GNU Utilities

• Autoconf produces shell scripts which automatically configure source code packages.
• Automake is a tool for generating Makefile.in files for use with Autoconf. 
• Bash, the Bourne Again SHell, is compatible with the Unix `sh' and offers many extensions found in `csh' and `ksh'.
• bc is an interactive algebraic language with arbitrary precision numbers.
• Binutils includes these programs: `ar', `c++filt', `demangle', `gas', `gprof', `ld', `nlmconv', `nm', `objcopy', `objdump', `ranlib', `size', `strings', and `strip'.
• Bison is an upwardly compatible replacement for the parser generator `yacc'. 
• cfengine is used to maintain site-wide configuration of a heterogeneous Unix network using a simple high level language.
• Checker is a package that works with GCC to detect memory use errors in a program.
• GNU Chess is a Chess-playing program.
• C Library for use with GNU/Hurd and GNU/Linux.
• cpio copies file archives to and from disk, or to another part of the local machine.
• CVS is a version control system (like RCS or SCCS) which allows you to keep old versions of files (usually source code), keep a log of who, when, and why changes occurred, etc.
• DejaGnu is a framework to test programs with a single front end for all tests.
• Diction, and Style, check English text for common bad usage and analyze readability. (This package is still in development.)
• Diffutils includes GNU `diff', which compares files showing line-by-line changes in several flexible formats.
• DJGPP includes GCC, G++, and GNU utilities for DOS.
• dld is a dynamic linker which allows the dynamic loading of object files into a running binary.
• doschk is a utility to ensure that source file names are distinguishable on MS-DOS, FreeDOS and other DOS systems with 8+3 character filenames, and on System V platforms with 14-character filenames.
• Dr. Geo is interactive software that allows the construction of geometric figures.
• ed is the standard text editor. It is line-oriented and can be used interactively or in scripts.
• EDMA is an open and modular development environment similar to the Component Object Model or the System Object Model.
• Electric is a sophisticated electrical CAD system that can handle many forms of circuit design.
• Elib is a small library of Emacs Lisp functions, including routines for using AVL trees and doubly-linked lists.
• Emacs is an extensible, customizable real-time display editor and computing environment. It offers true Lisp--smoothly integrated into the editor--for writing extensions and provides an interface to the X Window System.
• enscript is an upwardly-compatible replacement for the Adobe `enscript' program. It formats ASCII files (outputting in Postscript) and stores generated output to a file or sends it directly to the printer.
• The Fileutils are: `chgrp', `chmod', `chown', `cp', `dd', `df', `dir', `dircolors', `du', `install', `ln', `ls', `mkdir', `mkfifo', `mknod', `mv', `rm', `rmdir', `sync', `touch', and `vdir'.
• Findutils includes `find', which is frequently used both interactively and in shell scripts to find files which match certain criteria and perform arbitrary operations on them. Also included are `locate', which scans a database for file names that match a pattern, and `xargs', which applies a command to a list of files.
• GNU Finger is a utility program designed to allow users of Unix hosts on the Internet network to get information about each other.
• The Fontutils convert between font formats, create fonts for use with Ghostscript or TeX, etc.
• GNU Fortran is a free Fortran 77 compiler.
• Gawk is upwardly compatible with the latest POSIX specification of `awk'. It also provides several useful extensions not found in other `awk' implementations.
• gcal is a program for printing calendars. It displays different styled calendar sheets, eternal holiday lists, and fixed date warning lists.
• GCC is a free compiler for C, C++ and Objective C.
• gdb is a source-level debugger for C, C++ and Fortran.
• gdbm is a replacement for the traditional 'dbm' and 'ndbm' libraries.
• The GNU gettext tool set has everything maintainers need to internationalize a package's user messages.
• gforth is a fast, portable implementation of the ANS Forth language.
• Ghostscript is an interpreter for the Postscript and PDF graphics languages.
• Ghostview provides a graphical front end to Ghostscript allowing a Postscript of PDF file to be previewed using an X Window interface.
• The GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, is like Photoshop only better.
• GIT, the GNU Interactive Tools package, includes: an extensible file system browser, an ASCII/hex file viewer, a process viewer/killer, and other related utilities and shell scripts.
• gleem, gleem: OpenGL Extremely Easy-to-use Manipulators is a small, self-contained C++ library of 3D Widgets that support direct user interaction with a 3D scene.
• gmp, GNU mp, is a library for arithmetic on arbitrary precision integers, rational numbers, and floating-point numbers.
• GNAT is a complete Ada95 compilation system, maintained and distributed under the GNU General Public License by Ada Core Technologies.
• GNATS, GNats: A Tracking System, is a bug-tracking system. It is based upon the paradigm of a central site or organization which receives problem reports and negotiates their resolution by electronic mail.
