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Here is a new version of the booklet about the GNU project, incorporating many changes based on your comments. Do you have any more comments? \input texinfo @c % -*-texinfo-*- @c % leave this in TeX comment format in case @c % \magnification=833 ever moves back here from texinfo.tex @c Copyright notice below @c keep this as first comment block in file. @c keep this as second comment block in file: @c %**start of header @setfilename draft.info @settitle The GNU Project @setchapternewpage off @c %**end of header @ifclear text @direntry * The GNU Project: (gnu). @end direntry @end ifclear @ifinfo @node Top, What Is GNU, (dir), (dir) @top @end ifinfo @c @c @ifinfo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The GNU Project @center Information about the Free Software Foundation, the GNU Project, @center and how to help. Free Software Foundation, Inc. Telephone: @w{@t{+}1-617-542-5942}@* 59 Temple Place - Suite 330 Fax: (including Japan) @w{@t{+}1-617-542-2652}@* Boston, MA @w{ } 02111-1307 Electronic Mail: @w{@code{gnu@@gnu.org}}@* USA Web: @w{@file{http://www.gnu.org}}@* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ @end ifinfo @unnumberedsubsec Table of Contents @display What Is GNU? What Is the FSF? What Is Free Software? Getting Support for Free Software What Is Copyleft? What Is Linux? What Is GNU/Linux? Free Software Redistributors Donate How We Distribute GNU Software What Is the Deluxe Distribution Volunteer for the GNU Project Give to GNU the United Way GNU Project Links Donations Translate Into Free Software @end display ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ @page @headings double @c So the numbering comes out right. -len @tex \global\pageno=1 @end tex @menu * What Is GNU:: Information on the GNU Project * What Is the FSF:: Information on the Free Software Foundation * What Is Free Software?:: Information about Free Software * Getting Support for Free Software:: Help Using Free Software * What Is Copyleft:: Information on the GNU General Public Licenses * What Is Linux:: Linus Torvalds' free kernel * What Is GNU/Linux?:: A GNU system with a Linux kernel * Free Software Redistributors Donate:: Authors and Publishers, too * How We Distribute GNU Software:: Where else to get GNU software * What Is the Deluxe Distribution:: GNU it in style * Volunteer for the GNU Project:: Helping make the software * Give to GNU the United Way:: A convenient way to donate * GNU Project Links:: Where to find more information * Donations Translate into Free Software:: How to make more free software @end menu @node What Is GNU @unnumbered What Is GNU? GNU is a Unix-compatible operating system that consists of entirely free software. (The name ``GNU'' stands for @w{``GNU's Not Unix''}, and is pronounced ``g-noo''.) Development of GNU began in January 1984. Like Unix, such a system contains libraries, editors, compilers, and many other utilities and tools, as well as a kernel. A version of GNU that uses Linux as the kernel is used by millions of users. Many components developed for the GNU system are also widely used on other operating systems. @c An older `What Is GNU?' article was deleted. RMS felt it needed to be split @c into a `Why Is Free Software Useful?' and `What Is GNU?' articles. @c we ran out of time to do such a substantial rewrite, and also needed the @c space. Get the text from bull17.texi if it ever gets resurrected. @c -len-bull18 @node What Is the FSF @unnumbered What Is the FSF? @c if we ever want to lengthen this ``What Is the FSF?'' section, the @c language was longer, though in some ways worse in bull11-June 91 -len The Free Software Foundation is dedicated to eliminating restrictions on people's right to use, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. We do this by promoting the development and use of free software, particulary the GNU operating system. Some organizations distribute whatever free software happens to be available. By contrast, the Free Software Foundation concentrates on the development of new free software, working towards the goal of eliminating the need to use proprietary systems and programs. Besides developing GNU, the FSF distributes GNU software and manuals for a distribution fee, and accepts gifts (tax-deductible in the U.S.@:) to support GNU development. Most of the FSF's funds come from its distribution service. @node What Is Free Software? @unnumbered What Is Free Software? The word ``free'' in ``free software'' refers to freedom, not price. You may or may not pay money to get GNU software, but either way you have three specific freedoms once you get it: first, the freedom to copy a program, and distribute it to your friends and co-workers; second, the freedom to change a program as you wish, by having full access to source code; third, the freedom to distribute a modified version and thus help build the community. Free software means you can study the source and learn how such programs are written; it means you can port it or improve it, and then share your work with others. If you redistribute GNU software, you may charge a distribution fee or you may give it away, so long as you include the source code and the @i{GNU General Public License}; see What Is Copyleft, below, for more information. @node Getting Support for Free Software @unnumbered Getting Support for Free Software Some people who don't use free software think that free software means no support. Actually, support is one of the advantages of free software. Fairly good support is available at no charge; those who wish to pay for additional support can get it from a competitive market. Most free software packages have designated a mailing list or USENET newsgroup where you can ask other users for help. This voluntary peer support seems to result in happier and more loyal users than the sort of support most proprietary software developers offer. Before you ask the other users, it is a good idea to see if they have already answered your question. Look in the Frequently Asked Questions list (FAQ) for the package, in its documentation, and in archives of old USENET articles (since chances are that the your question has been asked already on USENET by someone else). On many GNU/Linux systems, the @file{/usr/doc} directory holds documentation for many packages. If you are willing to pay for additional support, you can find support providers for GNU programs by looking in the GNU Service Directory. This is a list of people and companies that have asked to be listed as selling (or occasionally donating) support services for GNU software. The GNU Service Directory is found on the web in http://www.gnu.org/prep/service.html. @node What Is Copyleft @unnumbered What Is Copyleft? @c if we ever want to lengthen this ``What Is Copyleft?'' section, the @c language was longer, though in some ways worse in bull11-June 91 -len @c The simplest way to make a program free software is to put it in the public domain, uncopyrighted. But this permits proprietary modified versions, which deny others the freedom to redistribute and modify; such versions undermine the goal of giving freedom to @emph{all} users. To prevent this, @dfn{copyleft} uses copyrights in a novel manner. Typically, copyrights are used to take away freedom; copyleft use copyright to preserve freedom. Copyleft is a legal instrument that requires those who pass on a program to include the rights to use, modify, and redistribute the code; the code and the freedoms become legally inseparable. Copyleft protects these freedoms for all users, by saying that no one can take them away from anyone else. The copyleft used by the GNU Project is made from the combination of a regular copyright notice and the @dfn{GNU General Public License} (GPL). The GPL is a copying license which basically says that you have the aforementioned freedoms. An alternate form, the @dfn{GNU Library General Public License} (LGPL), applies to some (but not all) GNU libraries. This license permits linking the libraries into proprietary executables under certain conditions. The appropriate license is included in each GNU source code distribution and in many manuals. Printed copies are available upon request. We hope you will copyleft your programs and documentation, and we have made it as simple as possible for you to do so. Detailed instructions on how to apply either of the two GNU copyleft licenses to your own programs appear at the end of the license. @node What Is Linux? @unnumbered What Is Linux? Linux is a kernel, developed by Linus Torvalds starting in 1991. (The kernel is the component of an operating system that is responsible for running other programs and keeping them separate, for reading and writing disk files, for low-level network communication, and some other tasks.) Linux is free software, just as GNU software is, and it provides the same functionality as the kernel of a proprietary Unix system. @node What Is GNU/Linux? @unnumbered What Is GNU/Linux? GNU/Linux is the combination of Linux and the GNU system, modified to work together smoothly. You may have heard people call it ``Linux,'' but Linux is actually the kernel rather than the whole system. This combination has millions of users, probably over ten million although there is no way of actually counting them. GNU/Linux systems run on many platforms, including the x86 series of Intel processors (386, 486, Pentium, and higher), Alpha, PowerPC, SPARC (Sun), and MIPS (SGI). They support an array of networking options, including Ethernet, PPP, and the networking protocols supported by proprietary operating systems, such as AppleTalk and the Windows NT/95/98 SMB networking. Thus, if you have not completely eliminated your dependence on proprietary operating systems such as Windows, GNU/Linux machines can communicate with them. GNU/Linux systems include a vast collection of software development tools that come from the GNU system. These include the GNU C and C++ compiler, as well as utilities for linking, assembling, editing, and source code control. Along with the development tools, GNU/Linux systems include utilities and applications that address many aspects of the user experience: WWW servers and WWW browsers, text editors and word processors, graphical and audio tools, and more. In addition, GNU/Linux systems are exceptionally reliable. A set of GNU utilities were found in scientific tests to be more reliable than all the proprietary counterparts that were tested, and servers running GNU/Linux often keep running for months on end without requiring a reboot. There are several variants of the GNU/Linux system; out of all of them, we recommend Debian GNU/Linux (see http://www.debian.org), because its maintainers have a firm policy of not including any non-free software in their official system distribution. @node How We Distribute GNU Software @unnumbered How We Distribute GNU Software The FSF distributes GNU software on the Internet, and on CD-ROMs that you can buy. The FSF distributes GNU manuals on the Internet, in source form, and also as printed books that you can buy. Whatever the medium, all our GNU software and manuals come with permission to modify, copy, and redistribute. CD-ROMs and printed manuals provide much of the funds for the FSF staff to develop more free software, so please support our work by ordering from the FSF when you can. GNU software is not distributed exclusively by the FSF. Because all GNU software and publications come with permission to modify, copy, and redistribute, anyone who has a copy of it can make another copy for you. There are also third party groups who distribute our software. Please note that the Free Software Foundation is @emph{not} affiliated with them in any way and is @emph{not} responsible for either the currency of their versions or the swiftness of their responses. @node What Is the Deluxe Distribution @unnumbered The Deluxe Distribution Although GNU software is primarily distributed in source form, the Free Software Foundation offers a package that provides executables for all of our software. The Deluxe Distribution provides binaries with the source code and includes six T-shirts, all our CD-ROMs, printed manuals, and reference cards. The FSF Deluxe Distribution contains the binaries and sources to hundreds of different programs including Emacs, the GNU C/C@t{++} Compiler, the GNU Debugger, the complete X Window System, and all the GNU utilities. We will make a Deluxe Distribution for most machines/operating systems. We may be able to send someone to your office to do the compilation, if we can't find a suitable machine here. However, we can only compile the programs that already support your chosen machine/system---porting is a separate matter. Compiling all these programs takes time; a Deluxe Distribution for an unusual machine will take longer to produce than one for a common machine. Please contact the FSF Office with any questions. The printed documentation includes one each of @cite{Bison}, @cite{Calc}, @cite{Gawk}, @cite{GCC}, @cite{GNU C Library}, @cite{GDB}, @cite{Flex}, @cite{GNU Emacs Lisp Reference}, @cite{Programming in Emacs Lisp: An Introduction}, @cite{Make}, @cite{Texinfo}, and @cite{Termcap} manuals, six copies of the @cite{GNU Emacs} manual, and ten reference cards for each of Emacs, Bison, Calc, Flex, and GDB. Every Deluxe Distribution also includes the latest editions of our CD-ROMs. The sales of the Deluxe Distribution provide enormous financial assistance to help the FSF develop more free software. @node Free Software Redistributors Donate @unnumbered Free Software Redistributors Donate In the long run, the success of free software depends on how much new free software people develop. Distribution of free software or its documentation offers an opportunity to raise funds for such development in an ethical way. Some redistributors and authors make use of the opportunity, but many others let it go to waste. You can help promote free software development by convincing for-a-fee redistributors to contribute---either by doing development themselves or by donating to development organizations (the FSF and others). The way to convince distributors to contribute is to demand and expect this of them. This means choosing among distributors partly by how much they give to free software development. Then you can show distributors they must compete to be the one who gives the most. To make this work, you must insist on numbers that you can compare, such as, ``We will give ten dollars to the Foobar project for each disk sold.'' A vague commitment, such as ``A portion of the profits is donated,'' doesn't give you a basis for comparison. Even a precise fraction ``of the profits from this disk'' is not very meaningful, since creative accounting and unrelated business decisions can greatly alter what fraction of the sales price counts as profit. Also, press distributors for firm information about what kind of development they do or support. Some kinds make much more long-term difference than others. For example, maintaining a separate version of a GNU program contributes very little; maintaining a program on behalf of the GNU Project contributes much. Easy new ports contribute little, since someone else would surely do them; difficult ports such as adding a new CPU to the GNU compiler or to Mach contribute more; major new features and programs contribute the most. If you are interested in supporting the FSF through your purchase, then please ask the distributor whether and how much it supports the FSF. Most redistributors of GNU software do not contribute funds to FSF, so you cannot assume that one does. By establishing the idea that supporting further development is ``the proper thing to do'' when distributing free software or its documentation for a fee, we can assure a steady flow of resources for making more free software. @node Volunteer for the GNU Project @unnumbered Volunteer for the GNU Project There are many ways to help the GNU Project, but the most