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Cover image for GNU Hurd
Aisuko
Aisuko

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GNU Hurd

GNU Hurd

https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/

The project homepage please see the above address. And I am the maintainer for this project but now only fixed the fewer issues. This is my first project on the GNU community. And we can see that the project no active status if you compare it to anyone of the cloud-native projects.

I can not talk too much, because I'm new to the project and need to read more and learn from the basics. As we know the way not similar to the modern open-source projects, nowadays project workflow may look like:

Github -> Slack(Discord) -> Zoom meeting

git.savannah.gnu.org -> IRC(freenode) meeting

And the most difference between GNU projects Github projects are you can only readonly on the source code. But as we know this is the GNU community's policy comes from https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html

The terms “free software” and “open source” stand for almost the same range of programs. However, they say deeply different things about those programs, based on different values. The free software movement campaigns for freedom for the users of computing; it is a movement for freedom and justice. By contrast, the open source idea values mainly practical advantage and does not campaign for principles. This is why we do not agree with open source, and do not use that term.

So, there are too many things that need to adapt. Let's get our hands dirty every day. I believe one day I can go easy.

There is the repo list of GNU Hurd:

http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hurd

And we do not need to follow the official document at Debian community to run GNU Hurdhttps://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/hurd-install, is too difficult for my personal.

I try this https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd/running/debian.html and it works well on my ubuntu 20.04 LTS with qemu.

and the latest pre-complied gnu-hurd address:
http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/hurd/

If anyone interest in the project, please contact the community by using the ways below:

https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/contact_us.html

And not only contributing code can be a contributing, any small case or spell-mistakes all can be contributing, more detail and ways:

https://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/contributing.html

Finally

The cover photo was shot by myself fewer years ago's morning if I remember right. The camera capability of the iPhone 6's is amazing me until today.

I'd like to borrow little sentences from GNU document and send to myself.

Final Words -- Difficulties

Please note that doing substantial contributions to a project as big and as encompassing as the GNU Hurd is not a trivial task. For working on the GNU Hurd's inner guts and getting useful work done, you have to plan for a many-months learning experience which will need sufficient self-motivation. Working on an advanced operating system kernel isn't something you can do in a few free minutes -- even less so without any previous kernel hacking experience.

Likewise, the Linux kernel maintainers are stating the exactly same difficulties, which is well presented by Jonathan Corbet in his 2010 Linux Kernel Summit report for the opening sessions about welcoming of newcomers.

But of course, none of this is meant to be dismissive, or to scare you away -- on the contrary: just start using the GNU Hurd, and either notice yourself what's not working as expected, or have a look at one of the Open Issues, and we shall see if you'll evolve to be the next core Hurd hacker! You'll just have to get excited about it!

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