Articles about Debian

It is my favorite day of the week -- Friday. I've got my comfortable jeans on, while relaxing and listening to Rebecca Black on repeat (which seat should I take?). While the proximity to the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) makes this working day a treat, there are often additional things to brighten it up too, such as Linux distros.

Yes, a new version of a Linux-based operating system on a Friday is awesome, as I can play with it during the entire weekend for fun. Today, Linux Mint Debian Edition 2, dubbed "Betsy", sees a release. The big dilemma for me and my fellow Linux nerds will be deciding on the preferred desktop environment. Will you choose MATE or Cinnamon for LMDE 2?

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When it comes to picking a Linux distribution, it can be very difficult. Quite often, beginners will choose Ubuntu, which is a smart choice. Why? It is easy to use and well supported. Besides Ubuntu, however, Linux Mint is another great choice. Since it is based on Ubuntu, it is compatible with the same packages and commands.

There is another version of Linux Mint, though -- LMDE. This stands for Linux Mint Debian Edition. As the name describes, rather than being based on Ubuntu, it is based on Debian. While the operating system used to be a rolling release variant, it has since evolved to something else. Today, a release candidate for the second edition of the operating system becomes available. Should you use LMDE 2 instead of the traditional Linux Mint?

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This week, Beta 1 of Debian Live 5.0 bootable CD image was made available for download. This is the first official release of a Live 5.0 build for the OS also known as "Lenny."

The Debian Live team has been working for over two years on its initiative to create the definitive live Debian framework that runs on as many architectures as possible, consisting of unchanged and official packages and an unaltered Kernel.

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A very serious flaw in the Internet's DNS servers may have been ripe for a significant exploit, though a familiar security researcher might have sounded the alarm just in time. Now, Microsoft and Linux vendors are responding urgently.

In what appears to be a coordinated effort to fix a well known, though still potentially critical vulnerability to the Domain Name System (DNS) protocol, patches are being deployed today for both Windows and Linux, by both Microsoft and Debian, respectively. These patches would enable a long suggested protocol for validating the source of DNS requests.

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The third revision of Debian GNU/Linux 2.2, one of the most popular and arguably easiest to use Linux distribtuions, was released Tuesday. Debian 2.2r3 contains several security and bug updates in many
popular Linux packages. Amongst the list are mysql, openssh, bind, wu-ftpd, squid and
the Linux kernel itself. So, fire up your old PC sitting in your store room and give Linux a try.

For detailed instructions on installing Debian GNU/Linux read the release notes.

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Debian GNU/Linux version 2.2, aka Potato, has been deemed stable and released for public consumption. Version 2.2 brings to the table a new (and much needed) installation system, simplified X configurator, new Linux Kernel, 1200 new packages, and over 800 package updates. Debian 2.2 also features new networking management tools and better international support. Those interested may download the release from FTP

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Test cycle 2 of Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 is set to begin later this week. Test cycle 1 ends on Wednesday of this week, at which time the packages scheduled to be installed will be installed and the packages with critical bugs will be taken out. Developers will pay special attention to bugs found in 'Woody' and not in 'Potato'. Woody, stll tagged unstable by the Debian group, is the graduate of the 'Potato' release and being actively developed at this time. The official start of the second cycle is Monday, May 29th, and the boot floppies and CD images will be made available shortly afterwards. Visit Debian.org for more information about Woody and Potato.

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The Debian Linux team announced today the re-election of Wichert Akkerman as Debian’s Project Leader, and showcased the release of Debian 2.1 r5, which contains security and Y2k updates. Debian developers were also happy to announce that they were "past the second bug horizon" for the next major release of Debian and development is going well.

Those interested can check out Debain’s list and graph of current bugs in the upcoming release here, or visit the full Debian bug Web site at http://bugs.debian.org.

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Debian Release Manager, Richard Braakman, announced yesterday that the code freeze for Debian 2.2, code-named potato, had begun. The freeze process is expected to last approximately two months and a new unstable distribution, 'woody,' will be created as potato is prepped for release. Following the Debian announcement came word that FreeBSD 4.0 had also entered code freeze, expected to last 15 days. During the freeze, daily snapshots of FreeBSD 4.0 will be posted until it is deemed suitable for release.

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Developers of the Debian distribution of the Linux operating system have announced the release schedule for the latest version of Debian, dubbed
"Potato." As of January 2nd, no new packages will be accepted for inclusion in the Potato release. This will result in a "freeze" of development January 16th, and allow for extensive testing beginning around the 22nd of January.

The first "Test Cycle" will start with a preparation phase lasting about 2-3 days in which the base disks and CD images are prepared. Next, the team will begin testing the code, slated to last about 10-14 days, when bugs will be noted and fixes prepared, but no actual changes made. Finally, an evaluation phase lasting 2-3 days will determine whether or not the distribution is acceptable for release. If deemed unfit, bugs within the code will be fixed and the Test Cycle will begin anew.

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One of the major obstacles preventing broader adoption of FreeBSD, a flavor of UNIX, is the lack of software readily available for systems running the Linux Kernel. Sun Microsystems has created a program called LxRun that will allow Linux applications to run unmodified on Sun’s Solaris OS, but now some developers of the Linux distribution Debian hope to take things a step further and allow the Debian OS to work with the FreeBSD Kernel. The developers are using the FreeBSD Kernel with libc, and recompiling Debian packages to work on it. This means a user will be able to run Linux applications on the more stable, more secure, FreeBSD Kernel.

According to the documentation, "The Debian GNU/FreeBSD is a new operating system with recompiled…packages and [a number of] new [packages]. For administrators, this distribution should be very similar to Debian GNU/Linux, but [with a] changed kernel and libc package."

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