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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>Chapter 1. The Debian Project</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="Common_Content/css/default.css" /><link rel="stylesheet" media="print" href="Common_Content/css/print.css" type="text/css" /><meta name="generator" content="publican 3.2.1" /><meta name="package" content="Debian-debian-handbook-7-en-US-1.0-1" /><meta name="keywords" content="Objective, Means, Operation, Volunteer" /><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The Debian Administrator's Handbook" /><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="The Debian Administrator's Handbook" /><link rel="prev" href="sect.acknowledgments.html" title="5. Acknowledgments" /><link rel="next" href="sect.foundation-documents.html" title="1.2. The Foundation Documents" /></head><body><p id="title"><a class="left" href="http://www.debian.org"><img alt="Product Site" src="Common_Content/images//image_left.png" /></a><a class="right" href="http://debian-handbook.info"><img alt="Documentation Site" src="Common_Content/images//image_right.png" /></a></p><ul class="docnav top"><li class="previous"><a accesskey="p" href="sect.acknowledgments.html"><strong>Prev</strong></a></li><li class="home">The Debian Administrator's Handbook</li><li class="next"><a accesskey="n" href="sect.foundation-documents.html"><strong>Next</strong></a></li></ul><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a xmlns="" id="the-debian-project"></a>Chapter 1. The Debian Project</h1></div></div></div><div class="toc"><dl class="toc"><dt><span class="section"><a href="the-debian-project.html#sect.what-is-debian">1.1. What Is Debian?</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="the-debian-project.html#idm1226970044">1.1.1. A Multi-Platform Operating System</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="the-debian-project.html#idm1234064588">1.1.2. The Quality of Free Software</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="the-debian-project.html#idm1226895228">1.1.3. The Legal Framework: A Non-Profit Organization</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.foundation-documents.html">1.2. The Foundation Documents</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.foundation-documents.html#sect.social-contract">1.2.1. The Commitment towards Users</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.foundation-documents.html#sect.dfsg">1.2.2. The Debian Free Software Guidelines</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.debian-internals.html">1.3. The Inner Workings of the Debian Project</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.debian-internals.html#idm1228193580">1.3.1. The Debian Developers</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.debian-internals.html#idm1231958988">1.3.2. The Active Role of Users</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.debian-internals.html#idm1231926548">1.3.3. Teams and Sub-Projects</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.follow-debian-news.html">1.4. Follow Debian News</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.role-of-distributions.html">1.5. The Role of Distributions</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.role-of-distributions.html#idm1231183956">1.5.1. The Installer: <code class="command">debian-installer</code></a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.role-of-distributions.html#idm1231181340">1.5.2. The Software Library</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.release-lifecycle.html">1.6. Lifecycle of a Release</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.release-lifecycle.html#idm1231171412">1.6.1. The <span class="distribution distribution">Experimental</span> Status</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.release-lifecycle.html#idm1231167692">1.6.2. The <span class="distribution distribution">Unstable</span> Status</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.release-lifecycle.html#idm1231156860">1.6.3. Migration to <span class="distribution distribution">Testing</span></a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="sect.release-lifecycle.html#idm1231142716">1.6.4. The Promotion from <span class="distribution distribution">Testing</span> to <span class="distribution distribution">Stable</span></a></span></dt></dl></dd></dl></div><div class="highlights"><div class="para">
Before diving right into the technology, let us have a look at what the Debian Project is, its objectives, its means, and its operations.
</div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a xmlns="" id="sect.what-is-debian"></a>1.1. What Is Debian?</h2></div></div></div><a id="idm1228130020" class="indexterm"></a><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>CULTURE</em></span> Origin of the Debian name</strong></p></div></div></div><div class="para">
Look no further: Debian is not an acronym. This name is, in reality, a contraction of two first names: that of Ian Murdock, and his girlfriend at the time, Debra. Debra + Ian = Debian.
</div></div><div class="para">
Debian is a GNU/Linux and GNU/kFreeBSD distribution. We will discuss what a distribution is in further detail in <a class="xref" href="sect.role-of-distributions.html">Section 1.5, “The Role of Distributions”</a>, but for now, we will simply state that it is a complete operating system, including software and systems for installation and management, all based on the Linux or FreeBSD kernel and free software (especially those from the GNU project).