• GnuGo plays the game of Go. It is not yet very sophisticated.
• Gnumeric is a spreadsheet intended to replace commercial spreadsheets.
• GNUscape Navigator is a Web browser that runs under GNU Emacs.
• GNUstep and the GNUstep Base Library provide a graphical, object-oriented programming environment.
• gpc is the GNU Pascal compiler.
• Greg is a framework for testing other programs and libraries.
• The grep package includes GNU `grep', `egrep', and `fgrep', which find lines that match entered patterns.
• GRG is the GNU Report Generator.
• Groff is a document formatting system based on a device-independent version of `troff'.
• Guile is the GNU extensibility library.
• Gush is the GNU User's Shell.
• gzip is GNU's program for compressing and decompressing files.
• The GNU hello program produces a familiar, friendly greeting. It allows non-programmers to use a classic computer science tool which would otherwise be unavailable to them.
• GNU hp2xx reads HP-GL files, decomposes all drawing commands into elementary vectors, and converts them into a variety of vector and raster output formats.
• Hyperbole, written by Bob Weiner in Emacs Lisp, is an open, efficient, programmable information management, autonumbered outliner, and hypertext system, intended for everyday work on any platform Emacs runs on.
• ID Utils is a package of simple, fast, high-capacity, language-independent tools that index program identifiers, literal numbers, or words of human-readable text.
• GNU indent formats C source code into GNU, BSD, K&R, or your own special indentation style.
• Inetutils is a distribution of common networking utilities and servers.
• Ispell is an interactive spell checker that suggests `near misses' to replace unrecognized words.
• JACAL is a symbolic mathematics system.
• Various Java programs have been contributed to the GNU Project.
• less is a display paginator similar to `more' and `pg', but with various features (such as the ability to scroll backwards) that most pagers lack.
• libtool makes it easy to develop and maintain shared libraries.
• GNU m4 is an implementation of the traditional Unix macro processor.
• make automatically determines which pieces of a large program need to be recompiled, and issues commands to recompile them.
• maxima is a Common Lisp implementation of MIT's Macsyma system for computer based algebra.
• The Midnight Commander is a user friendly and colorful Unix file manager and shell, useful to novice and guru alike.
• Meta-HTML is a programming language specifically designed for working within the World Wide Web environment.
• mtools is a set of public domain programs to allow Unix systems to read, write, and manipulate files on a DOS file system (typically a diskette).
• Nana is a package for programming and testing debugging assertions.
• Ncurses is a package for displaying and updating text on text-only terminals.
• NetHack is a Rogue-like adventure game supporting character and X displays.
• OBST is a persistent object management system with bindings to C++. OBST supports incremental loading of methods.
• Octave does arithmetic for real and complex scalars and matrices, solves sets of nonlinear algebraic equations, integrates systems of ordinary differential and differential-algebraic equations, and integrates functions over finite and infinite intervals.
• Oleo is a spreadsheet program. It supports the X Window System and character-based terminals, and can output Embedded Postscript renditions of spreadsheets.
• Panorama is a framework for 3D graphics production.
• patch is our version of Larry Wall's program to take `diff''s output and apply those differences to an original file to generate the modified version.
• The Perl programming language combines the features and capabilities of C, `sed', `awk', and `sh'.
• Plotutils enables the plotting of scientific data and the drawing of vector graphics.
• PSPP is the GNU replacement for SPSS.
• ptx is the GNU version of the traditional permuted index generator.
• queue is a load-balancing/distributed batch processing and local rsh replacement system
• R is a system for statistical computation and graphics. It is a dialect of the S programming language from Bell Labs.
• RCS, the Revision Control System, is used for version control and management of software projects.
• GNU recode converts files between character sets and usages. When exact transliterations are not possible, it may delete the offending characters or fall back on approximations.
• GNU Robots is a game/diversion where you construct a program for a little robot, then watch him explore a world.
• rx is a replacement for the GNU regex library.
• screen is a terminal multiplexer that runs several separate `screens' (ttys) on a single character-based terminal.
• sed is a stream-oriented version of `ed'.
• Sharutils includes `shar',which makes so-called shell archives out of many files, preparing them for transmission by electronic mail services; `unshar' helps unpack these shell archives after reception.
• The Shellutils are: `basename', `chroot', `date', `dirname', `echo', `env', `expr', `factor', `false', `groups', `hostname', `id', `logname', `nice', `nohup', `pathchk', `printenv', `printf', `pwd', `seq', `sleep', `stty', `su', `tee', `test', `true', `tty', `uname', `uptime', `users', `who', `whoami', and `yes'.
• smail is a mail transport system, designed as a compatible drop-in replacement for `sendmail'. It uses a much simpler configuration format than `sendmail' and is designed to be setup with minimal effort.
