Debian GNU/Linux 2.0 'Hamm' Released

Debian GNU/Linux 2.0 'Hamm' Released

24 Jul 1998

Debian GNU/Linux 2.0 'Hamm' has officially been released for the i386 and m68k architectures.

It can be obtained in several ways:

FTP: ftp://ftp.debian.org/pub/debian/
CD-ROM: http://www.debian.org/distrib/vendors (list of distributors)
CD Images: http://cdimage.debian.org/

Debian 2.0 contains over 1500 precompiled binary packages contributed from over 400 developers, including all of the favorites: web servers, GIMP, gcc, egcs, XFree86, SQL servers and many other tools and utilities. It also marks the move from the older libc5 to the newer libc6.

Debian's powerful package manager 'dpkg' allows for easy installation, maintenance and updating of packages including sophisticated handling of dependencies and configurations. Packages from other distributions can easily be installed using the 'alien' utility.

Debian development distributions for Alpha, Sparc, and PowerPC are also available under the 'unstable' tree from the FTP site. They will likely be released with Debian 2.1 'Slink.' Development is currently in progress for UltraSparc, Netwinder and Hurd based distributions.

Why Debian GNU/Linux?

Debian is 100% Free Software. Our goal is to help keep Linux free.
Over 1500 precompiled software packages.
Over 400 developers, the largest staff of any Linux distribution.
The largest pre-release testing program in the Linux world.
Free on-line support from our large, friendly user community on the debian-user mailing list and interactive chat forums.
Floppy-less install directly from CD, or single floppy install using NFS or hard disk.
Automatic upgrades via CD, FTP, NFS, or disk.
Bug tracking system is publicly accessible on our web server, and users are encouraged to access the system and provide feedback.
Anyone can duplicate and sell our Official CD or a snapshot of the FTP archive, at no charge!
Compatible with RPM and Slackware packages.

Upgrade Information

To avoid problems in just upgrading packages via dpkg, dselect, or dftp (due to possible libc5/libc6 conflicts), a specific upgrade procedure is recommended. This document describing this procedure can be found at:

http://www.debian.org/2.0/HOWTO.upgrade

There are several ways to upgrade from an earlier version:

autoup.sh
This is a script that will upgrade the programs in the correct order, and even download the deb's for you. Because of the continuing changes to the archive, a tar archive of the packages that were available at the time autoup.sh was last released is provided. This is in the developers corner of the Debian web site, but newer versions are at:
- http://www.debian.org/2.0/autoup/
- ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/hamm/hamm/upgrade-i386/
- http://www.uk.debian.org/autoup/
- http://debian.vicnet.net.au/autoup/
- http://www.taz.net.au/autoup/
apt-get
This is the command line part of Debian's future package manager. It knows how to order packages and will download them from a local archive, http, and FTP sites. It is able to merge the info from several sites, so you can use a CD, an up to date mirror, and a non-us site for the best mix of speed, variety, and latest versions. Just run 'apt-get update; apt-get dist-upgrade'. The 'Bo' version is at: ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/hamm/hamm/upgrade-i386/. The 'Hamm' version is in project/experimental.
By hand
A HOWTO can be found at http://www.debian.org/2.0/autoup/HOWTO/libc5-libc6-Mini-HOWTO.html but as the autoup.sh simply automates this process this is the least convenient option.

About Debian

Debian GNU/Linux is a free distribution of the Linux operating system. It is maintained and updated through the work of many users who volunteer their time and effort.

Contact Information

For further information, please send email to press@debian.org or visit the Debian homepage at http://www.debian.org/.