</div><div class="para">
When he created Debian, in 1993, under the leadership of the FSF, Ian Murdock had clear objectives, which he expressed in the <span class="emphasis"><em>Debian Manifesto</em></span>. The free operating system that he sought would have to have two principal features. First, quality: Debian would be developed with the greatest care, to be worthy of the Linux kernel. It would also be a non-commercial distribution, sufficiently credible to compete with major commercial distributions. This double ambition would, in his eyes, only be achieved by opening the Debian development process just like that of Linux and the GNU project. Thus, peer review would continuously improve the product.
</div><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>CULTURE</em></span> GNU, the project of the FSF</strong></p></div></div></div><a id="idm1232696836" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1228724196" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
The GNU project is a range of free software developed, or sponsored, by the Free Software Foundation (FSF), originated by its iconic leader, Dr. Richard M. Stallman. GNU is a recursive acronym, standing for “GNU is Not Unix”.
</div></div><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>CULTURE</em></span> Richard Stallman</strong></p></div></div></div><a id="idm1222974804" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1232523276" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
<acronym class="acronym">FSF</acronym>'s founder and author of the GPL license, Richard M. Stallman (often referred to by his initials, RMS) is a charismatic leader of the Free Software movement. Due to his uncompromising positions, he's not unanimously admired, but his non-technical contributions to Free Software (in particular at the legal and philosophical level) are respected by everybody.
</div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a xmlns="" id="idm1226970044"></a>1.1.1. A Multi-Platform Operating System</h3></div></div></div><a id="idm1226969660" class="indexterm"></a><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>COMMUNITY</em></span> Ian Murdock's journey</strong></p></div></div></div><a id="idm1226968652" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1226968172" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1226967708" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
Ian Murdock, founder of the Debian project, was its first leader, from 1993 to 1996. After passing the baton to Bruce Perens, Ian took a less public role. He returned to working behind the scenes of the free software community, creating the Progeny company, with the intention of marketing a distribution derived from Debian. This venture was, sadly, a commercial failure, and development was abandoned. The company, after several years of scraping by, simply as a service provider, eventually filed for bankruptcy in April of 2007. Of the various projects initiated by Progeny, only <span class="emphasis"><em>discover</em></span> still remains. It is an automatic hardware detection tool.
</div></div><div class="para">
Debian, remaining true to its initial principles, has had so much success that, today, it has reached a tremendous size. The 13 architectures offered cover 11 hardware architectures and 2 kernels (Linux and FreeBSD). Furthermore, with more than 17,300 source packages, the available software can meet almost any need that one could have, whether at home or in the enterprise.
</div><div class="para">
The sheer size of the distribution can be inconvenient: it is really unreasonable to distribute 70 CD-ROMs to install a complete version on a standard PC… This is why Debian is increasingly considered as a “meta-distribution”, from which one extracts more specific distributions intended for a particular public: Debian-Desktop for traditional office use, Debian-Edu for education and pedagogical use in an academic environment, Debian-Med for medical applications, Debian-Junior for young children, etc. A more complete list of the subprojects can be found in the section dedicated to that purpose, see <a class="xref" href="sect.debian-internals.html#sect.sub-projects">Section 1.3.3.1, “Existing Debian Sub-Projects”</a>.
</div><div class="para">
These partial views of Debian are organized in a well-defined framework, thus guaranteeing hassle-free compatibility between the various “sub-distributions”. All of them follow the general planning for release of new versions. And since they build on the same foundations, they can be easily extended, completed, and personalized with applications available in the Debian repositories.
</div><a id="idm1226401380" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
All the Debian tools operate in this direction: <code class="command">debian-cd</code> has for a long time now allowed the creation of a set of CD-ROMs containing only a pre-selected set of packages; <code class="command">debian-installer</code> is also a modular installer, easily adapted to special needs. <code class="command">APT</code> will install packages from various origins, while guaranteeing the overall consistency of the system.
</div><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>TOOL</em></span> Creating a Debian CD-ROM</strong></p></div></div></div><a id="idm1226399108" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
<code class="command">debian-cd</code> creates ISO images of installation media (CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.) ready for use. Any matter regarding this software is discussed (in English) on the <code class="email"><a class="email" href="mailto:debian-cd@lists.debian.org">debian-cd@lists.debian.org</a></code> mailing list.
</div></div><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>BACK TO BASICS</em></span> To each computer, its architecture</strong></p></div></div></div><div class="para">
The term “architecture” indicates a type of computer (the most known include Mac or PC). Each architecture is differentiated primarily according to its processor, usually incompatible with other processors. These differences in hardware involve varying means of operation, thus requiring that software be compiled specifically for each architecture.
