![[ Celebrate 30 years of GNU! ]](https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/misc/GNU_30th_badge.png){kind=icon}
The GNU Project turned 30 in 2015
Richard Stallman started the GNU Project about 30 years ago. Out of it came the utilities we use every day and - more importantly - the GNU General Public License, which is the basis of the succes of the Linux operating system.Initially, in the late 1980s, the programs of the GNU Project and the Minix kernel allowed people to run a UNIX-like operating system on (relatively) cheap Intel PC's. At the time UNIX was only available for very expensive hardware and full of propietary technology. The success of GNU + Minix however was blocked by the inability to distribute the (free but not redistributable) Minix kernel. When a Finnish student called Linus Torvalds, wrote a microkernel and allowed it to be redistributed, a complete Operating System became available for everybody.
It was a hell of a ride these past 30 years, and we enjoyed every moment of it! It is a story of ups and a few downs. Many different success stories with a few hero's and a lot of hard working, super motivated people. People who do it 'just for fun', to 'better technology' or 'build a better world'. Companies who collaborate because they have a vision, or just because they want to sell more. In any case, it is our story!
Here you can find our timeline of the last 30 years. If you click on it, you get the 1920x1080 HD image so you can use it as your desktop background!
Happy celebration!
Jasper Nuyens
