1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
|
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<title>The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ - Choosing a Debian distribution</title>
<link href="index.en.html" rel="start">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html" rel="prev">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html" rel="next">
<link href="index.en.html#contents" rel="contents">
<link href="index.en.html#copyright" rel="copyright">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html" rel="chapter" title="1 Definitions and overview">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html" rel="chapter" title="2 Getting and installing Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="3 Choosing a Debian distribution">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html" rel="chapter" title="4 Compatibility issues">
<link href="ch-software.en.html" rel="chapter" title="5 Software available in the Debian system">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html" rel="chapter" title="6 The Debian FTP archives">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html" rel="chapter" title="7 Basics of the Debian package management system">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html" rel="chapter" title="8 The Debian package management tools">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html" rel="chapter" title="9 Keeping your Debian system up-to-date">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html" rel="chapter" title="10 Debian and the kernel">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="11 Customizing your installation of Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-support.en.html" rel="chapter" title="12 Getting support for Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="13 Contributing to the Debian Project">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html" rel="chapter" title="14 Redistributing Debian GNU/Linux in a commercial product">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html" rel="chapter" title="15 Changes expected in the next major release of Debian">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html" rel="chapter" title="16 General information about the FAQ">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisfaq" rel="section" title="1.1 What is this FAQ?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisdebian" rel="section" title="1.2 What is Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-linux" rel="section" title="1.3 OK, now I know what Debian is... what is Linux?!">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-non-linux" rel="section" title="1.4 Does Debian just do GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-difference" rel="section" title="1.5 What is the difference between Debian GNU/Linux and other Linux distributions? Why should I choose Debian over some other distribution?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-gnu" rel="section" title="1.6 How does the Debian project fit in or compare with the Free Software Foundation's GNU project?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-pronunciation" rel="section" title="1.7 How does one pronounce Debian and what does this word mean?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-version" rel="section" title="2.1 What is the latest version of Debian?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-updatestable" rel="section" title="2.2 Are there package upgrades in `stable'?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-boot-floppies" rel="section" title="2.3 Where/how can I get the Debian installation disks?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdrom" rel="section" title="2.4 How do I install the Debian from CD-ROMs?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdimage-symlinks" rel="section" title="2.5 Why does the official stable released CD-ROM contain symlinks for `frozen' and `unstable'? I thought this CD contains just `stable'!">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-remoteinstall" rel="section" title="2.6 Can I get and install Debian directly from a remote Internet site?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-alternativebootinstaller" rel="section" title="2.7 Are there any alternative strategies for booting the system installer?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1" rel="section" title="3.1 Which Debian distribution (stable/testing/unstable) is better for me?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2" rel="section" title="3.2 But what about Knoppix, Linex, Ubuntu, and others?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches" rel="section" title="4.1 On what hardware architectures/systems does Debian GNU/Linux run?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherdistribs" rel="section" title="4.2 How compatible is Debian with other distributions of Linux?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherunices" rel="section" title="4.3 How source code compatible is Debian with other Unix systems?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherpackages" rel="section" title="4.4 Can I use Debian packages (".deb" files) on my Red Hat/Slackware/... Linux system? Can I use Red Hat packages (".rpm" files) on my Debian GNU/Linux system?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-non-debian-programs" rel="section" title="4.5 How should I install a non-Debian program?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-termcap" rel="section" title="4.6 Why can't I compile programs that require libtermcap?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-accelx" rel="section" title="4.7 Why can't I install AccelX?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-motifnls" rel="section" title="4.8 Why do my old XFree 2.1 Motif applications crash?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-apps" rel="section" title="5.1 What types of applications and development software are available for Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-softwareauthors" rel="section" title="5.2 Who wrote all that software?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pkglist" rel="section" title="5.3 How can I get a current list of programs that have been packaged for Debian?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-buildenv" rel="section" title="5.4 How can I install a developer's environment to build packages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-missing" rel="section" title="5.5 What is missing from Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-no-devs" rel="section" title="5.6 Why do I get "ld: cannot find -lfoo" messages when compiling programs? Why aren't there any libfoo.so files in Debian library packages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-java" rel="section" title="5.7 (How) Does Debian support Java?