What exactly is Gnu?

What exactly is Gnu? 

I know that name gets tossed around a lot across the web. I mentioned the term a lot in my post. It actually stands for something. GNU is a recursive acronym for “GNU's not UNIX.”) GNU is also the project within which the free software concept originated by Richard Stallman, the founder of the project. He views GNU as a "technical means to a social end. The logo for the operating system is a Wildebeest head.

GNU

Gnu is what is known as an operating system, os  for short. An operating system is the software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as executing applications and controlling peripherals. In other words. An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources. For example Microsoft Windows 11 is an operating system. 

Gnu is an free and open OS that is similar to other famous competitors, such as Mac and Microsoft Windows. Without an operating system, every program would need to include its own user interface as well as the complete code needed to deal with all low-level usage of the main computer, such as disk drive, network interfaces and so on. When many of us turn the computer we expect to see a simple to use graphics user interface or GUI. The GUI is most frequently used by the casual that is mostly interested in double-clicking a file icon to open the file in its default program. So yes the operating system helps the the average person to get the most out of their computer. 

For many regular people, the idea of installing an operating system might seem like a very hard thing to do. I have no fear, believe it or not, Gnu offers one of the easiest installations of all operating systems. You can even test that Gnu to make sure it works on your computer. The means you run the operating system from either a CD/DVD, but mostly these days from a USB flash drive without making any changes to your hard drive. You get the full functionality without having to commit to the installation. Once you’ve tested things out, and decided you wanted to run it, you simply double-click the “Install” icon and walk through the simple installation wizard.

At the heart of most GNU systems is the 

kernel called Linux. A kernel is the core of the system and manages the CPU, memory, and peripheral devices. The kernel is the lowest level of the OS. So many times you will see references made to Gnu/Linux which is referring to the Gnu operating system and the Linux kernel. 

 

So to recap...

GNU is an operating system that is free software—that is, it respects users' freedom. Just like Windows and macOS, Gnu offers thousands upon thousands of high-quality programs that can be easily found and installed. 

Gnu is pushed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). "The Free Software Foundation is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom." It was founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985.

Gnu is easy to use. There was a time when it was very hard for beginners and simply discouraged them from trying it. Over time, there has been a lot of progress made to make things easier. Gnu is pretty easy to use these days with a few exceptions.