Debian-Project - Debian 2.1 - Features
Note that if you use this in any ad you have to scan for BSD-like
copyrights and make a legend of legally required
acknowledgements. Obviously any of the traditional BSD network
clients and services fall in this category.
- The Debian Project has developed strict
guidelines for free software. All packages in the main
distribution have to be conform to Debian's standard definition of
free software, the DFSG (Debian Free Software Guidelines).
The benefit of Debian's strict interpretation of free
software both increases awareness of the high quality of free
software, and makes life easier on those who seek to
redistribute or modify the software. Everything in the main
component of the Debian GNU/Linux distribution is DFSG-free
and neither individuals nor companies have to worry about
licenses on that software curtailing their freedoms.
- Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 consists of 100% free software. The
Debian Project accepts that non-free software exists. They
believe that is desirable to users of Debian GNU/Linux and an
infrastructure is provided for supporting software that is
either itself non-free, or depends on non-free software to
operate. Such software is included in the special components
contrib and non-free.
- Debian contributes back to the free software community. When
the maintainer of a package makes local modifications
or fixes bugs, patches are forwarded to upstream author(s).
- Debian doesn't hide bugs. The bug tracking system is
open to everyone. All users are encouraged to report any bug
they encounter.
- The complete distribution of Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 contains
over 2,200 pre-compiled binary packages and about 1,500
source packages.
- The Debian Project nowadays consists of about 400 people from all
over the world. This is the largest staff of any Linux and
free software project. Debian GNU/Linux is a volunteers'
effort to create a free and high-quality distribution
of Linux. Debian's developers are not paid by the Project,
but they are free (as is anyone else) to make money from
Debian on the open market, by selling Debian software and/or
supporting Debian systems.
- Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 will be released for the intel
architecture (i386 and its successors), for the Motorola
68000 processor series (m68k) and for the alpha archtecture at the same time.
Ports to the PowerPC, Sparc, UltraSparc, and Netwinder
architectures, and to the GNU Hurd kernel are in progress.
- Debian uses the well-designed and time-tested package format
.deb together with its robust and feature-rich package manager dpkg.
Extracting data from a .deb file does not require any unusual
utility. Everyone can get the data in a .deb file by using
standard *nix utilities like ar, tar and gunzip.
- Debian GNU/Linux features strong and well-tested dependency
relationships between packages as well as recognition of
conflict situations. This makes it impossible to disable
your system by installing the wrong combination of packages
or leaving the system unusable because essential components
are missing.
- Debian packages ship pre-configured. Once you have installed
a package it works. There is no need to wade through some
hidden documentation or look for configuration files in
strange places.
- Full source of all packages in the main and contrib components of
the distribution is included.
- Debian GNU/Linux is fully FSSTND
compatible.
- All configuration is stored in
/etc and its
subdirectories. This is not only FSSTND-compliant but also
presents you with an easy means of backing up all your
system-specific configuration files.
- Parts of the new package maintainance tool 'apt' are already
included in form of the standalone program
apt-get as well as a new method for the
dselect program.
- Debian GNU/Linux can be updated without taking the machine
down. Just do it online -- even from a remote host, and
without ever leaving multi-user mode.
- Gnome is included.
- Fast and free support through both the world-wide debian-user
and regional mailing lists (like debian-user-de for Germany)
as well as real-time support on IRC (irc.debian.org) on the
channel #Debian, also linked to the major IRC networks EFnet,
IRCnet and Undernet.
- Support for all known package formats like .rpm, .slp and
.tgz through unique software developed by Debian called
alien. This makes Debian compatible with other
distributions such as RedHat, Slackware, SuSE, Stampede etc.
- A consistent approach to the keyboard (for instance, the
backspace key does the same thing in an xterm as it does in
the Linux virtual console).
- Convenient upgradeability through open development of upcoming
releases. You want to keep your system current? Just update
through the net once a week, no problem. This process is made
particularly easy with the aforementioned "apt-get" tool.
- To install Debian one can use several different media types
such as CD-ROM, an MS-DOS or Windows hard disk partition,
FTP, NFS, or a pre-mounted hard disk.
- The OfficialCD's are bootable and provide floppy-less
installations with different kernels addressing different
hardware configurations. [hopefully]
- Strong support for different packages that provide the same
functionality (such as: smail, sendmail, and exim or elvis, nvi,
vim, and ae). Alternative packages are managed through
/etc/alternatives/.
- Transparent support for two boot techniques: standard SysV
and the new technique through
/etc/runlevel.conf
instead of /etc/rc?.d/ as implemented by the
file-rc package by using update-rc.d.
- Automatic update mechanism for installation of info files.
The main database gets updated automatically when installing
or removing such files.
- The installation guide for Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 partially has been
rewritten.
- dwww makes all installed documentation visible to the user.
This includes manpages, info files, html documentation and
plain text documentation.
- Most of the packages are tested with
lintian a package
checker.