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-isitdebian" rel="section" title="5.8 How can I check that I am using a Debian system, and what version is it?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonenglish" rel="section" title="5.9 How does Debian support non-English languages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pine" rel="section" title="5.10 Where is pine?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-qmail" rel="section" title="5.11 Where is qmail/ezmlm/djbdns?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-flash" rel="section" title="5.12 Where is a player for Flash (SWF)?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-googleearth" rel="section" title="5.13 Where is Google Earth?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-voip" rel="section" title="5.14 Where is VoIP software?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonfreewireless" rel="section" title="5.15 I have a wireless network card which doesn't work with Linux. What should I do?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dists" rel="section" title="6.1 How many Debian distributions are there?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-codenames" rel="section" title="6.2 What are all those names like etch, lenny, etc.?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sid" rel="section" title="6.3 What about "sid"?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-stable" rel="section" title="6.4 What does the stable directory contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-testing" rel="section" title="6.5 What does the testing distribution contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-unstable" rel="section" title="6.6 What does the unstable distribution contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dirtree" rel="section" title="6.7 What are all those directories at the Debian FTP archives?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-archsections" rel="section" title="6.8 What are all those directories inside <samp>dists/stable/main</samp>?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-source" rel="section" title="6.9 Where is the source code?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-pools" rel="section" title="6.10 What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-incoming" rel="section" title="6.11 What is "incoming"?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-ownrepository" rel="section" title="6.12 How do I set up my own apt-able repository?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-package" rel="section" title="7.1 What is a Debian package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-deb-format" rel="section" title="7.2 What is the format of a Debian binary package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgname" rel="section" title="7.3 Why are Debian package file names so long?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-controlfile" rel="section" title="7.4 What is a Debian control file?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-conffile" rel="section" title="7.5 What is a Debian conffile?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-maintscripts" rel="section" title="7.6 What is a Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm script?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-priority" rel="section" title="7.7 What is an <em>Essential</em>, <em>Required</em>, <em>Important</em>, <em>Standard</em>, <em>Optional</em>, or <em>Extra</em> package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-virtual" rel="section" title="7.8 What is a Virtual Package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-depends" rel="section" title="7.9 What is meant by saying that a package <em>Depends</em>, <em>Recommends</em>, <em>Suggests</em>, <em>Conflicts</em>, <em>Replaces</em> or <em>Provides</em> another package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pre-depends" rel="section" title="7.10 What is meant by Pre-Depends?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgstatus" rel="section" title="7.11 What is meant by <em>unknown</em>, <em>install</em>, <em>remove</em>, <em>purge</em> and <em>hold</em> in the package status?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-puttingonhold" rel="section" title="7.12 How do I put a package on hold?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcepkgs" rel="section" title="7.13 How do I install a source package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcebuild" rel="section" title="7.14 How do I build binary packages from a source package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-creatingdebs" rel="section" title="7.15 How do I create Debian packages myself?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-pkgprogs" rel="section" title="8.1 What programs does Debian provide for managing its packages?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-updaterunning" rel="section" title="8.2 Debian claims to be able to update a running program; how is this accomplished?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-whatpackages" rel="section" title="8.3 How can I tell what packages are already installed on a Debian system?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-listfiles" rel="section" title="8.4 How to display the files of a package installed?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-filesearch" rel="section" title="8.5 How can I find out what package produced a particular file?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-datapackages" rel="section" title="8.6 Why doesn't get `foo-data' removed when I uninstall `foo'? How do I make sure old unused library-packages get purged?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-howtocurrent" rel="section" title="9.1 How can I keep my Debian system current?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-upgradesingle" rel="section" title="9.2 Must I go into single user mode in order to upgrade a package?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-savedebs" rel="section" title="9.3 Do I have to keep all those .deb archive files on my disk?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-keepingalog" rel="section" title="9.4 How can I keep a log of the packages I added to the system? I'd like to know when which package upgrades and removals have occured!">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-autoupdate" rel="section" title="9.5 Can I automatically update the system?