaint)? These packages are looking for maintainers:**
* [cfengine](/software/cfengine/), [halifax](/software/halifax/), [quickthreads](/software/quickthreads/), [guile-sdl](/software/guile-sdl/), [superopt](/software/superopt/)
Also, these packages are looking for co-maintainers:
* [aspell](/software/aspell/), [bison](/software/bison/), [gnuae](/software/gnuae/), [gnubik](/software/gnubik/), [metaexchange](/software/metaexchange/), [powerguru](/software/powerguru/), [xboard](/software/xboard/).
See the package web pages for more information.
**[Recent GNU releases](/software/recent-releases.html)**
**[Short descriptions for all GNU packages](/manual/blurbs.html)**
Today's random package…
#### [Hurd](/software/hurd/)
The Hurd is the kernel for the GNU system, a replacement and augmentation of standard Unix kernels. It is a collection of protocols for system interaction (file systems, networks, authentication), and servers implementing them. Subprojects include Mach, the microkernel on which the Hurd is based, which provides a basic inter-process communication mechanism, and MIG, an interface generator for Mach. ([doc](/manual/manual.html#hurd))
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Updated: $Date: 2025/01/26 12:55:46 $