Interest at first. Then joy. Then hobby... Finally, a life
full of joy and excitement.
      — Markus Gattol

Debian Releases in chronological order

Do not ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for
your country.
      — John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

our version goes like this

Do not ask what Debian can do for you. Ask what you can do for Debian.
      — The Community

This is the main page related to DebianGNU/* (a free OS (Operating System)) at my website. This page will nonetheless point to some topics about Debian that I felt should have a dedicated page:

• For short notes and the cheat sheet about Debian click here...
• IT (Information Technology) related security — all centered around DebianGNU/*. Jump now...
• My contributions/involvements to/with DebianGNU/* got a dedicated page as well.
• Information about software packages with regards to Debian can be found here.

  

Debian is... I use it for... Why I like it so much...

So what is DebianGNU/Linux anyway? Debian is free software also known as FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software). Debian is an operating system. Its primary form, Debian GNU/Linux, is a popular and influential Linux distribution. Debian is known for its adherence to the Unix and free software philosophies, and for its abundance of options. The current release includes over eighteen thousand software packages for eleven computer architectures, ranging from the ARM architecture commonly found in embedded systems and the IBM eServer zSeries mainframe architecture to the more common Intel x86 architecture found in modern personal computers. Debian GNU/Linux is the basis for several other distributions, including Knoppix, Linspire, MEPIS, Xandros, and the Ubuntu family. Debian is also known for its package management system (especially APT (Advanced Packaging Tool)), for its strict policies regarding its packages and the quality of its releases. These practices afford easy upgrades between releases and easy automated installation and removal of packages.

I am pretty much second to that too :-)

Debian uses an open development and testing process. It is developed by volunteers from around the world and supported by donations through Software in the Public Interest, Inc., a non-profit umbrella organization for free software projects.

There are umpteen GNU/Linux distributions and then some more. Many claim their roots in Debian and others in Red Hat. Still others swear that they are unique and were created from grounds up.

The first map below is a map of almost all GNU/Linux distributions (at least the mainstream ones) and the current (August 2007) situation — though there is a good chance some are missing and the map might lack some information. However, the first map below shows the relations between different GNU/Linux distributions and should provide folks with a notion of where in the GNU/Linux family DebianGNU/Linux resides. The second map shows the timeline for current major distributions and thus how distributions evolved to the current stage (first map). For detailed information please read up at Wikipedia.

I have another one, showing a timeline for Linux distributions

Unfortunately, none of the above is 100% complete e.g. all lack Endian, a Linux distribution with focus towards UTM (Unified Threat Management).

Documentation, Manuals, Howtos

1,2,3.... jump

Refcards

can be found here.

Debian Reference

can be found here.

Debian Anwenderhandbuch

Excellent for Debian beginners (German)... jump...

Packages

This subject deserves a dedicated page.

Communication

This is how to get in touch with folks who are into Debian.

Debian related News

There are a few sites providing a steadily up-to-date Debian related news stream (I always go for the RSS feeds):

• http://times.debian.net/
• http://www.debian-administration.org/

Mailing Lists

Go here or if you like it fast then go with Gnus and Gmane. I heavily use mailing lists simply because it provides me with the best ratio of time_invested/information_IO. This is especially true since I read mailing lists with Gnus via Gmane.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Channels

Go here. Second to mailing lists, I use IRC channels since they are pretty helpful for real-time communication.

Wiki

can be found here. I used them a lot in the beginning i.e. early and mid 90's. Now I mostly use mailing lists.

Pastes

can be uploaded here. The GNU Emacs fans might on the other hand check out pastie.el.

Miscellaneous

Well, the headline says it all ;-]

Development

All the information regarding development and contributing to Debian is on a dedicated page.

Debian Multimedia

• http://debian-multimedia.org/

Debian Popularity Contest

You know the trick by now... :-)

Acquiring Debian

Debian is FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software). That also means that the software is for free (free like free beer). However, you may have to pay for the storage media e.g. the CD or DVD. This is very different from acquiring Microsoft Windows for example — you would have to pay for the storage media and the software where costs are usually split like that 1% or less for the storage media and 99% or so for the software.

In short, Debian on CD might cost you as little as half a euro or nothing at all whereas Windows Vista for example might easily set you back a few hundred euros... wow! That is a factor of 1:100 or even more in favor of Debian... As you see, Debian makes sense not just because it is FLOSS but also because it is better in terms of economics. There is also outstanding support available for Debian — just use your search engine e.g. Google and you will find what you need.

On USB Stick via Network Install

Go here please.

on CD / DVD

Get them here and read the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) here.

From MS Windows to Debian

This can be done here.

Hardened Debian

There are projects engaging into hardening the Debian OS (Operating System) or parts of it in order to provide a security focused OS.

Hardened Debian

is one. Go here for more information.

Adamantix

is another one. Update (February 2008): Well, actually, as it seems, Adamantix is dead.

Hints

This subsection provides hints that may actually make ones life easier respectively open new horizons and experiences with regards to Debian.

#1

We can report a bug in a package with the reportbug command, which is available in the reportbug package, or by using the graphical frontend reportbug-ng. For those using GNU Emacs there is also debian-el which I use a lot.

#2

We can use dpkg-reconfigure <package> to change the answers we gave to the questions asked when we first installed a package. The configure-debian package provides a unified front end for doing this, as well.

#3

We can use apt-cache search <words> to search for words in the descriptions of all available packages. The same with aptitude would be apitude search ~d<words>.

#4

We can see the available and installed versions for one or more available packages with the command apt-cache policy <packages>.