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptproxy" rel="section" title="9.6 I have several machines how can I download the updates only one time?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-non-debian-kernel" rel="section" title="10.1 Can I install and compile a kernel without some Debian-specific tweaking?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-customkernel" rel="section" title="10.2 What tools does Debian provide to build custom kernels?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-custombootdisk" rel="section" title="10.3 How can I make a custom boot floppy?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-modules" rel="section" title="10.4 What special provisions does Debian provide to deal with modules?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-removeoldkernel" rel="section" title="10.5 Can I safely de-install an old kernel package, and if so, how?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-papersize" rel="section" title="11.1 How can I ensure that all programs use the same paper size?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-hardwareaccess" rel="section" title="11.2 How can I provide access to hardware peripherals, without compromising security?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-consolefont" rel="section" title="11.3 How do I load a console font on startup the Debian way?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-appdefaults" rel="section" title="11.4 How can I configure an X11 program's application defaults?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-booting" rel="section" title="11.5 Every distribution seems to have a different boot-up method. Tell me about Debian's.">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-custombootscripts" rel="section" title="11.6 It looks as if Debian does not use <samp>rc.local</samp> to customize the boot process; what facilities are provided?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-interconffiles" rel="section" title="11.7 How does the package management system deal with packages that contain configuration files for other packages?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-divert" rel="section" title="11.8 How do I override a file installed by a package, so that a different version can be used instead?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-localpackages" rel="section" title="11.9 How can I have my locally-built package included in the list of available packages that the package management system knows about?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-diverse" rel="section" title="11.10 Some users like mawk, others like gawk; some like vim, others like elvis; some like trn, others like tin; how does Debian support diversity?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-debiandocs" rel="section" title="12.1 What other documentation exists on and for a Debian system?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-onlineresources" rel="section" title="12.2 Are there any on-line resources for discussing Debian?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-searchtools" rel="section" title="12.3 Is there a quick way to search for information on Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-buglogs" rel="section" title="12.4 Are there logs of known bugs?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-bugreport" rel="section" title="12.5 How do I report a bug in Debian?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contrib" rel="section" title="13.1 How can I become a Debian software developer?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contribresources" rel="section" title="13.2 How can I contribute resources to the Debian project?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-supportingorganizations" rel="section" title="13.3 How can I contribute financially to the Debian project?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-sellcds" rel="section" title="14.1 Can I make and sell Debian CDs?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-packagednonfree" rel="section" title="14.2 Can Debian be packaged with non-free software?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-childistro" rel="section" title="14.3 I am making a special Linux distribution for a "vertical market". Can I use Debian GNU/Linux for the guts of a Linux system and add my own applications on top of it?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-commercialdebs" rel="section" title="14.4 Can I put my commercial program in a Debian "package" so that it installs effortlessly on any Debian system?">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-i18n" rel="section" title="15.1 Extended support for non-English users">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-dependencybasedboot" rel="section" title="15.2 Faster booting: Dependency based boot sequence">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-di" rel="section" title="15.3 Improvements in the Debian Installer">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morearches" rel="section" title="15.4 More architectures">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morekernels" rel="section" title="15.5 More kernels">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors" rel="section" title="16.1 Authors">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-feedback" rel="section" title="16.2 Feedback">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-latest" rel="section" title="16.3 Availability">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-docformat" rel="section" title="16.4 Document format">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.1" rel="subsection" title="3.1.1 You asked me to install stable, but in stable so and so hardware is not detected/working. What should I do?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.2" rel="subsection" title="3.1.2 Will there be different different versions of packages in different distributions?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.3" rel="subsection" title="3.1.3 The stable distributions really contains outdated packages. Just look at Kde, Gnome, Xorg or even the kernel. They are very old. Why is it so?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.4" rel="subsection" title="3.1.4 If I were to decide to change to another distribution, Can I do that?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.5" rel="subsection" title="3.1.5 Could you tell me whether to install testing or unstable?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.6" rel="subsection" title="3.1.6 You are talking about testing being broken. What do you mean by that?