</div><a id="idm1234071364" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1234070900" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
Most software available in Debian is written in portable programming languages: the same source code can be compiled for various architectures. In effect, an executable binary, always compiled for a specific architecture, will not usually function on the other architectures.
</div><div class="para">
Recall that each program is created by writing source code; this source code is a text file composed of instructions in a given programming language. Before you can use the software, it is necessary to compile the source code, which means transforming the code into a binary (a series of machine instructions executable by the processor). Each programming language has a specific compiler to execute this operation (for example, <code class="command">gcc</code> for the C programming language).
</div><a id="idm1234069012" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1234068292" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1234067812" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1234067332" class="indexterm"></a></div><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>TOOL</em></span> Installer</strong></p></div></div></div><a id="idm1234066212" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
<code class="command">debian-installer</code> is the name of the Debian installation program. Its modular design allows it to be used in a broad range of installation scenarios. The development work is coordinated on the <code class="email"><a class="email" href="mailto:debian-boot@lists.debian.org">debian-boot@lists.debian.org</a></code> mailing list under the direction of Joey Hess and Cyril Brulebois.
</div></div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a xmlns="" id="idm1234064588"></a>1.1.2. The Quality of Free Software</h3></div></div></div><div class="para">
Debian follows all of the principles of Free Software, and its new versions are not released until they are ready. Developers are not forced by some set schedule to rush to meet an arbitrary deadline. People frequently complain of the long time between Debian's stable releases, but this caution also ensures Debian's legendary reliability: long months of testing are indeed necessary for the full distribution to receive the “stable” label.
</div><div class="para">
Debian will not compromise on quality: all known critical bugs are resolved in any new version, even if this requires the initially forecast release date to be pushed back.
</div></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a xmlns="" id="idm1226895228"></a>1.1.3. The Legal Framework: A Non-Profit Organization</h3></div></div></div><div class="para">
Legally speaking, Debian is a project managed by an American not-for-profit, volunteer association. The project has around a thousand <span class="emphasis"><em>Debian developers</em></span>, but brings together a far greater number of contributors (translators, bug reporters, artists, casual developers, etc.).
</div><div class="para">
To carry its mission to fruition, Debian has a large infrastructure, with many servers connected across the Internet, offered by many sponsors.
</div><div class="sidebar"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><p class="title"><strong><span class="emphasis"><em>COMMUNITY</em></span> Behind Debian, the SPI association, and local branches</strong></p></div></div></div><a id="idm1226893140" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1226892660" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1226892180" class="indexterm"></a><a id="idm1226891716" class="indexterm"></a><div class="para">
Debian doesn't own any server in its own name, since it is only a project within the <span class="emphasis"><em>Software in the Public Interest</em></span> association, and SPI manages the hardware and financial aspects (donations, purchase of hardware, etc.). While initially created specifically for the Debian project, this association now hosts other free software projects, especially the PostgreSQL database, Freedesktop.org (project for standardization of various parts of modern graphical desktop environments, such as GNOME and KDE), and the Libre Office office suite. <div xmlns="" class="url">→ <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="http://www.spi-inc.org/">http://www.spi-inc.org/</a></div>
</div><div class="para">
In addition to SPI, various local associations collaborate closely with Debian in order to generate funds for Debian, without centralizing everything in the U.S.A: they are known as “Trusted Organizations” in the Debian jargon. This setup avoids prohibitive international transfer costs, and fits well with the decentralized nature of the project.
</div><div class="para">
While the list of trusted organizations is rather short, there are many more Debian-related associations whose goal is to promote Debian: <span class="emphasis"><em>Debian France</em></span>, <span class="emphasis"><em>Debian-UK</em></span>, <span class="emphasis"><em>Debian-ES</em></span>, <span class="emphasis"><em>debian.ch</em></span>, and others around the world. Do not hesitate to join your local association and support the project! <div xmlns="" class="url">→ <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="http://wiki.debian.org/Teams/Auditor/Organizations">http://wiki.debian.org/Teams/Auditor/Organizations</a></div> <div xmlns="" class="url">→ <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="http://france.debian.net/">http://france.debian.net/</a></div> <div xmlns="" class="url">→ <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="http://wiki.earth.li/DebianUKSociety">http://wiki.earth.li/DebianUKSociety</a></div> <div xmlns="" class="url">→ <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="http://www.debian-es.org/">http://www.debian-es.org/</a></div> <div xmlns="" class="url">→ <a xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" href="http://debian.ch/">http://debian.ch/</a></div>
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