Tux Machines

Do you waddle the waddle?

Other Sites

9to5Linux

Canonical to Package and Distribute NVIDIA CUDA within Ubuntu’s Repositories

The CUDA toolkit provides developers with a parallel computing platform and programming model that uses NVIDIA GPUs for general-purpose processing. Until now, developers had to download CUDA from the NVIDIA website to install it on Ubuntu, but soon that will no longer be the case.

Firefox 143 Is Now Available for Download, This Is What’s New

Firefox 143 is yet another small update that only brings a couple of new features, one of them being the ability to preview when a website asks for camera access in the permission dialog, which may come in handy when switching between multiple cameras.

Giada 1.3 Open-Source Loop Machine Adds Support for Multiple Audio Connections

Giada 1.3 is a small update, but an important one as it introduces support for multiple audio output configurations (more than stereo), along with improvements to the JACK Audio Connection Kit support to enable support for multiple output connections.

9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: September 14th, 2025

I would like to thank everyone who sent us donations; your generosity is greatly appreciated. I also want to thank all of you for your continued support by commenting, liking, sharing, and boosting the articles, following us on social media, and, last but not least, sending us feedback.

MKVToolNix 95.0 MKV Manipulation Tool Improves the Chapter Generation Feature

Dubbed “Goodbye Stranger”, the MKVToolNix 95.0 release improves the chapter generation feature in the MKVToolNix GUI by implementing a new placeholder when generating chapters for appended files, which will be replaced by the appended file’s title metadata.

GStreamer 1.26.6 Adds Support for WVC1 and WMV3 Codecs to Video4Linux2

GStreamer 1.26.6 introduces support for WVC1 and WMV3 codecs to V4L2 (Video for Linux API version 2), adds a new blocking adapter element to the threadshare plugin (gst-plugin-threadshare) for use in front of block elements like sinks that sync to the clock, and updates the librespot library to version 0.7 for compatibility with recent Spotify changes.

Forty Years of GNU and the Free Software Movement

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Sep 24, 2023

Forty years of GNU

Original by the Free Software Foundation


Copyright © 2004-2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Privacy Policy.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 license (or later version)


On September 27, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the GNU operating system and the launch of the free software movement. Free software advocates, tinkerers, and hackers all over the world will celebrate this event, which was a turning point in the history of computing. Forty years later, GNU and free software are even more relevant. While software has become deeply ingrained into everyday life, the vast majority of users do not have full control over it.

Computer hackers and users from across the world will celebrate GNU's anniversary with special events. These include a specially convened GNU Hackers Meeting in Biel, Switzerland and a hackday for hackers of any skill level at the FSF's headquarters in Boston, MA.

On September 27, 1983, a computer scientist named Richard Stallman announced the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU, for "GNU's not Unix." GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom, and has remained true to its founding ideals for forty years. Since 1983, the GNU Project has provided a full, ethical replacement for proprietary operating systems. This is thanks to the forty years of tireless work from volunteer GNU developers around the world.

When describing GNU's history and the background behind its initial announcement, Stallman (often known simply as "RMS") stated, "with a free operating system, we could again have a community of cooperating hackers -- and invite anyone to join. And anyone would be able to use a computer without starting out by conspiring to deprive his or her friends."

"When we look back at the history of the free software movement -- or the idea that users should be in control of their own computing -- it starts with GNU," said Zoë Kooyman, executive director of the FSF, which sponsors GNU's development. "The GNU System isn't just the most widely used operating system that is based on free software. GNU is also at the core of a philosophy that has guided the free software movement for forty years."

Usually combined with the kernel Linux, GNU forms the backbone of the Internet and powers millions of servers, desktops, and embedded computing devices. Aside from its technical advancements, GNU pioneered the concept of "copyleft," the approach to software licensing that requires the same rights to be preserved in derivative works, and is best exemplified by the GNU General Public License (GPL). As Stallman stated, "The goal of GNU was to give users freedom, not just to be popular. So we needed to use distribution terms that would prevent GNU software from being turned into proprietary software. The method we use is called 'copyleft.'"

The free software community has held strong for forty years and continues to grow, as exemplified by the FSF's annual LibrePlanet conference on software freedom and digital ethics.

Kooyman continues, "We hope that the fortieth anniversary will inspire hackers, both old and new, to join GNU in its goal to create, improve, and share free software around the world. Software is controlling our world these days, and GNU is a critique and solution to the status quo that we desperately need in order to not have our technology control us."

GNU Hacker's Meeting in Biel, Switzerland

On September 27, GNUnet e.V. is celebrating GNU's fortieth anniversary with a hacker meeting in Switzerland, which will feature presentations about various GNU packages, hacking, and making new releases. Among the speakers are Richard Stallman, the founder of GNU; Free Software Award winner Sébastien Blin of GNU Jami; the president of the Free Software Foundation Europe, Matthias Kirschner; and several GNU developers. There have been few if any other occasions where so many GNU maintainers will be present in person.