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.7" rel="subsection" title="3.1.7 Why is it that testing could be broken for months? Wont the fixes introduced in unstable flow directly down into testing?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.8" rel="subsection" title="3.1.8 From an administrator's point of view, Which distribution requires more attention?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.9" rel="subsection" title="3.1.9 What happens when a new release is made?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.10" rel="subsection" title="3.1.10 I have a working Desktop/cluster with Debian installed. How do I know which distribution I am running?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.11" rel="subsection" title="3.1.11 I am currently tracking stable. Can I change to testing or unstable? If so, How?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.12" rel="subsection" title="3.1.12 I am currently tracking testing (lenny). What will happen when a release is made? Will I still be tracking testing or will my machine be running the new stable distribution?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.13" rel="subsection" title="3.1.13 I am still confused. What did you say I should install?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.1" rel="subsection" title="3.2.1 I know that Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... is Debian-based. So after installing it on the hard disk, can I use 'apt' package tools on it?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.2" rel="subsection" title="3.2.2 I installed Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... on my hard disk. Now I have a problem. What should I do?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.3" rel="subsection" title="3.2.3 I'm using Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... and now I want to use Debian. How do I migrate?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-oldcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.1 Which other codenames have been used in the past?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sourceforcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.2 Where do these codenames come from?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-frozen" rel="subsection" title="6.5.1 What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg" rel="subsection" title="8.1.1 dpkg">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-apt-get" rel="subsection" title="8.1.2 APT">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-aptitude" rel="subsection" title="8.1.3 aptitude">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-synaptic" rel="subsection" title="8.1.4 synaptic">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-tasksel" rel="subsection" title="8.1.5 tasksel">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-extra" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6 Other package management tools">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dselect" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.1 dselect">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-deb" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.2 dpkg-deb">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-split" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.3 dpkg-split">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptitude-upgrade" rel="subsection" title="9.1.1 aptitude">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-apt" rel="subsection" title="9.1.2 apt-get, dselect and apt-cdrom">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-update_aptitude" rel="subsection" title="9.1.3 aptitude">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-mirror" rel="subsection" title="9.1.4 mirror">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-dpkg-mountable" rel="subsection" title="9.1.5 dpkg-mountable">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.1" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1 Mailing lists">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-mailinglistconduct" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1.1 What is the code of conduct for the mailing lists?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.2" rel="subsection" title="12.2.2 Web forums">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.3" rel="subsection" title="12.2.3 Wiki">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.4" rel="subsection" title="12.2.4 Maintainers">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.5" rel="subsection" title="12.2.5 Usenet newsgroups">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-SPI" rel="subsection" title="13.3.1 Software in the Public Interest">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-FSF" rel="subsection" title="13.3.2 Free Software Foundation">
</head>
<body>
<p><a name="ch-choosing"></a></p>
<hr>
<p>
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">previous</a> ]
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
[ 3 ]
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-ftparchives.en.html">6</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">next</a> ]
</p>
<hr>
<h1>
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
<br>Chapter 3 - Choosing a Debian distribution
</h1>
<hr>
<p>
There are many different Debian distributions. Choosing the proper Debian
distribution is an important decission. This section covers some information
useful for users that want to make the choice best suited for their system and
also answers possible questions that might be arising during the process. It
does not deal with "why you should choose Debian" but rather
"which distribution of Debian".
</p>
<p>
For more information on the available distributions read <a
href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dists">How many Debian distributions are there?,
Section 6.1</a>.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s3.1"></a>3.1 Which Debian distribution (stable/testing/unstable) is better for me?</h2>
<p>
The answer is a bit complicated. It really depends on what you intend to do.
One solution would be to ask a friend who runs Debian. But that does not mean
that you cannot make an independent decision. In fact, you should be able to
decide once you complete reading this chapter.
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
If security or stability are at all important for you: install stable. period.
This is the most preferred way.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
If you are a new user installing to a desktop machine, start with stable. Some
of the software is quite old, but it's the least buggy environment to work in.
