Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!usc!polyslo!csun!csusac!emmonsl
From: emmonsl@csusac.uucp (L. Scott Emmons)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: GNU story wanted!
Summary: The definition of GNU (brace thyself)
Message-ID: <1989Jun26.203245.898@csusac.uucp>
Date: 27 Jun 89 03:32:44 GMT
References: <7364@cs.Buffalo.EDU>
Organization: California State University, Sacramento
Lines: 24



In article <7364@cs.Buffalo.EDU>, ugleung@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Leung Lee) writes:
> I have one fundamental question.  What is the story concerning the
> frequent use of "GNU" as a prefix to many Unix programs, such a emacs,
> troff, etc.  I realized this probably has its origin in the American
> culture!  Is this correct!  Can anyone give some kind of historical
> insights?

GNU, the popular freesoftware company from Berkeley, developing UNIX software,
has an interesting acronym for a name...

As it is a recursive definition of itself the exact expansion is a bit tricky,
but basically, here it is:

	G  GNU
	N  not
	U  UNIX

So what's GNU?  Well, GNU's not UNIX.  So What's GNU?  Well, GNU's not UNIX,
So what does GNU mean?  Well the G stands for GNU.  What's GNU?  GNU's not
UNIX, etc...etc...ad infinitum...

			lse