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<h3 class="section">1.2 Why GNU Octave?</h3>
<p>The GNU Project was launched in 1984 to develop a complete Unix-like
operating system which is free software: the GNU system.
<p>GNU is a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix”; it is pronounced
guh-noo, approximately like canoe.
<p>The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is the principal organizational
sponsor of the GNU Project.
<p>Octave became GNU Octave in 1997 (beginning with version 2.0.6). This
meant agreeing to consider Octave a part of the GNU Project and support
the efforts of the FSF. However, Octave is not and has never been
developed by the FSF.
<p>For more information about the GNU project, see <a href="www.gnu.org">www.gnu.org</a>.
<p><a name="index-FSF-_005bFree-Software-Foundation_005d-2"></a><a name="index-GNU-_005bGNU_0027s-not-unix_005d-3"></a>
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