GNU is the name of a computer operating system . The latest alpha release of the GNU system is GNU 0.2 , released in 2004 , featuring GNU Hurd as the system 's kernel . Other ( non-GNU ) kernels can also presently be used with GNU ; the FSF maintains that Linux , when used with GNU tools and utilities , should be considered a variant of GNU , and promotes the term GNU\/Linux for such systems ( leading to the GNU\/Linux naming controversy ) .