• GNU SQL is a free, portable multiuser relational database management system.
• stow manages the installation of software packages, keeping them separate while making them appear to be installed in the same place.
• GNU tar includes multi-volume support, the ability to archive sparse files, compression/decompression, remote archives, and special features that allow `tar' to be used for incremental and full backups.
• The Termutils package contains programs for controlling terminals. `tput' is a portable way for shell scripts to use special terminal capabilities. `tabs' is a program to set hardware terminal tab settings.
• texinfo is a set of utilities which generate printed manuals, plain ASCII text, and online hypertext documentation (called `Info'), and can read online Info documents.
• time reports (usually from a shell) the user, system, and real time used by a process. On some systems it also reports memory usage, page faults, etc.
• wdiff is a front-end to GNU `diff'. It compares two files, finding the words deleted or added to the first to make the second.
• wget non-interactively retrieves files from the WWW using HTTP and FTP. It is suitable for use in shell scripts.
• XaoS is a real-time fractal zoomer.
• xinfo is an X-windows program for reading Info files. 
• Xlogmaster is an X11 program that does comfortable and fast monitoring of all logfiles and every device that allows its status being read by cat (like the /proc devices).

Descriptions of Other GPL-Covered Free Software

• Mats Weber's Ada Components for math, data structures, Ada programming tools and OS Interface.
• Aegis is a transaction-based software configuration management system.
• Alliance is a complete set of CAD tools for the specification, design and validation of digital VLSI circuits.
• AoMasq is a software package consisting of a client and a server. The server-software runs in a U*NIX environment, waiting for requests from Windows 98 clients, wich want to have a internet connection served by IP Masquerading.
• Catdoc is a program which reads Microsoft word files and outputs ASCII text of the contents of the file.
• Compare is a program that compares two pieces of text for similarities.
• Cook automatically determines which pieces of a large program need to be recompiled, and issues commands to recompile them.
• Cyber Radio 1 is a client/server application used for live Internet audio broadcasts.
• DGPS allows you to get GPS correction signals over IP.
• Dumb is a free engine for running Doom worlds, not yet complete.
• The E Equational Theorem Prover is an automated theorem prover for clausal logic, based on superposition and rewriting.
• Eli is a compiler construction kit.
• Esh is a Unix shell with a syntax similar to Lisp/Scheme.
• fastDNAml is a program for estimating maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees from nucleotide sequences.
• fftw is a C subroutine library for computing the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) in one or more dimensions.
• gleem is a small, self-contained C++ library of 3D widgets that support direct user interaction with a 3D scene.
• gpc is the GNU Pascal compiler; fpc is another GPL'd Pascal compiler.
• Jabber is developing a free alternative to AIM and ICQ.
• TOCHNOG is a mathematical modeling program for heat diffusion, deformation, friction, and ground water flow.
• Mercury is a modern logic/functional programming language. The Mercury implementation includes a compiler, a debugger, a profiler, and numerous library packages and other tools.
• Mesa is a free implementation of OpenGL.
• Minivend is a free full-featured web based electronic catalog/ordering system.
• MHonArc is a Perl program for converting e-mail messages as specified in RFC 822 and MIME to HTML.
• Ulm's Modula-2 system provides a compiler for Modula-2.
• omniORB is a GPLed CORBA orb.
• The Pizza Delivery System is a GTK+ Application for automating the order processing of both delivery and take away orders for your average Pizza Bar, Cafe, Bistro, etc.
• Oberon V4 is an attempt to create an Oberon V4 for systems running GNU/Linux.
• OpenBIOS is working on a free bios.
• PIKT is a program for administering heterogeneous networked workstations.
• Playmidi is a MIDI player for FM, GUS and external MIDI devices.
• PRCS is the Project Revision Control System.
• Rosegarden is an integrated MIDI sequencer and musical notation editor.
• Rsync is a file transfer program for Unix systems which provides a fast method for bringing remote files into sync.
• The RTSP Reference Kit could evolve into a useful audio-playing program.
• Samba is a file-sharing implementation under the GPL.
• SANE is an application programming interface (API) that provides standardized access to any raster image scanner hardware.
• SmallEiffel is intended to be a complete Eiffel compiler.
• Tvset is a program for GNU/Linux that uses the video4linux API to display TV images in X.
• UltraSonix is a "screen reader" which supports both braille and speech output under the X Window System.
• VNC is a remote display system which allows you to view and interact with a remote 'desktop' using a very low-level graphics protocol which is platform-independent.
• VRweb is a browser for 3D worlds and scenes modeled in VRML.
• ytalk is a multi-user talk program, compatible with the older talk clients and daemons.