Know your distro Debian Wheezy A little Debian history If at first you don’t succeed, call it version 1.0. jboydt :: csci 26 | debian Where does Debian come from? ● Project started in 1993 by Ian Murdock ● The name “Debian”? ○ Ian, whose wife is Debra -> “Deb” + “Ian” = “Debian” ● First major release ○ 1996, Debian “Buzz” jboydt :: csci 26 | debian Pros and Cons of Debian I started Linux as a desktop operating system. And it's the only area where Linux hasn't completely taken over. That just annoys the hell out of me. - Linus Torvalds jboydt :: csci 26 | debian Key features of Debian, pt 1 ● Releases ○ stable, testing, unstable, backports ● Packages and package management ○ online repositories ○ dpkg and APT ● Support for many CPU architectures jboydt :: csci 26 | debian Key features of Debian, pt 2 ● Relatively easy to install ● Stability ○ mature, actively maintained, and reliable ● Security is a priority jboydt :: csci 26 | debian What do I have to give up? ● Most commercial software ○ fortunately, the open source community creates many alternatives for most popular applications ● Easy configuration ○ installation, not such a big deal ○ configuration -- you need to know what you are doing ● Drivers for some proprietary hardware ○ sometimes, a piece of hardware (such as a wifi card) are not supported and there is very little you can do about it jboydt :: csci 26 | debian Debian as a Linux (sub)Culture jboydt :: csci 26 | debian Is Debian a culture? ● Debian Social Contract ● Debian Free Software Guidelines ● Debian Constitution ○ “The Debian Project is an association of individuals who have made common cause to create a free operating system.” jboydt :: csci 26 | debian Let’s install Debian! jboydt :: csci 26 | debian jboydt :: csci 26 | debian.