{"id":2353,"date":"2013-09-27T22:44:35","date_gmt":"2013-09-28T01:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/realnorth.net\/blog\/?p=2353"},"modified":"2013-09-27T22:44:35","modified_gmt":"2013-09-28T01:44:35","slug":"free-unix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realnorth.net\/blog\/free-unix\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Unix!"},"content":{"rendered":"<pre>\r\nRelay-Version: version B 2.10 5\/3\/83; site utzoo.UUCP\r\nPosting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6\/24\/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP\r\nPath: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!mit-eddie!RMS@MIT-OZ\r\nFrom: RMS@MIT-OZ@mit-eddie.UUCP (Richard Stallman)\r\nNewsgroups: net.unix-wizards,net.usoft\r\nSubject: new UNIX implementation\r\nMessage-ID: <771@mit-eddie.UUCP>\r\nDate: Tue, 27-Sep-83 13:35:59 EDT\r\nArticle-I.D.: mit-eddi.771\r\nPosted: Tue Sep 27 13:35:59 1983\r\nDate-Received: Thu, 29-Sep-83 07:38:11 EDT\r\nOrganization: MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA\r\nLines: 90\r\n\r\n\r\nFree Unix!\r\n\r\nStarting this Thanksgiving I am going to write a complete\r\nUnix-compatible software system called GNU (for Gnu's Not Unix), and\r\ngive it away free to everyone who can use it.  Contributions of time,\r\nmoney, programs and equipment are greatly needed.\r\n\r\nTo begin with, GNU will be a kernel plus all the utilities needed to\r\nwrite and run C programs: editor, shell, C compiler, linker,\r\nassembler, and a few other things.  After this we will add a text\r\nformatter, a YACC, an Empire game, a spreadsheet, and hundreds of\r\nother things.  We hope to supply, eventually, everything useful that\r\nnormally comes with a Unix system, and anything else useful, including\r\non-line and hardcopy documentation.\r\n\r\nGNU will be able to run Unix programs, but will not be identical\r\nto Unix.  We will make all improvements that are convenient, based\r\non our experience with other operating systems.  In particular,\r\nwe plan to have longer filenames, file version numbers, a crashproof\r\nfile system, filename completion perhaps, terminal-independent\r\ndisplay support, and eventually a Lisp-based window system through\r\nwhich several Lisp programs and ordinary Unix programs can share a screen.\r\nBoth C and Lisp will be available as system programming languages.\r\nWe will have network software based on MIT's chaosnet protocol,\r\nfar superior to UUCP.  We may also have something compatible\r\nwith UUCP.\r\n\r\n\r\nWho Am I?\r\n\r\nI am Richard Stallman, inventor of the original much-imitated EMACS\r\neditor, now at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT.  I have worked\r\nextensively on compilers, editors, debuggers, command interpreters, the\r\nIncompatible Timesharing System and the Lisp Machine operating system.\r\nI pioneered terminal-independent display support in ITS.  In addition I\r\nhave implemented one crashproof file system and two window systems for\r\nLisp machines.\r\n\r\n\r\nWhy I Must Write GNU\r\n\r\nI consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I\r\nmust share it with other people who like it.  I cannot in good\r\nconscience sign a nondisclosure agreement or a software license\r\nagreement.\r\n\r\nSo that I can continue to use computers without violating my principles,\r\nI have decided to put together a sufficient body of free software so that\r\nI will be able to get along without any software that is not free.\r\n\r\n\r\nHow You Can Contribute\r\n\r\nI am asking computer manufacturers for donations of machines and money.\r\nI'm asking individuals for donations of programs and work.\r\n\r\nOne computer manufacturer has already offered to provide a machine.  But\r\nwe could use more.  One consequence you can expect if you donate\r\nmachines is that GNU will run on them at an early date.  The machine had\r\nbetter be able to operate in a residential area, and not require\r\nsophisticated cooling or power.\r\n\r\nIndividual programmers can contribute by writing a compatible duplicate\r\nof some Unix utility and giving it to me.  For most projects, such\r\npart-time distributed work would be very hard to coordinate; the\r\nindependently-written parts would not work together.  But for the\r\nparticular task of replacing Unix, this problem is absent.  Most\r\ninterface specifications are fixed by Unix compatibility.  If each\r\ncontribution works with the rest of Unix, it will probably work\r\nwith the rest of GNU.\r\n\r\nIf I get donations of money, I may be able to hire a few people full or\r\npart time.  The salary won't be high, but I'm looking for people for\r\nwhom knowing they are helping humanity is as important as money.  I view\r\nthis as a way of enabling dedicated people to devote their full energies to\r\nworking on GNU by sparing them the need to make a living in another way.\r\n\r\n\r\nFor more information, contact me.\r\nArpanet mail:\r\n  RMS@MIT-MC.ARPA\r\n\r\nUsenet:\r\n  ...!mit-eddie!RMS@OZ\r\n  ...!mit-vax!RMS@OZ\r\n\r\nUS Snail:\r\n  Richard Stallman\r\n  166 Prospect St\r\n  Cambridge, MA 02139\r\n\r\n<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5\/3\/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6\/24\/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!mit-eddie!RMS@MIT-OZ From: RMS@MIT-OZ@mit-eddie.UUCP (Richard Stallman) Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards,net.usoft Subject: new UNIX implementation Message-ID: Date: Tue, 27-Sep-83 13:35:59 EDT Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.771 Posted: Tue Sep 27 13:35:59 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 29-Sep-83 07:38:11 EDT Organization: MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA Lines: 90 Free Unix! 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