From: "Nils Lohner" < lohner@debian.org>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce
Subject: Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 'Slink' released
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 19:26:09 GMT
Organization: none
Approved: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov (Mikko Rauhala)
Message-ID: < pycola.921093969.26718@revelation.bak.helsinki.fi>
Reply-To: "Nils Lohner" < lohner@debian.org>
	iQCVAgUBNubHWlrUI/eHXJZ5AQFKmwQAtrmISqycTiyAFSDHq+xwNZtLZMCHz3Qc
	i6StG2WqlqRaLv8gYTofqvZEZfIA+nAdXtTmRrYWpdQZFmYUq0etjHPteudxyGBI
	Nxg2t+iAewbbzJc2YNos/SDxa9F5nCZgxX94zsDznYUoXB3b0CHzMYREptBPDEY1
	joec1NjVCx8=
	=v3+A
Xref: sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk comp.os.linux.announce:12437

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Debian GNU/Linux
http://www.debian.org/
Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 'Slink' released
March 9, 1999
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>> News 

Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 'Slink' has officially been released on March 9, 1999 
for the SPARC, Intel x86, Alpha, and Motorola 680x0 architectures. Release 
notes, installation instructions, and other information is available at 
< http://www.debian.org/releases/slink/>.

It can be obtained in several ways:

FTP:       ftp://ftp.debian.org/pub/debian/
Mirrors:   http://www.debian.org/distrib/ftplist 
CD-ROM:    http://www.debian.org/distrib/vendors (list of distributors)
CD Images: http://cdimage.debian.org/

Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 contains over 2250 precompiled binary packages 
contributed from over 400 developers, including all of the favorites: web 
servers, GIMP, gcc, egcs, XFree86, SQL servers and many other tools and 
utilities.

Debian's new powerful package manager 'apt' allows for easy installation, 
maintenance and updating of packages including sophisticated handling of 
dependencies and configurations.  Packages from other distributions can 
easily be installed using the 'alien' utility.

Goals for future releases can be found at < http://www.debian.org/devel/rele
ase_info> and include full FHS compliance, Gnome 1.x packages, PAM 
integration, the new front end for the package management system, and 
others.

>> Why Debian GNU/Linux?

 o Debian is 100% Free Software. Our goal is to help keep Linux free.
 o Over 2250 precompiled software packages.
 o Over 400 developers, the largest staff of any Linux distribution.
 o The largest pre-release testing program in the Linux world.
 o Free on-line support from our large, friendly user community on the
   debian-user mailing list and interactive chat forums.
 o Floppy-less install directly from CD, or single floppy install
   using NFS or hard disk.
 o Automatic upgrades via CD, FTP, NFS, or disk.
 o Bug tracking system is publicly accessible on our web server, and
   users are encouraged to access the system and provide feedback.
 o Anyone can duplicate and sell our Official CD or a snapshot of the
   FTP archive, at no charge!
 o Compatible with RPM and Slackware packages.

>> About Debian

The Debian project is an organization of many users and developers who 
volunteer their time and effort.  Its tasks include maintaining and 
updating Debian GNU/Linux which is a free distribution of the GNU/Linux 
operating system, and the development of the Debian GNU/Hurd operating 
system.

>> Contact Information 

For further information, please send email to the Debian Press Contact 
< press@debian.org> or visit the Debian homepage at < http://www.debian.org/>

- -- 
Nils Lohner				E-Mail: lohner@debian.org
Debian Press Contact                    Press:  press@debian.org

- -- 
This article has been digitally signed by the moderator, using PGP.
http://www.iki.fi/mjr/cola-public-key.asc has PGP key for validating signature.
Send submissions for comp.os.linux.announce to: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov
PLEASE remember a short description of the software and the LOCATION.
This group is archived at http://www.iki.fi/mjr/linux/cola.html

Release of Debian 2.1

09 Mar 1999

Exactly on the revised schedule, at 00:00 GMT, March 9, Debian 2.1 (codenamed slink) was released. Release information is available here.

The bugs which delayed Debian for one week have been satisfactorily resolved.

CD Images have gone final, and should be making their way to distributors shortly - we have a list of debian vendors here. Up-to-date raw images will be available in a few days from the SunSITE UK FTP site, which is also rsync accessible at sunsite.org.uk::public/packages/debian-cd.

Debian can be downloaded for free from any of our mirrors.

Debian GNU/Linux 2.2, the "Joel 'Espy' Klecker" release, is officially released

15 Aug 2000

The Debian Project is pleased to announce the latest release of the Debian GNU/Linux Operating System. This release has been in development for approximately 18 months, and has been extensively tested by several thousand end-users and developers.

