This is the e-mail which Richard Stallman (a.k.a. rms) sent in 1987, to announce the public availability of first release of GCC.
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 87 10:56:56 EST
From: rms (Richard M. Stallman)
The GNU C compiler is now available for ftp from the file
/u2/emacs/gcc.tar on prep.ai.mit.edu. This includes machine
descriptions for vax and sun, 60 pages of documentation on writing
machine descriptions (internals.texinfo, internals.dvi and Info
file internals).
This also contains the ANSI standard (Nov 86) C preprocessor and 30
pages of reference manual for it.
This compiler compiles itself correctly on the 68020 and did so
recently on the vax. It recently compiled Emacs correctly on the
68020, and has also compiled tex-in-C and Kyoto Common Lisp.
However, it probably still has numerous bugs that I hope you will
find for me.
I will be away for a month, so bugs reported now will not be
handled until then.
If you can't ftp, you can order a compiler beta-test tape from the
Free Software Foundation for $150 (plus 5% sales tax in
Massachusetts, or plus $15 overseas if you want air mail).
Free Software Foundation
1000 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138