Can someone please explain the G in GNU?

[mamamia88]

i just don't understand if GNU stands for not unix what does the G have to do with anything?

[yabbadabbadont]

Recursion (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recursion)

GNU -> Gnu is Not Unix

(It helps if you are a programmer... ;))

[cardinals_fan]

What does GNU stand for? GNU's Not UNIX. What does the "G" stand for? GNU. What does GNU stand for? GNU's Not UNIX. And so on and so forth, ad infinitum.

This is called recursion.

[Joeb454]

As yabbadabbadont said, it's a recursive acronym...these always confuse me :p

Didn't Microsoft come out with something a year or 2 back called "UNG" which stood for something like "U*'s Not Gnu" ?

[mamamia88]

yeah it's confusing i guess i understand now

[SomeGuyDude]

Recursive acronyms are fun because generally speaking the first letter is arbitrary. WINE could just as easily be PINE, DINE, MINE, or NINE, but I guess they liked the sound of WINE best.

BINARA Is Not A Recursive Acronym.

[Frak]

Recursive acronyms are fun because generally speaking the first letter is arbitrary. WINE could just as easily be PINE, DINE, MINE, or NINE, but I guess they liked the sound of WINE best.

BINARA Is Not A Recursive Acronym.
They chose WINE because, well, for one, it conveys that it isn't an emulator, and two, it is closest to Windows

Wine
Windows
Win

[utnubuuser]

G is for Groovy Baby!

[hanzomon4]

Oh that is cool... It's like a word feedback loop!!!

[SomeGuyDude]

They chose WINE because, well, for one, it conveys that it isn't an emulator, and two, it is closest to Windows

Wine
Windows
Win

I suppose I can follow that one, and GNU is a word while ONU isn't, but it could have just as easily been MIU Isn't Unix or something. INX's Not X is one, too. Here's a big list. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursive_acronym Some are good, some are just dumb, though: LAME, PNG.

'Jini Is Not Initials' is cool, though.

[hoopz23]

G is for Groovy Baby!

Groovy baby! Not Unix! => GNU

...or GbNU? :confused: :lolflag:

[vishzilla]

I love recursive acronyms

I didn't know Wine is also one

Wine -> Wine Is Not an Emulator

Nagios — Nagios Ain't Gonna Insist On Sainthood -> This one is good

[SSTwinrova]

Didn't Microsoft come out with something a year or 2 back called "UNG" which stood for something like "U*'s Not Gnu" ?

What you're probably thinking of is their .NET-based, PC/360/Zune game development framework

XNA = XNA's Not Acronymed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_XNA

[gnuvistawouldbecool]

I think the HURD one is the best, since it's mututally recursive with another acronym:

HURD: HIRD of Unix-Replacing Daemons;

HIRD: HURD of Interfaces Representing Depth

[ssam]

apparently Stallman went through all the words with _nu and _inu (he wanted something is not unix or something's not unix). he found gnu and liked it because it was an inherently funny word.

[mcduck]

I suppose I can follow that one, and GNU is a word while ONU isn't, but it could have just as easily been MIU Isn't Unix or something. INX's Not X is one, too. Here's a big list. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursive_acronym Some are good, some are just dumb, though: LAME, PNG.

'Jini Is Not Initials' is cool, though.

Well, some of those aren't even real. PNG doesn't come from "PNG is not GIF", it comes from "Portable Network Graphics", which makes a bit more sense.. ;) The recursive acronym name is just an unofficial joke.