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The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
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<br>Chapter 1 - Definitions and overview
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<h2><a name="s-whatisfaq"></a>1.1 What is this FAQ?</h2>
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This document gives frequently asked questions (with their answers!) about the
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Debian distribution (Debian GNU/Linux and others) and about the Debian project.
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If applicable, pointers to other documentation will be given: we won't quote
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large parts of external documentation in this document. You'll find out that
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some answers assume some knowledge of Unix-like operating systems. We'll try
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to assume as little prior knowledge as possible: answers to general beginners
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questions will be kept simple.
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If you can't find what you're looking for in this FAQ, be sure to check out <a
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href="ch-support.en.html#s-debiandocs">What other documentation exists on and
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for a Debian system?, Section 11.1</a>. If even that doesn't help, refer to <a
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href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-feedback">Feedback, Section 15.2</a>.
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<h2><a name="s-whatisdebian"></a>1.2 What is Debian GNU/Linux?</h2>
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Debian GNU/Linux is a particular <em>distribution</em> of the Linux operating
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system, and numerous packages that run on it.
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In principle, users could obtain the Linux kernel via the Internet or from
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elsewhere, and compile it themselves. They could then obtain source code for
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many applications in the same way, compile the programs, then install them into
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their systems. For complicated programs, this process can be not only
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time-consuming but error-prone. To avoid it, users often choose to obtain the
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operating system and the application packages from one of the Linux
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distributors. What distinguishes the various Linux distributors are the
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software, protocols, and practices they use for packaging, installing, and
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tracking applications packages on users' systems, combined with installation
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and maintenance tools, documentation, and other services.
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Debian GNU/Linux is the result of a volunteer effort to create a free,
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high-quality Unix-compatible operating system, complete with a suite of
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applications. The idea of a free Unix-like system originates from the GNU
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project, and many of the applications that make Debian GNU/Linux so useful were
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developed by the GNU project.
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For Debian, free has the GNUish meaning (see the <code><a
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href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">Debian Free Software
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Guidelines</a></code>). When we speak of free software, we are referring to
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freedom, not price. Free software means that you have the freedom to
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distribute copies of free software, that you receive source code or can get it
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if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new
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free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
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The Debian Project was created by Ian Murdock in 1993, initially under the
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sponsorship of the Free Software Foundation's GNU project. Today, Debian's
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developers think of it as a direct descendent of the GNU project.
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<strong>full featured</strong>: Debian includes more than 18347 software
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packages at present. Users can select which packages to install; Debian
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provides a tool for this purpose. You can find a list and descriptions of the
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packages currently available in Debian at any of the Debian <code><a
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href="http://www.debian.org/distrib/ftplist">mirror sites</a></code>.
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<strong>free to use and redistribute</strong>: There is no consortium
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membership or payment required to participate in its distribution and
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development. All packages that are formally part of Debian GNU/Linux are free
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to redistribute, usually under terms specified by the GNU General Public
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The Debian FTP archives also carry approximately 444 software packages (in the
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<samp>non-free</samp> and <samp>contrib</samp> sections), which are
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distributable under specific terms included with each package.
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<strong>dynamic</strong>: With about 1950 volunteers constantly contributing
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new and improved code, Debian is evolving rapidly. New releases are planned to
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be made every several months, and the FTP archives are updated daily.
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Although Debian GNU/Linux itself is free software, it is a base upon which
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value-added Linux distributions can be built. By providing a reliable,
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full-featured base system, Debian provides Linux users with increased
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compatibility, and allows Linux distribution creators to eliminate duplication
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of effort and focus on the things that make their distribution special. See <a
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href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-childistro">I am making a special Linux
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distribution for a "vertical market". Can I use Debian GNU/Linux for
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the guts of a Linux system and add my own applications on top of it?, Section
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13.3</a> for more information.
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<h2><a name="s-linux"></a>1.3 OK, now I know what Debian is... what is Linux?!</h2>
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In short, Linux is the kernel of a Unix-like operating system. It was
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originally designed for 386 (and better) PCs; today Linux also runs on a dozen
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of other systems. Linux is written by Linus Torvalds and many computer
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scientists around the world.
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Besides its kernel, a "Linux" system usually has:
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a file system that follows the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard <code><a
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href="http://www.pathname.com/fhs/">http://www.pathname.com/fhs/</a></code>.
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a wide range of Unix utilities, many of which have been developed by the GNU
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project and the Free Software Foundation.
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The combination of the Linux kernel, the file system, the GNU and FSF
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utilities, and the other utilities are designed to achieve compliance with the
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POSIX (IEEE 1003.1) standard; see <a href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherunices">How
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source code compatible is Debian with other Unix systems?, Section 3.3</a>.
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For more information about Linux, see Michael K. Johnson's <code><a
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href="ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/INFO-SHEET">Linux Information
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Sheet</a></code> and <code><a
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href="ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/META-FAQ">Meta-FAQ</a></code>.
