Datasheet

GNU
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9
numbers, a crashproof fi le system, fi lename completion perhaps, terminal-independent
display support, and eventually a Lisp-based window system through which several
Lisp programs and ordinary Unix programs can share a screen. Both C and Lisp will
be available as system programming languages. We will have network software based
on MIT’s chaosnet protocol, far superior to UUCP. We may also have something
compatible with UUCP.
Who Am I?
I am Richard Stallman, inventor of the original much-imitated EMACS editor, now
at the Artifi cial Intelligence Lab at MIT. I have worked extensively on compilers,
editors, debuggers, command interpreters, the Incompatible Timesharing System
and the Lisp Machine operating system. I pioneered terminal-independent display
support in ITS. In addition I have implemented one crashproof fi le system and two
window systems for Lisp machines.
Why I Must Write GNU
I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with
other people who like it. I cannot in good conscience sign a nondisclosure agree-
ment or a software license agreement.
So that I can continue to use computers without violating my principles, I have
decided to put together a suffi cient body of free software so that I will be able to
get along without any software that is not free.
How You Can Contribute
I am asking computer manufacturers for donations of machines and money. I’m
asking individuals for donations of programs and work.
One computer manufacturer has already offered to provide a machine. But we
could use more. One consequence you can expect if you donate machines is that
GNU will run on them at an early date. The machine had better be able to operate
in a residential area, and not require sophisticated cooling or power.
Individual programmers can contribute by writing a compatible duplicate of some
Unix utility and giving it to me. For most projects, such part-time distributed work
would be very hard to coordinate; the independently-written parts would not work
together. But for the particular task of replacing Unix, this problem is absent. Most
interface specifi cations are fi xed by Unix compatibility. If each contribution works
with the rest of Unix, it will probably work with the rest of GNU.
If I get donations of money, I may be able to hire a few people full or part time.
The salary won’t be high, but I’m looking for people for whom knowing they are
helping humanity is as important as money. I view this as a way of enabling dedi-
cated people to devote their full energies to working on GNU by sparing them the
need to make a living in another way.
For more information, contact me.
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