Man, the people at GNU are hardcore. Not only is GNU a recursive  acronym for “GNU’s not Unix” [which is pretty hardcore], but they are dedicated to not only open source software, but COMPLETELY FREEsoftware [check out Richard Stallman's "Why 'Open Source' Misses the Point of Free Software" for more info on free software v/s open source.]

GNU’s primary goal is to create their own completely free operating system, but unfortunately their kernel is incomplete. So they hitch ride on the Linux kernel and create systems known as “GNU/Linux” operating systems. GNU sees free software as an essential freedom, akin to those laid out in the American Bill of Rights. I also think software should be free as in speech [and as in beer], even though I might be more of an open source thinker. So why does GNU leave a somewhat  bad taste in my mouth? It’s pretty simple really: on the surface they seem too radical. it’s important to advocate to one’s cause, but the articles of the Philosophy page of GNU somehow remind me of articles on an animal rights activism page. And the extent to which GNU and it’s members sometimes eschew non-free software seems to be like a vegan not shaking that hand of someone who eats meat.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think that GNU [and vegans for that matter] is fighting for a great cause. It’s just that article titles like “Free But Shackled – The Java Trap” and “Is Microsoft the Great Satan?” seem a bit extreme, and in some cases, misleading.
However, I am of the firm belief that every movement needs it’s  extremists. They are the people that get the cause noticed so that the main stream user or believers can come in and seal the deal. Now of course, extremists can get too extreme, but luckily GNU seems to not have crossed the metaphorical line.

And they do a lot of good. Like I briefly mentioned earlier – most of what is now considered a Linux system is actually GNU/Linux – with most of the system being the incomplete GNU system. They are also watchdogs for free software – they disseminate the information that end users need to make informed decisions.

So as I write this article with the boom of July 4th fireworks in the background, I guess I’m trying to say thank you to the intrepid
fighters for free software at GNU.

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