You can easily switch to the more modern unstable once you are a little more
confident.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
If you are a desktop user with some experience in Linux and does not mind
facing the odd bug now and then, use unstable. It has all the latest and
greatest software, and bugs are usually fixed swiftly.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
If you are running a server, especially one that has strong stability
requirements or is exposed to the Internet, install stable. This is by far the
strongest and safest choice.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
The following questions (hopefully) provide more detail on these choices.
After reading this whole FAQ, if you still could not make a decision, stick
with the stable distribution.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.1"></a>3.1.1 You asked me to install stable, but in stable so and so hardware is not detected/working. What should I do?</h3>
<p>
Try to search the web using a search engine and see if someone else is able to
get it working in stable. Most of the hardware should work fine with stable.
But if you have some state-of-the-art, cutting edge hardware, it might not work
with stable. If this is the case, you might want to install/upgrade to
unstable.
</p>
<p>
For laptops, <code><a
href="http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/">http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/</a></code>
is a very good website to see if someone else is able to get it to work under
Linux. The website is not specific to Debian, but is nevertheless a tremendous
resource. I am not aware of any such website for desktops.
</p>
<p>
Another option would be to ask in the debian-user mailing list by sending an
email to debian-user@lists.debian.org . Messages can be posted to the list
even without subscribing. The archives can be read through <code><a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/">http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/</a></code>
Information regarding subscribing to the list can be found at the location of
archives. You are strongly encourage to post your questions on the
mailing-list than on <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/support">irc</a></code>. The mailing-list messages
are archived, so solution to your problem can help others with the same issue.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.2"></a>3.1.2 Will there be different different versions of packages in different distributions?</h3>
<p>
Yes. Unstable has the most recent (latest) versions. But the packages in
unstable are not well tested and might have bugs.
</p>
<p>
On the other hand, stable contains old versions of packages. But this package
is well tested and is less likely to have any bugs.
</p>
<p>
The packages in testing fall between these two extremes.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.3"></a>3.1.3 The stable distributions really contains outdated packages. Just look at Kde, Gnome, Xorg or even the kernel. They are very old. Why is it so?</h3>
<p>
Well, you might be correct. The age of the packages at stable depends on when
the last release was made. Since there is typically over 1 year between
releases you might find that stable contains old versions of packages.
However, they have been tested in and out. One can confidently say that the
packages do not have any known severe bugs, security holes etc., in them. The
packages in stable integrate seamlessly with other stable packages. These
characteristics are very important for production servers which have to work 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.
</p>
<p>
On the other hand, packages in testing or unstable can have hidden bugs,
security holes etc., Moreover, some packages in testing and unstable might not
be working as intended. Usually people working on a single desktop prefer
having the latest and most modern set of packages. Unstable is the solution
for this group of people.
</p>
<p>
As you can see, stability and novelty are two opposing ends of the spectrum.
If stability is required: install stable distribution. If you want to work
with the latest packages, then install unstable.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.4"></a>3.1.4 If I were to decide to change to another distribution, Can I do that?</h3>
<p>
Yes, but it is a one way process. You can go from stable --> testing -->
unstable. But the reverse direction is not "possible". So better be
sure if you are planning to install/upgrade to unstable.
</p>
<p>
Actually, if you are an expert and if you are willing to spend some time and if
you are real careful and if you know what you are doing, then it might be
possible to go from unstable to testing and then to stable. The installer
scripts are not designed to do that. So in the process, your configuration
files might be lost and....
