Thread: Debian

Debian is one of the most comprehensive Linux distros out there. Debian supports a wide range of architectures, and has a huge repository of over 25,000 software. Everyone of these 25,000 software is free, and more often than not, open source . Debian has taken the vision of Linux to heart, and is developed by a massive collaborative effort. For example, just because the name "Firefox" was trademarked by the Mozilla Corporation, Debian uses a browser branded as "lceweasel". This also means that propriety codecs are not included, and can be a pain for new or inexperienced users. A variation of the Linux kernel is being made, called Hu;d, which is still some time away before being released. The latest version of Debian came out in 2009, and is called Debian 5.0, or "Lenny". Debian is a distro that can be made to run on anything that has a processor of any kind. Although Debian has been around for a long time, the development is relatively slower. This does not mean that the project is any less active, just that all efforts are made to make sure that every release is reliable and stable. While other distros are already in double digit versions, Debian has just reached a version number of 5. Despite the focus on reliability, an approach that both Slackware and Gentoo used, Debian still supports one of the largest software repositories around. In fact, there are unofficial repositories, for installing software that does not entirely fit into Debian's strict requirements of free and open source software.

Due to the immense size of the repositories, a lot of distros are derived from Debian. Any distro that uses the .deb packages, is a derivative of Debian. Knoppix and Ubuntu are the major ones, and both these distros are widely used and well known, even having a whole bunch of derivative distros of their own. The entire distribution can be downloaded as 35 CDs or 5 DVDs. Since just downloading the distribution takes up a considerable amount of resources, most people who actually download and install Debian go for the net install version. This installs the basic operating system, after which users will have to install packages from the internet. The netinstall CD is just short of 700 MB, and this is in fact, not a bad idea. Most users will use just a fraction of the 25,000+ software supported, and a fair share of these software are small and easy to download and install. Debian shies away from having "versions" of the distro, and instead uses something known as "melds". Every installation of Debian grows into a "meld" over time. A "meld" is a Debian build with a selection of packages suitable fora particular purpose, as in network administration, education or gaming.