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<h2><a name="s-non-linux"></a>1.4 Does Debian just do GNU/Linux?</h2>
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Currently, Debian is only available for Linux, but with Debian GNU/Hurd and
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Debian on BSD kernels, we have started to offer non-Linux-based OSes as a
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development, server and desktop platform, too. However, these non-linux ports
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are not officially released yet.
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The oldest porting effort is Debian GNU/Hurd.
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The Hurd is a set of servers running on top of the GNU Mach microkernel.
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Together they build the base for the GNU operating system.
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href="http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/">http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/</a></code>
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for more information about the GNU/Hurd in general, and <code><a
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href="http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/">http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/</a></code>
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for more information about Debian GNU/Hurd.
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A second effort is the port to a BSD kernel. People are working with both the
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NetBSD and the FreeBSD kernels.
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href="http://www.debian.org/ports/#nonlinux">http://www.debian.org/ports/#nonlinux</a></code>
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for more information about these non-linux ports.
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<h2><a name="s-difference"></a>1.5 What is the difference between Debian GNU/Linux and other Linux distributions? Why should I choose Debian over some other distribution?</h2>
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These key features distinguish Debian from other Linux distributions:
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As stated in the <code><a href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract">Debian
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Social Contract</a></code>, Debian will remain 100% free. Debian is very
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strict about shipping truly free software. The guidelines used to determine if
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a work is "free" are provided in <code><a
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href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">The Debian Free
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<dt>The Debian package maintenance system:</dt>
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The entire system, or any individual component of it, can be upgraded in place
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without reformatting, without losing custom configuration files, and (in most
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cases) without rebooting the system. Most Linux distributions available today
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have some kind of package maintenance system; the Debian package maintenance
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system is unique and particularly robust (see <a
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href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">Basics of the Debian package management system,
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<dt>Open development:</dt>
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Whereas other Linux distributions are developed by individuals, small, closed
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groups, or commercial vendors, Debian is the only major Linux distribution that
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is being developed cooperatively by many individuals through the Internet, in
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the same spirit as Linux and other free software.
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More than 1950 volunteer package maintainers are working on over 18347 packages
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and improving Debian GNU/Linux. The Debian developers contribute to the
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project not by writing new applications (in most cases), but by packaging
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existing software according to the standards of the project, by communicating
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bug reports to upstream developers, and by providing user support. See also
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additional information on how to become a contributor in <a
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href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contrib">How can I become a Debian software
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developer?, Section 12.1</a>.
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<dt>The Universal Operating System:</dt>
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Debian comes with <code><a href="http://packages.debian.org/stable/">more than
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18347 packages</a></code> and runs on <code><a
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href="http://www.debian.org/ports/">10 architectures</a></code>. This is far
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more than is available for any other GNU/Linux distribution. See <a
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href="ch-software.en.html#s-apps">What types of applications and development
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software are available for Debian GNU/Linux?, Section 4.1</a> for an overview
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of the provided software and see <a href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches">On what
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hardware architectures/systems does Debian GNU/Linux run?, Section 3.1</a> for
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a description of the supported hardware platforms.
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<dt>The Bug Tracking System:</dt>
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The geographical dispersion of the Debian developers required sophisticated
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tools and quick communication of bugs and bug-fixes to accelerate the
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development of the system. Users are encouraged to send bugs in a formal
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style, which are quickly accessible by WWW archives or via e-mail. See
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additional information in this FAQ on the management of the bug log in <a
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href="ch-support.en.html#s-buglogs">Are there logs of known bugs?, Section
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<dt>The Debian Policy:</dt>
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Debian has an extensive specification of our standards of quality, the Debian
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Policy. This document defines the qualities and standards to which we hold
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For additional information about this, please see our web page about <code><a
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href="http://www.debian.org/intro/why_debian">reasons to choose
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<h2><a name="s-gnu"></a>1.6 How does the Debian project fit in or compare with the Free Software Foundation's GNU project?</h2>
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The Debian system builds on the ideals of free software first championed by the
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<code><a href="http://www.gnu.org/">Free Software Foundation</a></code> and in
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particular by <code><a href="http://www.stallman.org/">Richard
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Stallman</a></code>. FSF's powerful system development tools, utilities, and
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applications are also a key part of the Debian system.
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The Debian Project is a separate entity from the FSF, however we communicate
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regularly and cooperate on various projects. The FSF explicitly requested that
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we call our system "Debian GNU/Linux", and we are happy to comply
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The FSF's long-standing objective is to develop a new operating system called
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GNU, based on <code><a
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href="http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/">Hurd</a></code>. Debian is working
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with FSF on this system, called <code><a
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href="http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/">Debian GNU/Hurd</a></code>.
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<h2><a name="s-pronunciation"></a>1.7 How does one pronounce Debian and what does this word mean?</h2>
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The project name is pronounced Deb'-ee-en, with a short e in Deb, and emphasis
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on the first syllable. This word is a contraction of the names of Debra and
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Ian Murdock, who founded the project. (Dictionaries seem to offer some
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ambiguity in the pronunciation of Ian (!), but Ian prefers ee'-en.)
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The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
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version 3.1.5, 17 January 2007<br>
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Authors are listed at <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors">Debian FAQ Authors</a><br>
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