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.5"></a>3.1.5 Could you tell me whether to install testing or unstable?</h3>
<p>
This is a rather subjective issue. There is no perfect answer but only a
"wise guess" could be made while deciding between unstable and
testing. My personal order of preference is Stable, Unstable and Testing. The
issue is like this:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Stable is rock solid. It does not break.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Testing breaks less often than Unstable. But when it breaks, it takes a long
time for things to get rectified. Sometimes this could be days and it could be
months at times.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Unstable changes a lot, and it can break at any point. However, fixes get
rectified in many occasions in a couple of days and it always has the latest
releases of software packaged for Debian.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
But there are times when tracking testing would be beneficial as opposed to
unstable. The author such situation due to the gcc transition from gcc3 to
gcc4. He was trying to install the <code>labplot</code> package on a machine
tracking unstable and it could not be installed in unstable as some of its
dependencies have undergone gcc4 transition and some have not. But the package
in testing was installable on a testing machine as the gcc4 transitioned
packages had not "trickled down" to testing.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.6"></a>3.1.6 You are talking about testing being broken. What do you mean by that?</h3>
<p>
Sometimes, a package might not be installable through package management tools.
Sometimes, a package might not be available at all, maybe it was (temporarily)
removed due to bugs or unmet dependencies. Sometimes, a package installs but
does not behave in the proper way.
</p>
<p>
When these things happen, the distribution is said to be broken (at least for
this package).
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.7"></a>3.1.7 Why is it that testing could be broken for months? Wont the fixes introduced in unstable flow directly down into testing?</h3>
<p>
The bug fixes and improvements introduced in the unstable distribution trickle
down to testing after a certain number of days. Let's say this threshold is 10
days. The packages in unstable go into testing only when there are no RC-bugs
reported against them. If there is a RC-bug filed against a package in
unstable, it will not go into testing after the 10 days.
</p>
<p>
The idea is that, if the package has any problems, it would be discovered by
people using unstable and will be fixed before it enters testing. This keeps
the testing in an usable state for most period of the time. Overall a
brilliant concept, if you ask me. But things are alwasy not so simple.
Consider the following situation:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Imagine you are interested in package XYZ.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Let's assume that on June 10, the version in testing is XYZ-3.6 and in unstable
it is XYZ-3.7
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
After 10 days, XYZ-3.7 from unstable migrates into testing.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
So on June 20, both testing and unstable have XYZ-3.7 in their repositories.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Let's say, The user of testing distribution sees that a new XYZ package is
available and updates his XYZ-3.6 to XYZ-3.7
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Now on June 25, someone using testing or unstable discovers an RC bug in
XYZ-3.7 and files it in the BTS.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
The maintainer of XYZ fixes this bug and uploads it to unstable say on June 30.
Here it is assumed that it takes 5 days for the maintainer to fix the bug and
upload the new version. The number 5 should not be taken literally. It could
be less or more, depending upon the severity of the RC-bug at hand.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
This new version in unstable, XYZ-3.8 is scheduled to enter testing on July
10th.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
But on July 5th some other person, discovers another RC-bug in XYZ-3.8
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Let's say the maintainer of XYZ fixes this new RC-bug and uploads new version
of XYZ after 5 days.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
So on July 10, testing has XYZ-3.7 while unstable has XYZ-3.9
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
This new version XYZ-3.9 is now rescheduled to enter testing on July 20th.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Now since you are running testing, and since XYZ-3.7 is buggy, you could
probably use XYZ only after July 20th. That is you essentially ended up with a
broken XYZ for about one month.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
The situation can get much more complicated, if say, XYZ depends on 4 other
packages. This could in turn lead to unusable testing distribution for months.
The above scenario which is artificially created by me, can occur in the real
life. But such occurrences are rare.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.8"></a>3.1.8 From an administrator's point of view, Which distribution requires more attention?</h3>
<p>
One of the main reasons many people chose Debian over other Linux distributions
is that it requires very little administration. People want a system that just
works. In general one can say that, stable requires very little maintenance
while testing and unstable require constant maintenance from the administrator.
If you are running stable, all you need to worry about is, keeping track of
security updates. If you are running either testing or unstable it is a good
idea to be aware of the new bugs discovered in the installed packages, new
bugfixes/features introduced etc.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.9"></a>3.1.9 What happens when a new release is made?</h3>
<p>
This question will not help you in choosing a Debian distribution. But sooner
or later you will face this question.
</p>
<p>
The stable distribution is currently etch; The next stable distribution will be
called as lenny. Let's consider the particular case as to what happens when
lenny is released as the new stable version.