Debian GNU/Linux is a free Linux system. It is developed by roughly 500 volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the Internet. Debian's dedication to free software, its non-profit nature, and its open development model make it unique among Linux distributions.

With the addition of the PowerPC and ARM architectures, Debian GNU/Linux now supports a total of six architectures -- more than any other distribution. Packages for all architectures are built from the same source packages. Debian GNU/Linux now runs on iMacs and Netwinders, and of course Intel PCs, Sun SPARCs, Alphas, and older Macintosh and Amiga hardware are still supported.

Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 features a more streamlined and polished installation, including automatic network setup via DHCP, a simplified software selection process (just indicate the tasks your Debian GNU/Linux system will be used for), and a simplified configurator for the X Window System. Debian GNU/Linux can be installed via CD, or from the network and a few floppies. It can be obtained via FTP from ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/, and many mirrors, and will soon be available on CD-ROM from numerous vendors. CD Images may be downloaded now.

Upgrades to Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 from earlier releases are automatically handled by the apt package management tool. As always, Debian GNU/Linux systems can be upgraded painlessly, in place, with no downtime. For detailed documentation about installing and upgrading Debian GNU/Linux, please see the release notes.

Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 is based on the latest stable Linux kernel (2.2.16), updated with Alan Cox's patches expected to go into 2.2.17. The 2.2 kernel series includes significant improvements in usability and stability; it also includes more hardware support, for both older and newer products; laptop users will particularly notice improvements in the PCMCIA subsystem. Some other highlights of Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 from the nearly 800 updated packages include:

C Library 2.1.3
XFree86 3.3.6
GCC 2.95.2
GnuPG 1.0.1
Perl 5.005.03
Python 1.5.2
PAM 0.72
ncurses 5.0
teTeX 1.0.6
Emacs 20.7
XEmacs 21.1.10
GNOME 1.0.56

1200 new software packages have been added to Debian GNU/Linux 2.2. Some of the newly available software include:

postfix A new secure mail transport agent
openssh A free implementation of the secure shell
openldap LDAP client and server packages
w3m A new text-mode browser, with support for tables
gdm The GNOME display manager
cvsup An efficient mirroring system for CVS
everybuddy An all-in-one messaging client
reportbug A tool to report problems in Debian GNU/Linux
zope A web application server for dynamic web sites
xmms The X Multimedia System; an audio player
kaffe A free, JIT-capable, virtual machine for Java bytecode
gnapster An interface to the popular MP3 sharing service
And last, but not least, 56 new games.

Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 incorporates not only a great deal of updated and new software, but many enhancements, such as:

Widespread use of the Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM). With PAM, Debian GNU/Linux systems can be configured with standard Unix passwords or more secure options such as shadow and MD5 passwords, "smart cards", and one-time-password implementations.
A new network configuration system, configured through the /etc/network directory, which improves support for multihomed hosts.
Closer compliance to the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS), including a better separation between system-specific, architecture-specific, and architecture-independent data for use in heterogeneous environments.
Better support for international users. Japanese support is integrated into the core Debian archive, and other non-Latin character encodings are also better supported through wider internationalisation (I18N) support. European languages are also better supported, with more and better translations to more languages.

The Debian Project has always hoped to serve as a base for more specialised distributions, and in the past year this goal has been realized, with the adoption of the Debian system as a basis for commercial Linux distributions. Corel Corporation, Libra Computer Systems, and Stormix Technologies are among the companies that currently distribute distributions based on Debian; others are on the horizon. In addition, Debian GNU/Linux CDs have been bundled with several Debian books. What remains the same, however, is the project's volunteer base, its dedication to the Debian Social Contract, and its commitment to provide the best operating system possible. Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 is another important step in that direction.

Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 is dedicated to the memory of Joel "Espy" Klecker, a Debian developer, unbeknownst to most of the Debian Project, was bedridden and fighting a disease known as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy during most of his involvement with Debian. Only now is the Debian Project realizing the extent of his dedication, and the friendship he bestowed upon us. So as a show of appreciation, and in memory of his inspirational life, this release of Debian GNU/Linux is dedicated to him.