There are several specific points where better cooperation between
GNOME and the overall GNU Project is important.
* Mentioning the connection with GNU prominently in GNOME publicity.
(More awareness of the GNU Project helps us recruit and influence
people, which is a major part of how we get things done.)
* Giving the GNU Project credit for developing the popular variant of
the GNU system, GNU/Linux. (This will help us recruit support among
the tens of millions who use and appreciate our system, but think it
was done by someone else.)
* Whether to recommend non-free software. To do so publicly rejects
the fundamental important principle of the GNU Project.
* Technical standards. Coherence is vital for making an operating
system easy to learn, use, and maintain, so we have had GNU Coding
Standards since the 1980s. GNOME has a history of going contrary to
GNU standards--without even discussing the issue first.