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
oldstable = sarge; stable = etch; testing = lenny; unstable = sid
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Unstable is always referred to as sid irrespective of whether a release is made
or not.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
packages constantly migrate from sid to testing (i.e. lenny). But packages in
stable (i.e. etch) remain the same except for security updates.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
after sometime testing becomes frozen. But it will still be called testing.
At this point no new packages from unstable can migrate to testing unless they
include release-critical (RC) bug fixes.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
When testing is frozen, all the new bugfixes introduced, have to be manualy
checked by the members of the release team. This is done to ensure that there
wont be any unknown severe problems in the frozen testing.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
RC bugs in 'frozen testing' are reduced to zero.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
The 'frozen testing' with no rc-bugs will be released as the new stable
version. In our example, this new stable release will be called as lenny.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
At this stage oldstable = etch, stable = lenny. The contents of stable and
'frozen testing' are same at this point.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
A new testing is forked from the current stable.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Packages start coming down from sid to testing and the Debian community will be
working towards making the next stable release.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.10"></a>3.1.10 I have a working Desktop/cluster with Debian installed. How do I know which distribution I am running?</h3>
<p>
In most situations it is very easy to figure this out. Take a look at the
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file. There will be an entry similar to
this:
</p>
<pre>
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib
</pre>
<p>
The third field ('unstable' in the above example) indicates the Debian
distribution the system is currently tracking.
</p>
<p>
You can also use <code>lsb_release</code> (available in the
<code>lsb-release</code> package). If you run this program in an unstable
system you will get:
</p>
<pre>
$ lsb_release -a
LSB Version: core-2.0-noarch:core-3.0-noarch:core-3.1-noarch:core-2.0-ia32:core-3.0-ia32:core-3.1-ia32
Distributor ID: Debian
Description: Debian GNU/Linux unstable (sid)
Release: unstable
Codename: sid
</pre>
<p>
However, this is always not that easy. Some systems might have
<code>sources.list</code> files with multiple entries corresponding to
different distributions. This could happen if the administrator is tracking
different packages from different Debian distributions. This is frequently
referred to as apt-pinning. These systems might run a mixture of
distributions.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.11"></a>3.1.11 I am currently tracking stable. Can I change to testing or unstable? If so, How?</h3>
<p>
If you are currently running stable, then in the
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file the third field will be either etch or
stable. You need to change this to the distribution you want to run. If you
want to run testing, then change the third field of
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> to testing. If you want to run unstable,
then change the third field to unstable.
</p>
<p>
Currently testing is called lenny. So, if you change the third field of
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> to lenny, then also you will be running
testing. But when lenny becomes stable, you will still be tracking lenny.
</p>
<p>
Unstable is always called Sid. So if you change the third field of
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> to sid, then you will be tracking unstable.
</p>
<p>
Currently Debian offers security updates for testing but not for unstable, as
fixes in unstable are directly made to the main archive. So if you are running
unstable make sure that you remove the lines relating to security updates in
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code>.
</p>
<p>
If there is a release notes document available for the distribution you are
upgrading to (even though it has not yet been released) it would be wise to
review it, as it might provide information on how you should upgrade to it.
</p>
<p>
Nevertheless, once you make the above changes, you can run <code>aptitude
update</code> and then install the packages that you want. Notice that
installing a package from a different distribution might automatically upgrade
half of your system. If you install individual packages you will end up with a
system running mixed distributions.
</p>
<p>
It might be best in some situations to just fully upgrade to the new
distribution running <code>apt-get dist-upgrade</code>, <code>aptitude
safe-upgrade</code> or <code>aptitude full-upgrade</code>. Read apt's and
aptitude's manual pages for more information.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.12"></a>3.1.12 I am currently tracking testing (lenny). What will happen when a release is made? Will I still be tracking testing or will my machine be running the new stable distribution?</h3>
<p>
It depends on the entries in the <code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file. If
you are currently tracking testing, these entries are similar to either:
</p>
<pre>
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main
</pre>
<p>
or
</p>
<pre>
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ lenny main
</pre>
<p>
If the third field in <code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> is 'testing' then you
will be tracking testing even after a release is made. So after lenny is
released, you will be running a new Debian distribution which will have a
different codename. Changes might not be apparent at first but will be evident
as soon as new packages from unstable go over to the testing distribution.
