GNU Hurd (usually referred to as the Hurd) is a free software Unix-like replacement for the Unix kernel,[1] released under the GNU General Public License. It has been under development since 1990 by the GNU Project of the Free Software Foundation. It consists of a set of protocols and server processes (or daemons, in Unix terminology) that run on top of the GNU Mach microkernel; together they are intended to form the kernel of the GNU operating system.[1] The Hurd aims to surpass Unix operating systems in functionality, security, and stability, while remaining largely compatible with them. The GNU Project chose the server-client architecture for their own operating system, instead of the traditional Unix monolithic kernel architecture, as it has many superior features.[2]
HURD is a mutually recursive acronym, standing for HIRD of Unix-replacing daemons, where HIRD stands for HURD of interfaces representing depth. It is also a play on the words herd of gnus, reflecting how it works.[3]
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