GNU Hurd Is "Almost There" With x86_64, SMP & ~75% Of Debian Packages Building
Samuel Thibault offered up a status update on the current state of GNU/Hurd from a presentation in Brussels at FOSDEM 2026. Thibault has previously shared updates on GNU Hurd from the annual FOSDEM event while this year's was a bit more optimistic thanks to recent driver progress and more software now successfully building for Hurd.
GNU/Hurd continues to lag behind the Linux kernel and other modern platforms for hardware driver support. But driver support for Hurd has been improving thanks to NetBSD's rump layer.
Hurd for years has also lacked SMP support for modern multi-core systems but that too has been improving in recent times. Similarly, Hurd for the longest time was predominantly x86 32-bit only but the x86_64 port is now essentially complete and there is even eyes toward AArch64 support.
Debian GNU/Hurd has been an unofficial Debian distribution and alternative to using the Linux kernel while Guix/Hurd and Alpine/Hurd distributions have also come about too for more Hurd exposure and testing.
Samuel shared that around 75% of the Debian archive is currently building for the GNU/Hurd distribution including desktop environments and more.
The FOSDEM 2026 presentation on GNU/Hurd concluded with a proclamation that "GNU/Hurd is almost there" with the Debian/Guix/Arch/Alpine distributions but that the developers can always use extra help with community contributions.
Those curious about GNU/Hurd in 2026 can find the presentation by Samuel Thibault at FOSDEM.org.
GNU/Hurd continues to lag behind the Linux kernel and other modern platforms for hardware driver support. But driver support for Hurd has been improving thanks to NetBSD's rump layer.
Hurd for years has also lacked SMP support for modern multi-core systems but that too has been improving in recent times. Similarly, Hurd for the longest time was predominantly x86 32-bit only but the x86_64 port is now essentially complete and there is even eyes toward AArch64 support.
Debian GNU/Hurd has been an unofficial Debian distribution and alternative to using the Linux kernel while Guix/Hurd and Alpine/Hurd distributions have also come about too for more Hurd exposure and testing.
Samuel shared that around 75% of the Debian archive is currently building for the GNU/Hurd distribution including desktop environments and more.
👁 GNU/Hurd 2026 status in 2026
The FOSDEM 2026 presentation on GNU/Hurd concluded with a proclamation that "GNU/Hurd is almost there" with the Debian/Guix/Arch/Alpine distributions but that the developers can always use extra help with community contributions.
Those curious about GNU/Hurd in 2026 can find the presentation by Samuel Thibault at FOSDEM.org.