Hackday at the FSF Headquarters

In honor of GNU's fortieth anniversary, its organizational sponsor the FSF is organizing a hackday for families, students, and anyone interested in celebrating GNU's anniversary. It will be held at the FSF's offices in Boston, MA on October 1.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to run, edit, share, contribute to, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its Web sites, located at https://fsf.org and https://gnu.org, are an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org.

More information about the FSF, as well as important information for journalists and publishers, is at https://www.fsf.org/press.

About the GNU Operating System and Linux

Richard Stallman announced in September 1983 the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU. GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom. See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html.

In 1992, the essential components of GNU were complete, except for one, the kernel. When in 1992 the kernel Linux was re-released under the GNU GPL, making it free software, the combination of GNU and Linux formed a complete free operating system, which made it possible for the first time to run a PC without non-free software. This combination is the GNU/Linux system. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html.

Media Contacts

Greg Farough
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942

Other Recent Tux Machines' Posts

Jonathan Riddell’s Diary: Adios Chicos, 25 Years of KDE
being cut off from my life for the last 25 years was too much for me
Wine 10.15
The Wine development release 10.15 is now available
GNOME 49 Release Candidate Re-Enables X11 Support by Default in GDM
The GNOME Project released today the RC (Release Candidate) development version of the upcoming GNOME 49 desktop environment series, scheduled for release later this month on September 17th.
Our Reach Grows [original]
We seem to have attracted new readers and we assume that more and more people are adopting GNU/Linux
Dr. Andy Farnell to Speak at Digital Inclusion Coffee Morning in Portsmouth, England [original]
"This month we are joining a Digital Inclusion Coffee Morning in Portsmouth. For this event most of the audience will be older people. We're keen to get some new input."
Half of September is Gone Already [original]
COVID-19 started in late 2019. In 2022 we dumped Drupal. In 2023 we moved to UK hosting. In 2024 we fought back against Microsofters, who had attempted to censor us...
NU/Linux and FOSS Leftovers
more links regarding GNU/Linux and against it
LMDE 7 Will Be Based on Debian 13 “Trixie”, Linux Mint 22.3 Planned for December
Linux Mint leader Clement Lefebvre revealed today in the project’s monthly newsletter that the team is working on the LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) 7 operating system.
One More Week [original]
There are about half a dozen people running this site
openSUSE’s Agama Installer 17 Released with UI Improvements
openSUSE's new Agama installer v17 brings improved storage UI
Dash to Panel GNOME Shell Extension Gets GNOME 49 Support and New Features
A big update to the popular GNOME Shell extension Dash to Panel is rolling out today with new features, bug fixes, and support for the soon-to-be-released GNOME 49 desktop environment series.
Introducing The ASF’s New Logo
going "woke"?
 
