In addition to the general FAQ there are the following typical newbie questions. (There is an updated version which is not official yet.)

If you still have problems, do not hesitate to make use of the mailing lists or the IRC.

• You say GNU, don't you mean GNU/Hurd?

  • Yes and no. GNU refers to the system as a whole, while GNU/Hurd is more specific, saying that it is the GNU system running on the Hurd -- to differentiate it from the GNU system running on Linux, GNU/Linux. Also see ?GnuNames

• What editor can I use?

  • nano is the default editor on a fresh install, not ae, but a lot of editors are available.

• Why can't I get the answers I need from Hurd hackers?

  • This document may help you understand some developers attitudes and social norms.

• Where are the virtual consoles I use when running Linux?

  • You need to use screen instead, also available when running GNU/Linux.
  • The new console by Marcus Brinkmann could also be used. It supports the Alt-Fn keys for switching like in Linux. NOTE: that message has an error in the configuration steps, it says /dev/vts when it means /dev/vcs. A more up-to-date howto is console.

• What is a translator?

  • The official FAQ answers this question by a reference to hurd-doc-translator.

• Where's the sauce?

  • It's on Savannah. See also the GNU Development Resources, for more information.

• What is this "libio" stuff?

  • There was an ABI change for glibc0.3. It's recommended you reinstall your GNU/Hurd system if you run a system installed before the summer of 2002. This is a similar cause for the various Linux distributions who changed from libc5 to libc6 or glibc2 around 1998.

• What is GNU Mach vs. oskit-mach?

  • These are different versions of the Mach microkernel that supports the Hurd that runs on top of it. For more info, see ?Mach

• What software is available for GNU?

  • Most (2/3) packages from Debian GNU/Linux which aren't linux-specific (Packages That Won't Be Ported) are expected to work on GNU/Hurd too. See the database in http://packages.debian.org/. Notably, GNOME, and KDE work. See the guidelines document for some common build problems and their solutions.
  • If you can't fetch a package with "apt-get install ", try building it from source: "apt-get source && cd <package_dir> && debian/rules binary".
  • As of April 2010, 65% of Debian packages have been ported on the Hurd. Of course, bug testing is welcome.

• How do I initialize a serial console on the Hurd?

  • You can try out the Serial Howto at http://www.nongnu.org/thug/serial-howto.txt
  • For a real serial console at boot time you need to rebuild your GNUmach 1.x kernel. For more info see the Utah release notes at http://www.cs.utah.edu/flux/mach4-i386/html/mach4-UK22.html#serial_console

• Will GNU work in Vmware?

  • It's highly recommended and easier to get a full image for qemu. See ?Distrib
  • It didn't use to, Hurd bootstrap fails. Vmware is not free software and it is ?VmWare. We recommend to use free alternatives, like ?BochsEmulator.
  • A faster, more widespread and free recent alternative is [QEMU]QEMU. You can find more informations on QEMU.
  • If someone prefers using VMWare:
  • It works with VMWare Workstation 4.0.5 build-6030.
  • Running Debian GNU/HURD in VMWare works for me -- ?MichaelAblassmeier - 03 Mar 2004