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3. GNU project
Summary
In 1984, Richard M. Stallman resigned
from MIT and started to develop a UNIX compatible operating system
as free software. This was the start of the GNU project, whose object
was to make and distribute the free software. In 1985, he made available
on the Internet a free editor program, and founded the FSF (Free Software
Foundation(6)) as the association for accelerating the GNU project.
The GNU project is the forerunner of
the freely open method for computer software development. The free
software concept proposed by Stallman includes the freedom to access
the source code, to modify the program and to redistribute copies.
This freedom and open principle made it possible to gather the wisdom
from many programmers around the world, resulting in the development
of system software with excellent functionality and high stability.
GPL (General Public License)(7) is the refined license document
summarizing this principle. Based on this principle, Stallman planned
to develop a UNIX compatible software system. As the result, GNU software,
such as a high performance editor (Emacs), a compiler (GCC) and a
graphical user interface (GNU desktop: GNOME), has been produced.
An operating system kernel was under development, but before it was
completed, Linux became available. By combining Linux and GNU software,
a complete UNIX compatible operating system is available as free software(8).
The concept of free software and the
GPL provides the basis for the development of other free software
or open software. GNU software developed by the GNU project gained
a high reputation for free software because of its excellent functionality
and high stability.
Results of GNU project (GNU software and GNU GPL)
The number of GNU software packages under the umbrella of the GNU
project is up to 800. More than 14 GNU sub-projects are registered
and progressing now.
The meaning of
"free" in GNU free software(9) is not that the price is free but that
the software has the freedom as follows. To be able to obtain a source
code is the premise of being free.
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a) |
You have the freedom to run the program, for any purpose. (The 0th freedom) |
| b) |
You have the freedom to modify the program
to suit your needs. (The 1st freedom) |
| c) |
You have the freedom to redistribute copies, either gratis or for a fee. (The 2nd freedom) |
| d) |
You have the freedom to distribute modified versions of the program. (The 3rd freedom) |
The concept of "copyleft," the coined
word by Stallman, means that modified versions must also be free at
re-distribution without any restrictions. The above-listed conditions
are the actual conditions for copyleft(10).
Reliability of free software
According to the study of standard UNIX utility programs
in 1990 and 1995, the failure rate of the GNU utilities was only 6%
or 9%(11). By comparison, the failure rate of utilities on the commercial
versions ranged from 15% to 40%. The report of the President's Information
Technology Advisory Committee in September 2000(12) recognized the
high quality of free software or open source software. The reason
for their high quality was explained as follows(13).
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1) |
In the case of the free software, all community members work cooperatively. Users not only report bugs but also propose the revisions and work together to correct bugs, communicating by e-mail, which results in an efficient revision. |
| 2) |
Because the source code is open to everyone, programmers have a high motivation to raise the reliability and to debug source code thoroughly. |
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