GNU² Manifesto

GNU² Manifesto: Reclaiming Free Software

Preamble In an age where the principles of Free Software have been diluted, commercialized, and co-opted, we find ourselves at a crossroads. The original spirit of GNU and the Free Software Foundation has been undermined not only by corporations seeking to exploit permissive licenses for profit without reciprocity, but also by ideological manipulation within the community itself. GNU² (pronounced “New GNU”) is our response: a movement to restore the foundations of software freedom, reinforce the ethical backbone of digital autonomy, and defend the commons from encroaching control.

I. Our Purpose GNU² is a philosophical and technical reboot of the Free Software movement. It is a call to:

• Reassert the Four Freedoms: to run, study, modify, and share software.
• Oppose license dilution, corporate openwashing, and telemetry-infested pseudo-FOSS.
• Develop and maintain GPLv3+ and AGPLv3-licensed software that resists Tivoization, cloud lock-in, and DRM.
• Create alternative userlands and tools that reject the ideological capture and politicization of the developer ecosystem.

II. Our Commitments

1. License Integrity We commit to using and promoting copyleft licenses that preserve user freedom. We reject permissive licenses when used to circumvent community contribution and foster corporate silos.

2. Software Autonomy All software under the GNU² banner shall be auditable, modifiable, and executable by the user without requiring centralized approval, online verification, or hidden binaries.

3. Hardware Liberation We will support and encourage development on open hardware and resist the normalization of closed firmware, locked bootloaders, and platform lockdowns.

4. Community Sovereignty We reject the weaponization of social or political ideology to exclude contributors based on viewpoint. Freedom of software requires freedom of thought.

5. Transparency and Simplicity Tools should be understandable by the user, not obfuscated behind layers of abstraction, containerization, or corporate dependency. We aim for clarity, simplicity, and longevity.

III. Our Action Plan

• Develop and maintain a full suite of core utilities, shells, libraries, and packaging tools under GPLv3+/AGPL licenses.
• Establish a Free Software Compatibility Index to audit userland and kernel components for license integrity and telemetry risks.
• Draft and promote a “GNU² Public License” (GPL-R) designed to combine the best aspects of GPLv2 and v3 while closing modern loopholes.
• Provide educational resources for understanding software freedom, licensing, and resistance to corporate capture.

Conclusion GNU² is not a fork in name only. It is a philosophical rebellion and a restoration project. We will build tools that honor the roots of the Free Software movement while protecting its future. We are not nostalgic. We are vigilant.

Let those who still believe in the Four Freedoms join us.

Free Software, Not Fake Sourceware.

Signed, The GNU² Initiative