"The operating system by the people for the people"

The Debian Project (http://www.debian.org/)

Non-Profit

The Debian project is a 100% volunteer effort committed to producing a world class Open Source operating system. There are currently over 500 people from around the globe developing the Debian operating system, each with roles ranging from Package Developement through to Quality Assurance, Security, Policy and Strategy.

The Debian project is provided administrative support by "Software in the Public Interest" (SPI), a non-profit organisation dedicated to Open Source development. The Debian project leader and all other Debian positions are democratically elected from the Debian user base.

Debian is not only Linux

The Debian project is currently developing GNU/Linux and GNU/Hurd operating systems. The GNU/Linux operating system is the prime focus for most developers, but a working GNU/Hurd operating system is already available and is rapidly taking shape.

Social Contract and Commitment to free software.

The Debian project is committed to the principles of software freedom and openness. Its commitment is plainly stated in the Debian Social Contract published at http://www.debian.org/social_contract The Debian Free Software Guidelines describe the criterion that licenses for software included in the Debian operating system must meet.

The Open Source Definition is a derived work of the Debian Free Software Guidelines.

Bug and Security Reporting System

The Debian project takes full disclosure very seriously. It operates a sophisticated bug reporting system that allows any Debian user to report bugs against a package and to track the progress of their bug report until it is corrected or cleared.

Security problems are given priority over other problems and new packages are produced to correct any identified security problems and all such problems are reported on the Debian web site and mirrors and posted to a Debian security mailing list.

You can participate.

The Debian project is a true community driven development. You can participate at any level, from user support answering questions on mailing lists through to packaging software, fixing bugs, developing new software, writing documentation and participating in forums deciding the strategic goals and directions of the project.

In the same way that Linux is our kernel, Debian is our operating system.

Advanced features of the Debian GNU/Linux Operating System

Huge selection of software

Version 2.1 (slink) of the Debian GNU/Linux operating system provided nearly 2500 software packages, and the imminent version 2.2 (potato) of the the Debian GNU/Linux operating system will provide nearly 4000 software packages in its main distribution; binaries alone will spread across four CDROM images. Nearly everything you want is already there and literally a few keystrokes from execution on your system.

Supported Platforms

Debian GNU/Linux is available for Intel x86, Motorola 680x0, SPARC and Alpha platforms. Other platforms that are being developed are PowerPC, UltraSparc and PA-RISC platforms. A basic Debian GNU/Linux operating system configuration can be installed on hardware as modest as an i386SX16 machine with 4Mb of memory and 30Mb of hard disk drive.

Advanced and Innovative packaging system.

Since its inception the Debian packaging system has continually lead the path of innovation. The first to incorporate package dependency checking, the first to provide menu driven package selection, the first to offer automated and sequenced distribution and package upgrades. The package management tools can locate and install packages from CDROM, local filesystem, networked filesystem, FTP, and HTTP servers and combinations of any of these simultaneously. The advanced package tool (apt) and the debian package tool (dpkg) combine to make local and remote software upgrades very very simple and convenient. You simply request the installation of the software package you want and any other packages that must be upgraded to support it are automatically selected, downloaded and installed too.

Automated Menu System

When a new software package is installed a sophisticated Debian menu system automatically rebuilds the menus of your window manager(s) to include entries for the programs installed. You can provide your own menu entries in a single simple format and have them appear in all program menus supporting the Debian menu system. You no longer need to understand the menu file formats of each different system, and your menus will operate consistently across all applications.

Commercial Support

A number of commercial organisations have adopted the Debian Operating System as the base for their own products.

Corel Linux http://www.corel.com/solution/

Storm Linux http://www.stormix.com/

VA Linux/OReilly/SGI http://www.valinux.com/software/debian/

A number of other organisations will provide your company with commercial support for the Debian Operating System.

You can find local vendors of Debian products and support at the:

Linux Australia Vendors List http://www.linux.org.au/ausvendors.phtml

Find Debian on the Internet

FTP HTTP

ftp://ftp.debian.org/ http://www.debian.org/

ftp://ftp.au.debian.org/ http://www.au.debian.org/