<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> <!-- Parent-Version:1.771.96 --> <!-- This page is derived from /server/standards/boilerplate.html --> <!--#set var="TAGS" value="gnulinux" --> <!--#set var="DISABLE_TOP_ADDENDUM" value="yes" --> <title>GNU Users Who Have Never Heardof GNUof GNU - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> <!--#include virtual="/gnu/po/gnu-users-never-heard-of-gnu.translist" --> <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> <!--#include virtual="/gnu/gnu-breadcrumb.html" --> <!--GNUN: OUT-OF-DATE NOTICE--> <!--#include virtual="/server/top-addendum.html" --> <div class="article reduced-width"> <h2>GNU Users Who Have Never Heardof GNU</h2> <p><strong>by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/">Richard Stallman</a></strong></p> <div class="announcement"> <blockquote><p>To learn more about this issue, you can also read ourof GNU</h2> <address class="byline">by <ahref="/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">GNU/Linux FAQ</a>, our page on <a href="/gnu/why-gnu-linux.html">Why GNU/Linux?</a> and our page on <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">Linux and the GNU Project</a>. </p></blockquote> </div>href="https://www.stallman.org/">Richard Stallman</a></address> <p>Most people have never heard of GNU. Even most of the people who use the GNU system have never heard of GNU,thanks tosince so many people and companieswhoteach them to call it“Linux”. Nonetheless, the name“Linux.” Indeed, GNUhas certain associations, which people will discover onceusers often say theyhear the name. GNUare “running Linux,” which isassociatedlike saying you are “driving your carburetor” or “driving your transmission.”</p> <p>Nonetheless, those who know about GNU associate it with the ideals of freedom of the free software movement. That association is no accident; the motive for developing GNU was specifically to make it possible to use a computer and have freedom.</p><p>The<p>A person seeing the name “GNU” for the first time in “GNU/Linux” won't immediately know what it represents, but has come one step closer to finding out. The association between the name GNU and our goals of freedom and social solidarity exists in the minds of hundreds of thousands of GNU/Linux users that do know about GNU. It exists in <a href="/home.html">gnu.org</a> and in Wikipedia.And itIt exists around the web; if these users search for GNU, they will find<a href="http://www.gnu.org">www.gnu.org</a>, which talks about free software and freedom.</p> <p>A person seeing the name “GNU” forthefirst time in “GNU/Linux” won't immediately associate it with anything. However, when people know that the system is basically GNU, that brings them a step closer to learning about our ideals. For instance, they might become curious and look for more information about GNU.</p>ideas GNU stands for.</p> <p>If they don'tlook for it,search, they may encounteritthem anyway. The“open source”<a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">“open source”</a> rhetoric tends to lead people's attention away from issues of users' freedom, but not totally; there is still discussion of GNU and free software, and people have some chance of coming across it. When that happens,the reader isthey are more likely to pay attention to information about GNU (such as that it's the work of a campaign for freedom and community) ifhe knows he is a userthey know they are users of the GNU system.</p> <p>Over time, calling the system “GNU/Linux” spreads awareness of the ideals of freedom for which we developed the GNU system. It is also useful as a reminder for people in our community who know about these ideals, in a world where much of discussion of free software takes a totally practical (and thus amoral) approach. When we ask you to call the system“GNU/Linux”,“GNU/Linux,” wedo so because awareness of GNU slowly but surely brings with it awarenessare asking you to help in making the public aware of the free softwareideals of freedomideals.</p> <div class="announcement comment" role="complementary"> <hr class="no-display" /> <p>To learn more about this issue, you can also read our <a href="/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">GNU/Linux FAQ</a>, our page on <a href="/gnu/why-gnu-linux.html">Why GNU/Linux?</a> and our page on <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">Linux andcommunity.</p>the GNU System</a>. </p> </div> </div> </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> <divid="footer">id="footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="unprintable"> <p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. 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