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<chapt id="basic_defs">Definitions and overview

<sect id="whatisfaq">What is this FAQ?

<p>This document gives frequently asked questions (with their answers!) about
the Debian distribution (&debian; and others) and about the
Debian project.  If applicable, pointers to other documentation will be
given: we won't quote large parts of external documentation in this document.
You'll find out that some answers assume some knowledge of Unix-like operating
systems.  We'll try to assume as little prior knowledge as possible: answers to
general beginners questions will be kept simple.

<p>If you can't find what you're looking for in this FAQ, be sure to check out
<ref id="debiandocs">.  If even that doesn't help, refer to <ref
id="feedback">.

<sect id="whatisdebian">What is &debian;? 

<p>&debian; is a particular <em>distribution</em> of the Linux
operating system, and numerous packages that run on it.

<p>&debian; is:
<list>
<item><strong>full featured</strong>:  Debian includes more than &all-pkgs;
software packages at present.  Users can select which packages to install;
Debian provides a tool for this purpose.  You can find a list and
descriptions of the packages currently available in Debian at any of the
Debian <url id="http://www.debian.org/distrib/ftplist" name="mirror sites">.

<item><strong>free to use and redistribute</strong>:  There is no consortium
membership or payment required to participate in its distribution and
development. All packages that are formally part of &debian; are
free to redistribute, usually under terms specified by the GNU General
Public License.

<p>The Debian FTP archives also carry approximately &contrib-nonfree-pkgs;
software packages (in the <tt>non-free</tt> and <tt>contrib</tt> sections),
which are distributable under specific terms included with each package.

<item><strong>dynamic</strong>:  With about &developers; volunteers
constantly contributing new and improved code, Debian is evolving rapidly.
The FTP archives are updated twice every day.
</list>

<p>Most Linux users run a specific <em>distribution</em> of Linux, like
&debian;.  However, in principle, users could obtain the Linux kernel via
the Internet or from
elsewhere, and compile it themselves.  They could then obtain source code
for many applications in the same way, compile the programs, then install
them into their systems.  For complicated programs, this process can be not
only time-consuming but error-prone.  To avoid it, users often choose to
obtain the operating system and the application packages from one of the
Linux distributors.  What distinguishes the various Linux distributors are
the software, protocols, and practices they use for packaging, installing,
and tracking applications packages on users' systems, combined with
installation and maintenance tools, documentation, and other services.

<p>&debian; is the result of a volunteer effort to create a
free, high-quality Unix-compatible operating system, complete with
a suite of applications.  The idea of a free Unix-like system
originates from the GNU project, and many of the applications that make
&debian; so useful were developed by the GNU project.

<p>For Debian, free has the GNUish meaning (see the <url name="Debian Free
Software Guidelines" id="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">).
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not
price. Free software means that you have the freedom to distribute copies
of free software, that you receive source code or can get it
if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it
in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.

<p>The Debian Project was created by Ian Murdock in 1993, initially under
the sponsorship of the Free Software Foundation's GNU project. Today,
Debian's developers think of it as a direct descendent of the GNU project.

<p>Although &debian; itself is free software, it is a base upon which
value-added Linux distributions can be built. By providing a reliable,
full-featured base system, Debian provides Linux users with increased
compatibility, and allows Linux distribution creators to eliminate
duplication of effort and focus on the things that make their distribution
special. See <ref id="childistro"> for more information.

<sect id="linux">OK, now I know what Debian is... what is Linux?!

<p>In short, Linux is the kernel of a Unix-like operating system.  It was
originally designed for 386 (and better) PCs; today Linux also runs on a
dozen of other systems.  Linux is written
by Linus Torvalds and many computer scientists around the world.

<p>Besides its kernel, a "Linux" system usually has:
<list>
  <item>a file system that follows the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
  <url id="http://www.pathname.com/fhs/">.
  <item>a wide range of Unix utilities, many of which have been
  developed by the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.
</list>

<p>The combination of the Linux kernel, the file system, the GNU and FSF
utilities, and the other utilities are designed to achieve compliance with
the POSIX (IEEE 1003.1) standard; see <ref id="otherunices">.

<p>For more information about Linux, see <url id="http://www.linux.org/info/"
name="What is Linux"> by <url id="http://www.linux.org/" name="Linux Online">.

<sect id="non-linux">Does Debian just do GNU/Linux?

<p>Currently, Debian is only available for Linux, but with Debian GNU/Hurd and
Debian on BSD kernels, we have started to offer non-Linux-based OSes as a
development, server and desktop platform, too. However, these non-linux ports
are not officially released yet.

<p>The oldest porting effort is Debian GNU/Hurd.

