The GNU Operating System
The GNU Operating System, commonly referred to as simply "The GNU System", is a
complete Unix-like operating system composed entirely of free
software. The creation of the GNU
System is one of the goals of the GNU Project, which was
launched in 1983 by
Richard Stallman. The GNU/Hurd intends to
increase security through the principle of least
privilege, provide an
extensible system, conform to open operating standards
including POSIX, contain a modular code-base, and
respect user freedom.
Many of these goals are things that the GNU/Hurd can
resolve, however the GNU/Hurd is not yet the most stable operating system.
If you are looking for a production ready GNU system, then Debian GNU/Hurd may not be the best choice for you. Debian GNU/Hurd currently lacks many device drivers, sound support, and a few other essential bits that provide a flexible operating system. It also has some tricky problems to solve.
However, gnu.org maintains a list of freedom respecting and production ready GNU/Linux systems. One of the most promising of these is Guix System, which is the GNU Guix System Distribution, which eventually plans to support the GNU Hurd as the kernel! You can even use a childhurd on Guix System!