Debian Archive

Debian 6.0 Released

Thom Holwerda 2011-02-06 Debian 96 Comments

Oh glorious day! After two years of development, one of the prime Linux distributions has pushed out a new release - Debian 6.0 'Squeeze' has been released. The most fascinating aspect fo this new release is that it includes Debian/kFreeBSD s a technology preview, which fascinates me to no end. Of course, there's a whole lot more, including a brand new website for the project - the first major redesign in 13 years.

Debian Frees Up the Kernel Again

Submitted by fsmag 2011-01-25 Debian 5 Comments

"The Debian project has now announced that from the release of Squeeze (Debian 6.0) their GNU/Linux kernels will be available without the non-free blobs."

Debian 6.0 Squeeze To Have Completely Free Linux Kernel

Guest post by crystall 2010-12-21 Debian 9 Comments

The Debian project will release the new stable version of debian - Debian 6.0 "Squeeze" - with a completely free Linux kernel. Binary-only firmware and other non-free kernel components will only be available via the non-free repositories and the project is actively encouraging vendors that have not done so already to release their firmware in a form compatible with the Debian Free Software Guidelines.

Debian Squeeze the First GNU distribution to Support ZFS

Thom Holwerda 2010-11-30 Debian 21 Comments

"ZFS will be supported in Debian Squeeze using the official installer. This means that Debian Squeeze will be one of the first GNU distributions to support ZFS. In fact, even though ZFS support didn't make it to Debian-Installer beta1 by the time it was released, it is now available in the netboot images (this happens because netboot images fetch newer installer components from the internet)."

Happy 17th Birthday, Debian!

Submitted by Debjit 2010-08-16 Debian 12 Comments

"Debian turns 17 today. Yes it has really come a long way from being Ian Murdock's pet project back in 1993 to being the distribution on which the most popular Linux distribution, Ubuntu, is based on now." Let's go through some interesting history of Debian.

Debian GNU/Hurd: the L series

Submitted by J!NX 2009-11-07 Debian 33 Comments

Debian GNU/Hurd can now be installed a little easier. "This month Philip Charles created a new installation CD, the L series, for the Hurd, which brings us a big step towards installing the Hurd from the Hurd (without the need of a Linux-based installer). If you enjoy testing stuff, please give it a try."

Debian GNU/kFreeBSd Gets Release Status

Thom Holwerda 2009-10-07 Debian 41 Comments

It's hard to turn a news item like this into a front page item, but I'm going to try anyway, because I think it's pretty cool news. As we all know, Debian supports a number of architectures as 'release architectures', but what some of you may not be aware of is that Debian also supports a number of kernels other than Linux. One of those, the FreeBSD kernel, has been promoted to release status, putting it on equal footing with the Linux variant.

Debian: ‘Oh What Tangled Webs We Weave’

Submitted by EvilWells 2009-09-07 Debian 97 Comments

Developer Frans Pop, author of debtree, posted an article showing the evolution in size of the GNOME desktop environment in recent Debian releases. The picture he paints isn't particularly pretty: the default GNOME install has increased drastically in size over the years.

Shuttleworth Offers Canonical Employees to Debian

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-09 Debian 62 Comments

Earlier this month, we reported that Debian had announced a new release schedule; a freeze during December, a release some time in the first half of the following year. After outcries from the Debian community, the December freeze aspect of the plan was reversed. Since most of the ire about this situation seemed to be directed towards Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth decided to step in and offer to put several Canonical employees to work on Debian instead of Ubuntu.

Debian Adopts Two-Year Time-Based Release Cycle

Submitted by kragil 2009-07-29 Debian 37 Comments

Most mainstream distributions, like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Mandriva, have already adopted a time-based release schedule, meaning that releases are not done on a feature basis, but according to a pre-determined time schedule. The Debian project has announced that it has adopted a time-based release schedule too.

Apperi Linux App Store Launches

Submitted by Ryan Quinn 2009-07-20 Debian 10 Comments

A new Linux App Store apperi.com has been launched allowing one-click installation of over 100,000 packages across recent Debian and Ubuntu versions. "Apperi provides a simple way to search and install applications on your Debian or Ubuntu Linux computer. By using the official repository package lists and apt-url it allows for one-click installation of every official package in its supported distributions. Apperi was developed by Ryan Quinn who is also the founder and lead developer of the currently dormant GNU/Linux distro SymphonyOS."