#5

If we might need to build a custom kernel, we could use the make-kpkg script found in package kernel-package.

#6

WRITEME

#7

We can use the cron-apt package to do automatic nightly downloads of updates for packages installed on our system. This process does not install the downloaded packages!

#8

Those having problems with Debian which they can not solve by reading the manuals and documentation can ask on the Debian Users mailing list ([email protected]).

#9

If we need to know what version of Debian we are currently running, then please go here. If we want to know the codename for that version (for example, 3.0 is codenamed Woody), check here.

#10

There are Debian mailing lists for everything from user questions to debates over what to put into the Debian Policy documents. Check out the list at http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/ and subscribe to those that interest you.

#11

Stay informed, read the Debian Times (http://times.debian.net/).

#12

The grep-dctrl package provides a number of useful scripts for quickly searching various package control files (such as the available packages file).

The grep-dctrl program can answer such questions as

• What is the Debian package foo?
• Which version of the Debian package bar is now current?
• Which Debian packages does John Doe maintain?
• Which Debian packages are somehow related to the Scheme programming language?
• and with some help, Who maintains the essential packages of a Debian system?, given a useful input file.

#13

If we do not like the default options used in a Debian package, we can download the source and build a version which uses the options we prefer. See here (sections 6.13 and 6.14) for more information.

However, we need to bear in mind that most options in most packages can be configured at run time (see above), and do not require recompiling the package.

#14

If we would like to follow things happening to a package (for example, if we want to see bug reports, release notices, and other similar things), we can consider subscribing to it on the Package Tracking System. Here is more information about how to do so.

#15

The documentation for a package can normally be found under /usr/share/doc/<package>. In particular, the README.Debian file often has useful information about Debian-specific quirks or tips.

#16

If we are searching for a particular file, but do not know which package it belongs to apt-file is always here to help us. It maintains a small database of this information that can be searched (we need to run apt-file update at first)

sa@sub:~$ apt-file search libstdc++.la
gcc-snapshot: /usr/lib/gcc-snapshot/lib/debug/libstdc++.la
gcc-snapshot: /usr/lib/gcc-snapshot/lib/libstdc++.la
gcc-snapshot: /usr/lib/gcc-snapshot/lib32/debug/libstdc++.la
gcc-snapshot: /usr/lib/gcc-snapshot/lib32/libstdc++.la
llvm-gcc-4.2: /usr/lib/llvm/gcc-4.2/lib64/libstdc++.la
mingw32: /usr/lib/gcc/i586-mingw32msvc/4.2.1-sjlj/libstdc++.la
sa@sub:~$

#17

Need someone to talk to about Debian? Those comfortable with IRC (Internet Relay Chat) just install an IRC client, and join #debian on irc.debian.org.

#18

Quality control information about a package can be found by going to http://packages.qa.debian.org/<package>. This page provides links to the Maintainer's QA page, the BTS (Bug Tracking System), news items for the package, and information on which versions are available in which archives.

#19

If we are interested in building packages from source, we should consider installing the apt-src package.

#20

Want to keep track of what version of a package we have installed (especially useful for those running hybrid stable / testing / unstable systems)? Check out apt-show-versions.

#21

If a Debian box is behind a slow network connection, but there is access to a fast one as well, one might look into apt-zip.

#22

Wondering which Debian mirror is best for in terms of speed? apt-spy is the package to look at.

#23

If our system is using too much diskspace, we can try the deborphan package. It can offer suggestions about which packages may be unused and removable. And, of course, we should not forget to clean out the APT cache area (using apt-get clean, aptitude clean, or aptitude's Action -> Clean package cache menu item).

#24

If we would like to thank a maintainer for handling an issue, reportbug --kudos is the way to go.

#25

The debian-reference package contains a wide variety of reference documents for Debian users and developers. Most of the information can also be found here.

#26

If a package does not seem to have much documentation, we should check for a package named <package>-doc and make sure to install it as well — packages with large amounts of documentation regularly split the docs in this manner for those who do not want to install them.

#27

A sane person does make backups in one way or the other.

#28

If our machine is not on all of the time (such as my subnotebook), we might check out the anacron package — it will make sure that regular tasks still happen, even if the machine is not on at the time they would normally trigger.

#29:

Keep your system clock accurate, install the chrony.

#30

Documentation can be made available at http://localhost/ by installing the doc-base and doc-central packages.

#31

Disabling a normally-active service in a specific runlevel should be done by changing the S link in /etc/rc<level>.d to a K link, rather than removing the link entirely — if all links are removed, the system will assume on the next install that they need to be replaced.

#34

The package doc-debian contains some general documentation about the Debian project. It is also available in spanish (doc-debian-es), french (doc-debian-fr) and ukrainian (doc-debian-uk).

#35

The package devscripts contains some useful scripts for users who want to help to improve Debian, e.g. wnpp-alert, rc-alert and bts.

#36

If we want to track Debian sid (still in development) and have a small download quota or a really slow connection, check out the debdelta package..... Update: Well, overhauled now that APT distributes deltas/diff per default.

#37

WRITEME

#38

What if we need a newer package than the one shipped with Debian's current stable release? In case we have the stable release but do not want to upgrade to testing or unstable we can go with a few other choices. Three of them are

1. Some packages are kept up to date on volatile.debian.org, some others are made available at
2. backports.org and if we are not afraid of to much new software because of package dependencies,
3. apt-pinning might be the road to go down. See man 5 apt_preferences.

#39

What if we want to download a package without installing it? One way to accomplish this is aptitude download <pkgname>.