</p>
<p>
But if the third field contains 'lenny' then you will be tracking stable (since
lenny will then be the new stable distribution).
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.1.13"></a>3.1.13 I am still confused. What did you say I should install?</h3>
<p>
If unsure, the best bet would be stable distribution.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s3.2"></a>3.2 But what about Knoppix, Linex, Ubuntu, and others?</h2>
<p>
They are not Debian; they are <em>Debian based</em>. Though there are many
similarities and commonalities between them, there are also crucial
differences.
</p>
<p>
All these distributions have their own merits and are suited to some specific
set of users. For more information, read the information of <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/misc/children-distros">software distributions based
on Debian</a></code> available at the Debian website.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.2.1"></a>3.2.1 I know that Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... is Debian-based. So after installing it on the hard disk, can I use 'apt' package tools on it?</h3>
<p>
These distributions are Debian based. But they are not Debian. You will be
still able to use apt package tools by pointing the
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file to these distributions' repositories.
But then you are not running Debian, you are running a different distribution.
They are not the same.
</p>
<p>
In most situations if you stick with one distribution you should use that and
not mix packages from other distributions. Many common breakages arise due to
people running a distribution and trying to install Debian packages from other
distributions. The fact that they use the same formatting and name (.deb) does
not make them inmediately compatible.
</p>
<p>
For example, Knoppix is a Linux distribution designed to be booted as a live CD
where as Debian is designed to be installed on hard-disk. Knoppix is great if
you want to know whether a particular hardware works, or if you want to
experience how a linux system 'feels' etc., Knoppix is good for demonstration
purposes while Debian is designed to run 24/7. Moreover the number of packages
available, the number of architectures supported by Debian are far more greater
than that of Knoppix.
</p>
<p>
If you want Debian, it is best to install Debian from the get-go. Although it
is possible to install Debian through other distributions, such as Knoppix, the
procedure calls for expertise. If you are reading this FAQ, I would assume
that you are new to both Debian and Knoppix. In that case, save yourself a lot
of trouble later and install Debian right at the beginning.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.2.2"></a>3.2.2 I installed Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... on my hard disk. Now I have a problem. What should I do?</h3>
<p>
You are advised not to use the Debian forums (either mailing lists or IRC) for
help as people might advise you thinking that you are running a Debian system
and the "fixes" they provide might not be suited to what you are
running. They might even worsen the problem you are facing.
</p>
<p>
Use the forums of the specific distribution you are using first. If you do not
get help or the help you get does not fix your problem you might want to try
asking in Debian forums, but keep the advise of the previous paragraph in mind.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s3.2.3"></a>3.2.3 I'm using Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... and now I want to use Debian. How do I migrate?</h3>
<p>
Consider the change from a Debian-based distribution to Debian just like a
change from one operating system to another one. You should make a backup of
all your date and reinstall the operating system from scratch. You should not
attempt to "upgrade" to Debian using the package management tools as
you might end up with an unusable system.
</p>
<p>
If all your user data (i.e. your <code>/home</code>) is under a separate
partition migrating to Debian is actually quite simple, you just have to tell
the installation system to mount (but not reformat) that partition when
reinstalling. Making backups of your data, as well as your previous system's
configuration (i.e. <code>/etc/</code> and, maybe, <code>/var/</code>) is
still encouraged.
</p>
<hr>
<p>
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">previous</a> ]
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
[ 3 ]
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-ftparchives.en.html">6</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">next</a> ]
</p>
<hr>
<p>
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
</p>
<address>
version 4.0.4+nmu1, 3 January 2010<br>
<br>
Authors are listed at <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors">Debian FAQ Authors</a><br>
<br>
</address>
<hr>
</body>
</html>
|