Games: Super Mario Bros Remastered, Slay the Spire 2, and More
10 new articles from GamingOnLinux
Android Leftovers
You can now turn your Android phone into a mini Nintendo Switch
4 reasons why I have started to look for NixOS alternatives
I have been using NixOS for a few months now and have been enjoying it a lot
I tried using Linux's AntiX OS on my super old laptop and it works like a charm
I found solace in antiX
Free and Open Source Software, and Review
This is free and open source software
PureOS Crimson: August 2025 – Alpha Released
We have released alpha images for PureOS Crimson for all Librem devices and have closed the first milestone!
This beautiful Linux distro deserves to be better known - here's why
The Ubuntu-based Voyager Linux checks all the boxes
Cantillon Lessons Guide Shift to Open-Source
Switching to Linux distributions like openSUSE reverses this imbalance
Today in Techrights
Some of the latest articles
A Collection of Recent Distributions and Operating Systems Coverage at Valnet
GNU/Linux and more
Batocera Linux for Games, Best GNU/Linux Distros for Playing AAA Windows Games
Games related picks
What Is DragonFly BSD, and Is It Worth Installing as an OS?
Will it make your system fly like a dragonfly?
Fedora 43 Beta Is Almost Here, and the Wallpaper Just Dropped
The countdown begins for this space-themed beta launch.
today's howtos
a handful of howtos from Valnet
GNU/Linux Device With a Folding Screen and Jellyfin for Android TV Is Stealing Another Plex Feature
hardware takes
Linux vs. Windows: Why Linux Will Gain Ground in the Desktop War
Forget all the other years; this year will be the year of the Linux desktop.
Why a Cinnamon Desktop Environment Is Best for Linux Newcomers
Cinnamon desktop makes switching to Linux painless!
These portable operating systems are so light you don’t even need to install them
So if you want flexibility, a rescue tool, or simply a way to breathe new life into older hardware, you should consider these lightweight live systems
Canonical to Package and Distribute NVIDIA CUDA within Ubuntu’s Repositories
Today, Ubuntu maker Canonical announced that it will package and distribute the NVIDIA CUDA toolkit within Ubuntu’s repositories.
Firefox 143 Is Now Available for Download, This Is What’s New
Mozilla has published today the final builds of the Firefox 143 open-source web browser ahead of its official unveiling on September 16th, 2025.
GNU/Linux Leftovers
some more links about GNU/Linux
Free, Libre, and Open Source Software Leftovers
FOSS leftovers
Reverse-Engineering, Framework, and Omarchy
open hardware leftovers
Security Leftovers
Security in Linux and more
Databases: MariaDB 11.8 and pgexporter 0.7
commentary and release
Programming Leftovers
Development related picks
today's howtos
many howtos
Akademy, Kdenlive, and Neon
KDE news
Release of FreeBSD 15.0-ALPHA2
FreeBSD 15.0-ALPHA2 is out
Linux 6.17-rc6
new RC
GOTO – simple SSH manager
GOTO is free and open source software
Android Leftovers
It's official: The 'Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5' will power the next wave of Android flagships
Giada 1.3 Open-Source Loop Machine Adds Support for Multiple Audio Connections
Giada 1.3 has been released today as a new stable version of this open-source, minimalistic, and hardcore loop machine and music production software designed for DJs, live performers, and electronic musicians.
extrox - Current Latest Version - ver1.15 - MX Linux Based Distro - Features
Release of extrox 115
Debian-Based Tails 7.0 RC1 and Asmi Linux 13 Debian Edition
Some Debian distros
MocaccinoOS v25.09
From now on, MocaccinoOS will follow the year.month format (YY.MM)
This niche Fedora-based Linux distro ‘just works’ and stays out of your way as much as possible
Linux distributions have always had a reputation for offering choice
7 Linux Distributions I Tested in the Past Year, Ranked
Over the past year I've booted numerous Linux distributions
4 MX Linux Tools that I miss while using Ubuntu and other Linux distros
MX Linux is one of the more distinct-looking Linux distributions that tries to make the overall operating system experience less cumbersome for the average user
VirtualBox 7.2.2 Maintenance Update Brings USB, Networking, and GUI Fixes
VirtualBox 7.2.2 fixes crashes, GUI freezes, and USB/IP issues
Free and Open Source Software
This is free and open source software
Review: EasyOS 7.0
I think it is important to keep in mind that EasyOS is not meant to be a mainstream distribution
GNU/Linux Leftovers
howtos and more
Today in Techrights
Some of the latest articles
9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: September 14th, 2025
The 257th installment of the 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup is here for the week ending on September 14th, 2025.
Recent GNU/Linux Videos
via Invidious
Thank You, Ricky Hatton [original]
Strong person, but inner struggle
MKVToolNix 95.0 MKV Manipulation Tool Improves the Chapter Generation Feature
MKVToolNix, a set of tools for creating, altering, and inspecting Matroska (MKV) files under Linux systems, has been updated today to version 95.0, a release that brings new features and bug fixes.
GStreamer 1.26.6 Adds Support for WVC1 and WMV3 Codecs to Video4Linux2
The GStreamer project released GStreamer 1.26.6 today as the sixth maintenance update to the latest GStreamer 1.26 series of this popular and powerful open-source, free, and cross-platform multimedia framework.
Programming and Standards
coding and more
Security Patches, Incidents, and Update to GNU Health Hospital Information System
fixes and more
Akademy 2025 Takewaways and Talks
Some KDE stories
Fedora Policy and Infrstructure Report
Some Fedora picks
Hardware: SeeedStudio, Raspberry Pi, and More
devices and more
Debian Distros: LMDE 7, Clear NDR Community 1.0, and UCS 5.2-3
distros based on Debian
Software: Super Useful Linux Apps, Nextcloud, and WinBoat
reviews/overviews of applications
New Steam Games Playable on the Steam Deck and a Look Back at Early Games
gaming leftovers
today's howtos
many howtos for Sunday
KDE Linux Distribution Is Available for Public Testing, Download Now
The KDE Project released today the alpha version of the KDE Linux distribution, an in-house operating system to showcase the latest in-development versions of the KDE Plasma desktop environment and KDE apps.
Debian 13.1 “Trixie” Released with 71 Bug Fixes and 16 Security Updates
Today, the Debian Project announced the release and general availability of Debian 13.1 as the first ISO update to the latest Debian GNU/Linux 13.1 “Trixie” operating system series.
Ubuntu 25.10 Switches to Dracut by Default
Ubuntu’s developers have received the green light to make Dracut default in Ubuntu 25.10
Android Leftovers
Google’s Unstoppable Pixel Update—Every Other Android Left Behind
Free and Open Source Software
Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion here
Security Leftovers
Security related picks
GNU/Linux and FOSS Leftovers
mostly GNU/Linux
Open Hardware/Modding: Raspberry Pi, ESP32, and More
Hardware leftovers
Today in Techrights
Some of the latest articles