McIntyre: Mono Decision “Under Discussion”

Thom Holwerda 2009-06-16 Debian 98 Comments

Last week we talked about whether or not the Debian project would include Mono in its default GNOME installation. This incited some heavy debate on OSNews, but sadly, the Mono debate also lead to some very nasty blog posts in the Debian community. Time for damage control, Debian project leader Steve McIntyre must've thought.

Mono Part of Debian’s Default Desktop Install?

Thom Holwerda 2009-06-12 Debian 95 Comments

Well, this is interesting. We already have a Mono item ruffling some feathers on OSNews today, but here we have the apparent news that Tomboy has become a default part of GNOME on Squeeze, the next release of Debian. Wait, what now? Update: I've updated the article with Fedora's position in all this. Read on! Update II: Josselin Mouette replies.

Debian Switching to EGLIBC

Submitted by diegocg 2009-05-06 Debian 43 Comments

Via LWN, we found a blog post of a Debian maintainer which announces a new package: EGLIBC, a compatible reimplementation of the GNU glibc which "which will soon replace the GNU C Library". Apparently the primary reason is the sadly famous bad maintainership aptitude of Ulrich Drepper, the main libc maintainer.

Debian Gets FreeBSD Kernel Support

Submitted by Lennie 2009-04-06 Debian 15 Comments

Two new architectures based on the FreeBSD-kernel have been added to the Debian Archive. This makes Debian the first distribution, and probably the first large OS, to support two completely different kernels at the same time. "The two new architectures (well, better named OS i think, as they use a different kernel) are available in unstable and experimental. We do start out empty, importing only what is needed to get a build running. For this reason you will not be able to directly use it immediately. Please wait until they catched up, which I expect to happen soon."

‘Debian 5.0 Continues Strong Linux Tradition’

Thom Holwerda 2009-03-02 Debian 14 Comments

eWeek has reviewed Debian 5.0, and concludes: "Version 5 of the Debian GNU/Linux open-source operating system offers the same top management tools and processor support that previous versions of the Linux operating system have. There also are a host of updates to open-source components, and the Linux distribution is still a great fit for servers and a solid desktop choice. However, the top reason for upgrading from version 4 may be the relatively short three-year security fix window, less than the coverage time offered with Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux-derived CentOS."

Debian 5 ‘Lenny’ Released

Thom Holwerda 2009-02-15 Debian 44 Comments

A few months later than expected, Debian 5 has finally arrived with a bundle of new goodies: Java is finally in the Debian repositories thanks to IcedTea and OpenJDK; Firefox (rebranded as Iceweasel) is now at 3.0; and official live images are ready for our downloading pleasure. TuxRadar has a detailed look at Lenny along with an explanation from Steve McIntyre, the Debian Project Leader, on why it was delayed. Earlier this week, we already detailed the new features in Lenny.

Debian ‘Lenny’ Due for Release On Valentine’s

Guest post by weildish 2009-02-13 Debian 40 Comments

What a lovely holiday to release the latest and greatest creation brought to us by yours truly, Debian. February 14th marks Debian GNU/Linux 5.0's supposed release into the wilds of the world, nearly two years after 'etch,' lenny's predecessor. The date is set nearly in stone unless something very serious goes wrong in the final days of development or if one of the needed servers for download kicks the bucket at the wrong moment. Read on for the scoop on the most prominent of features.

Debian 5 Release Approaches… Binary Blobs Included

Thom Holwerda 2009-01-06 Debian 16 Comments

"The developers behind the Debian Linux distribution are preparing for the upcoming release of Debian 5, which is codenamed Lenny. The decision to move forward with the release follows a contentious vote over whether to permit the inclusion of binary blobs in the new version of the distribution. Consensus coalesced around a controversial proposal to "assume blobs comply with the GPL unless proven otherwise."

New Debian Leader Aims for Better Communication

Submitted by da_Chicken 2008-04-18 Debian 4 Comments

iTWire interviews the newly-elected Debian Project Leader, Steve McIntyre. "A few days back, the project concluded its elections for the year and Steve McIntyre emerged as the victor in a three-cornered contest. McIntyre may well be the most watched elected official of a non-profit group - the direction the project takes is of vital concern to a great many businesses."