<p>The Hurd is a set of servers running on top of the GNU Mach microkernel.
Together they build the base for the GNU operating system.

<p>Please see <url id="http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/"> for more
information about the GNU/Hurd in general, and <url id="http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/">
for more information about Debian GNU/Hurd.

<p>A second effort is the port to a BSD kernel.  People are working with
the FreeBSD kernel.

<p>See <url id="http://www.debian.org/ports/#nonlinux"> for more information
about these non-linux ports.

<sect id="difference">What is the difference between &debian; and other
  Linux distributions? Why should I choose Debian over some other
  distribution?

<p>These key features distinguish Debian from other Linux distributions:

<taglist>

<tag/Freedom:/

  <item>As stated in the <url id="http://www.debian.org/social_contract"
   name="Debian Social Contract">, Debian will remain 100% free.  Debian is
   very strict about shipping truly free software.  The guidelines used to
   determine if a work is "free" are provided in <url
   id="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines" name="The Debian Free
   Software Guidelines (DFSG)">.

<tag/The Debian package maintenance system:/
  <item>The entire system, or any individual component of it, can be
  upgraded in place without reformatting, without losing custom
  configuration files, and (in most cases) without rebooting the system. 
  Most Linux distributions available today have some kind of package
  maintenance system; the Debian package maintenance system is unique and
  particularly robust (see <ref id="pkg_basics">).
  <!-- This is unsatisfactory without some anecdotal or analytical
       evidence. SGK -->

<tag/Open development:/
  <item>Whereas many other Linux distributions are developed by individuals,
  small, closed groups, or commercial vendors, Debian is a major Linux
  distribution that is being developed by an association of individuals who
  have made common cause to create a free operating system, in the same spirit
  as Linux and other free software.

  <p>More than &developers; volunteer package maintainers are working on
  over &all-pkgs; packages and improving &debian;.  The Debian developers
  contribute to the project not by writing new applications (in most cases),
  but by packaging existing software according to the standards of the
  project, by communicating bug reports to upstream developers, and by
  providing user support.  See also additional information on how to become
  a contributor in <ref id="contrib">.

<tag/The Universal Operating System:/
  <item>Debian comes with <url id="http://packages.debian.org/stable/"
  name="more than &all-pkgs; packages"> and runs on <url
  id="http://www.debian.org/ports/" name="&archs; architectures">.  This is
  far more than is available for any other
  GNU/Linux distribution.  See <ref id="apps"> for an overview of the
  provided software and see <ref id="arches"> for a description of the
  supported hardware platforms.

<tag/The Bug Tracking System:/
  <item>The geographical dispersion of the Debian developers required
  sophisticated tools and quick communication of bugs and bug-fixes to
  accelerate the development of the system.  Users are encouraged to send
  bugs in a formal style, which are quickly accessible by WWW archives or
  via e-mail.  See additional information in this FAQ on the management of
  the bug log in <ref id="buglogs">.

  <!-- XXX develop a metric for bug-fixing
  We ought to have some metric that tells us exactly how fast bugs are
  fixed.  This would provide a challenge to the rest of the software industry.
  SGK

  "Until year 2000, our bug tracking system has processed over fifty thousand
  bug reports, one fifth of which are still open." -Joy  -->

<tag/The Debian Policy:/
  <item>Debian has an extensive specification of our standards of quality,
  the Debian Policy. This document defines the qualities and standards to
  which we hold Debian packages.
</taglist>

<p>For additional information about this, please see our web page about
<url name="reasons to choose Debian" id="http://www.debian.org/intro/why_debian">.

<sect id="gnu">How does the Debian project fit in or compare with the
  Free Software Foundation's GNU project?

<p>The Debian system builds on the ideals of free software first
championed by the <url name="Free Software Foundation" id="http://www.gnu.org/">
and in particular by <url name="Richard Stallman" id="http://www.stallman.org/">.
FSF's powerful system development
tools, utilities, and applications are also a key part of the Debian system.

<p>The Debian Project is a separate entity from the FSF, however we
communicate regularly and cooperate on various projects. The FSF
explicitly requested that we call our system "&debian;", and
we are happy to comply with that request.

<p>The FSF's long-standing objective is to develop a new operating system
called GNU, based on <url name="Hurd" id="http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/">.
Debian is working with FSF on this system, called <url name="Debian GNU/Hurd"
id="http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/">.

<sect id="pronunciation">How does one pronounce Debian and what does this
  word mean?
	
<p>The project name is pronounced Deb'-ee-en, with a short e in Deb, and emphasis on
the first syllable.  This word is a contraction of the names of Debra and
Ian Murdock, who founded the project.  (Dictionaries seem to offer some
ambiguity in the pronunciation of Ian (!), but Ian prefers ee'-en.)