The debian-private mailing list leak, part 1. Volunteers have complained about Blackmail. Lynchings. Character assassination. Defamation. Cyberbullying. Volunteers who gave many years of their lives are picked out at random for cruel social experiments. The former DPL's girlfriend Molly de Blanc is given volunteers to experiment on for her crazy talks. These volunteers never consented to be used like lab rats. We don't either. debian-private can no longer be a safe space for the cabal. Let these monsters have nowhere to hide. Volunteers are not disposable. We stand with the victims.
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

draft announcement

Here's a draft announcement for 1.2 . Please get changes to me before
tomorrow morning. Someone please tell me what FTP sites are up to date!

                  Software in the Public Interest

                             Presents

                    *** Debian GNU/Linux 1.2 ***

   * 848 software packages. Twice as many as in Debian 1.1!
   * 120 developers! The largest staff of any Linux Distribution.
   * Compatible with the Red Hat and Slackware package systems.
   * Upgrade-in-place means you never have to re-install a Debian system.
   * Package system can upgrade to newer releases automaticaly via FTP!

Debian is free to use and re-distribute, there is no consortium membership
or payment required to participate in its distribution and development. The
developers are unpaid volunteers from all over the world who collaborate
via the Internet. The quality of Debian can be favorably compared with
the best of commercial Unix and Linux systems. A detailed catalog of the
software packages in Debian can be found at http://www.debian.org/FTP/ .

Debian 1.2 is a special release for us. With this release we have shown
that Debian is a mature system, and capable of becoming the leading Linux
distribution. Debian's dedication to free software, our non-profit nature,
and our open development model make us unique among Linux distributions.

The Debian 1.2 system features the Linux 2.0.27 kernel and all-ELF
executables. A distinguishing feature of Debian is the most sophisticated
package system available for any Unix or Linux system. The package system
retrieves packages from an FTP site automaticaly, or reads them from a disk
or CD-ROM, and can upgrade, install, or un-install packages at your request.
A new feature is automatic conversion of Red Hat or Slackware packages to
Debian packages using our "alien" program. The converted packages are
capable of installing, upgrading, and un-installing themselves just as
native Debian packages do.

There are ports of Debian 1.2 to the m68k, ALPHA, and SPARC in progress.
Prototype systems for the 68k and ALPHA already exist and are available to
developers. SPARC is just being bootstrapped, and a MIPS port is expected
eventually.

There are two versions of the Debian distribution: the "stable",
and the "development" version. The "stable" directory currently contains
Debian 1.2.0 . Point releases of "stable" happen every few weeks as
bug-fixes are submitted, but there are no large changes until the next
major release. The "development" version is where we are building Debian
2.0 . The development directory is updated continuously, and you can
retrieve packages from the "development" archive on our FTP sites and use
them to upgrade your system at any time. Thus, users who need stability
are well-supported, and those who wish to be constantly at the leading edge
are accomodated just as well.

Besides being an excellent full-featured stand-alone Linux system,
Debian is also a base upon which value-added Linux distributions can be
built. When they derive from Debian, Linux distribution creators can
eliminate duplication-of-effort and focus on the things that make their
own distribution special.

Debian was created by Ian Murdock in 1993, and Ian's work was sponsored
for one year by FSF's GNU project. Debian should be considered a direct
descendent of the GNU system. The goals of the Debian developers
correspond to those of the Free Software movement, however we are a
separate organization from FSF.

FTP Sites:

You can retrieve Debian 1.2 from these sites:

*** FILL IN HERE ***

The installation floppy disk images and a full installation manual are
in the Debian-1.2/disks-i386/current subdirectory on these sites.
You can access the installation manual using the url
ftp://www.debian.org/debian/Debian-1.2/disks-i386/current/install.html .
The rest of the software packages are in the Debian-1.2/binary-i386
subdirectory.

Web Site

Visit our web site http://www.debian.org/ for more information about
Debian.

Mailing Lists

To subscribe to the mailing lists, send the word "subscribe" to one of
these addresses:

debian-user-REQUEST@lists.debian.org
    There are a lot of experienced users on this list who can answer
    any question you might have. There can be 20 messages a day or more
    on this list.

debian-announce-REQUEST@lists.debian.org
    Major system announcements. Averages less than one message per week.

debian-changes-REQUEST@lists.debian.org
    This is a list for announcements of new package uploads for the Debian
    system. It may carry several announcements in a day.