important way is to volunteer. You can write free software or free documentation for the GNU Project, but there are many other tasks that need to be accomplished. Volunteering can be as simple as reporting one bug or writing an entire software package. Even if you're not a programmer or a writer, there is probably a way you can help out. The GNU Project needs help in many areas, including drawing graphics, maintaining web pages, and just about anything involved with managing a non-profit that serves an international user community. @node Give to GNU the United Way @unnumbered Give to GNU the United Way If you are in the United States and participate in a United Way campaign, please consider designating the Free Software Foundation as the recipient of your donation. Just how do to this depends on where you live, because the United Way is not a single nationwide corporation, but rather a loose alliance of separate local organizations with distinct bylaws and methods. Some United Way chapters list the FSF as an affiliated charitable organization, which is a pre-approved recipient of donations. Some will approve any 501(c)3 association, such as the FSF; some have a narrow explicit focus yet will ``respond to our donors concern about a specific agency to which they are committed''. Some chapters use a form that prompts for an unlisted ``other'' recipient; others require more initiative from you. @node GNU Project Links @unnumbered GNU Project Links Here are some GNU web pages that you might find useful. They have been selected on the basis of their relevance to the topics in this booklet. @itemize @bullet{} @item @b{The GNU Project Web Site} http://www.gnu.org @item @b{FSF Order Form:} http://www.gnu.org/order/order.html @item @b{European Order Form:} http://www.gnu.org/order/order-europe.html @item @b{GNU/Linux:} http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html @item @b{Service Directory} http://www.gnu.org/prep/service.html @item @b{The HURD:} http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html @item @b{Getting GNU Software over the Internet:} http://www.gnu.org/order/ftp.html @item @b{Donating to the FSF:} http://www.gnu.org/help/donate.html @item @b{Helping the FSF:} http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html @end itemize @c keeping this section at the back, because there was some interest in @c getting this form on the back cover... @c @node Donations Translate into Free Software @unnumbered Donations Translate Into Free Software If you appreciate Emacs, the GNU C Compiler, Ghostscript, or the whole GNU/Linux system, you may wish to help make sure there is more free software in the future. @emph{Your donations translate into more free software!} Donations to FSF are deductible for U.S.@: federal and some other taxes. We gladly accept donations in any currency, but the U.S.@: dollar is the most convenient. @c many Bulls ago, the next sentence was itemized --pwendt If your employer has a matching program for charitable donations, please ask them to approve the FSF as a recipient and to match your donation. Consult your personnel department. The Free Software Foundation wants to acknowledge its supporters and contributors in a visible fashion. So depending on the amount you contribute, you can become an ``official'' supporter of the FSF. We offer public ``Thank GNUs'' and some modest gifts to $100 and greater donors: @itemize @bullet{} @item $100 makes you a Supporter of the FSF; you get a listing of your name in the GNU's Bulletin for a year. @item $500 makes you a Contributor; you get a listing and a Certificate. @item $1000 makes you a Sustaining Contributor; you get a listing, a Certificate, and a gift. @item $5000 makes you a Patron; you get all the ``benefits'' of a Sustaining Contributor plus a special gift. @item $25000 makes you a corporate/institutional Sponsor; you get all the ``benefits'' of a Patron, as well as a lecture or master class by Richard Stallman. @end itemize @noindent Circle the amount of your donation, complete this form, and send it with your donation to: Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place -- Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111--1307, USA. You can donate by fax with a credit card; fax to @t{+}1--617--542--2652. We Accept: Carte Blanche, Diner's Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. @example @group $25000 (sponsor) @w{ } $5000 (patron) @w{ } $1000 @w{ } $500 @w{ } $100 @w{ } $50 @w{ } Other __________ @c ASCII underscores added after seeing paper copy --pwendt 11Mar @c maybe ToDo: in the TeX version, use hrules instead of ASCII underscores. Card type: __________________ Expiration Date: _____________ Account Number: _____________________________________________ Cardholder's Signature: _____________________________________ Name: _______________________________________________________ Street Address: _____________________________________________ City/State/Province: ________________________________________ Zip Code/Postal Code/Country: _______________________________ Telephone Number: ___________________________________________ Email Address: ______________________________________________ @end group @end example The Free Software Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization; all contributions are tax deductible in the US. @bye