Questions and Answers

Q: How should Debian be compared to other Linux systems?

A: Debian is at least as good as any other Unix or Linux distribution,
even the most professional. Debian's most important feature is it's
package system. Red Hat has the only other package system with a
similar upgrade mechanism to that in Debian, and Red Hat packages are
used by various value-added Linux distributions such as Caldera and
LaserMoon. Debian is now capable of converting Red Hat packages
automaticaly, so that commercial programs for these other Linux
distributions can be installed on Debian. One major difference between
Debian and other Linux distributors is that Debian is a non-profit
organization, and the others are commercial companies.

Debian's aim is to work together with other Linux developers rather
than compete with them. We maintain open and cordial communications
with other Linux distributions including Red Hat, Caldera, Slackware,
and LaserMoon. We respect these organizations and their employees.
We encourage all creators of Linux distributions to derive components
or their entire distributions from Debian.

Q: How compatible is Debian?

A: We communicate with other Linux distribution creators in an effort
to maintain binary compatibility across Linux distributions. Most
commercial Linux products run as well under Debian as they do on the
system upon which they were built. Our "alien" program allows you to
install packages created for these other systems as if they were Debian
packages.

Q: What about the Free Software Foundation's GNU Project?

A: At the request of FSF we have named the system "Debian GNU/Linux".
We support the goals of FSF and like to think of Debian as "Son of GNU".
However, we've separated our organization from FSF so that we can have
exclusive control over our technical direction.

Q: Can I make and sell Debian CDs?

A: Go ahead. You don't need permission to distribute anything we've
_released_. You don't have to pay us anything. We will, however, publish
a list of CD manufacturers who donate money, software, and time to the
Debian project, and we'll encourage users to buy from manufacturers who
donate, so it's good advertising to make donations. Of course all CD
manufacturers must honor the licenses of the programs in Debian. For
example, many of the programs are licensed under the GPL, which
requires you to distribute their source code.

Q: Can Debian be packaged with non-free software?

A: Yes. While all the main components of Debian are free software, we
provide a non-free directory for programs that aren't freely
redistributable. CD manufacturers _may_ be able to distribute the
programs we've placed in that directory, depending on the license terms
or their private arrangements with the authors of those software
packages. CD manufacturers can also distribute the non-free software
they get from other sources on the same CD. This is nothing new: free
and commercial software are distributed on the same CD by many
manufacturers now. Of course we still encourage software authors to
release the programs they write as free software.

Q: Is source code included with the system?

A: Source code is included for everything. Most of the license terms of
programs in the system require that source code be distributed along
with the programs. Thus, it's not OK to make a CD of executable
programs without the source code.

Q: I'm making a special Linux distribution for a "vertical market". Can
I use Debian 1.2 for the guts of a Linux system and add my own
applications on top of it?

A: Yes. For example, one person is building a "Linux for Hams"
distribution, with specialized programs for Radio Amateurs. He's
starting with Debian 1.1 as the "base system", and adding programs to
control the transmitter, track satellites, etc. All of the programs he
adds are packaged with the Debian package system so that his users will
be able to upgrade easily when he releases subsequent CDs.

Q: How do I become a Debian Developer?

A: You can find all of the developer's information in the "Debian Policy
Manual" and "Dpkg Programmer's Manual", available on our web site
http://www.debian.org .

Q: Can I put my commercial program in a Debian "package" so that it
installs effortlessly on any Debian system?

A: Go right ahead. The package tool is free software.

Q: What is "Software in the Public Interest"

A: It's a non-profit organization we formed to sponsor the Debian effort.
The purpose of the organization is to develop and distribute free software.
Our goals are much like those of FSF except that our main project is a
Linux system. We encourage programmers to use the GNU General Public
License or another license that allows free redistribution and use of
software.

                               * * *

Unix, Red Hat, Caldera, and LaserMoon are probably trademarks, and are the
property of their respective owners. Ownership of the name "Linux" is
currently in dispute.
--
Bruce Perens K6BP   Bruce@Pixar.com
Finger bruce@master.Debian.org for PGP public key.
PGP fingerprint = 88 6A 15 D0 65 D4 A3 A6  1F 89 6A 76 95 24 87 B3 


--
Please respect the confidentiality of material on the debian-private list.
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to
debian-private-REQUEST@lists.debian.org . Trouble? e-mail to Bruce@Pixar.com