The Debian Administrator's Handbook

The term “architecture” indicates a type of computer (the most known include Mac or PC). Each architecture is differentiated primarily according to its processor, usually incompatible with other processors. These differences in hardware involve varying means of operation, thus requiring that software be compiled specifically for each architecture.

Most software available in Debian is written in portable programming languages: the same source code can compile on various architectures. In effect, an executable binary, always compiled for a specific architecture, will not usually function on the other architectures.

Recall that each program is created by writing source code; this source code is a text file composed of instructions in a given programming language. Before you can use the software, it is necessary to compile the source code, which means transforming the code into a binary (a series of machine instructions executable by the processor). Each programming language has a specific compiler to execute this operation (for example, gcc for the C programming language).

TOOL Installer

debian-installer is the name of the Debian installation program. Its modular design allows it to be used in a broad range of installation scenarios. The development work is coordinated on the mailing list under the direction of Otavio Salvador and Joey Hess.

1.1.2. The Quality of Free Software

Debian follows all of the principles of Free Software, and its new versions are not released until they are ready. Developers are not forced by some set schedule to rush to meet an arbitrary deadline. People frequently complain of the long time between Debian's stable releases, but this caution also ensures Debian's legendary reliability: long months of testing are indeed necessary for the full distribution to receive the “stable” label.

Debian will not compromise on quality: all known critical bugs are resolved in any new version, even if this requires the initially forecast release date to be pushed back.

Debian does not exclude any category of users, however small the minority. Its installation program has long been rough around the edges, because it was the only one able to operate on all of the architectures on which the Linux kernel runs. It wasn't possible to simply replace it with a program that was more user-friendly, but limited to only the PC (i386 architecture). Fortunately, since the arrival of the debian-installer, those days are over.

1.1.3. The Legal Framework: A Non-Profit Organization

Legally speaking, Debian is a project managed by an American not-for-profit, volunteer association. The project has a thousand Debian developers, but brings together a far greater number of contributors (translators, bug reporters, artists, casual developers, etc.).

To carry its mission to fruition, Debian has a large infrastructure, with many servers connected across the Internet, offered by many sponsors.

COMMUNITY Behind Debian, the SPI association, and local branches

Debian doesn't own any server in its own name, since it is only a project within the association Software in the Public Interest (SPI) which manages the hardware and financial aspects (donations, purchase of hardware, etc.). While initially created specifically for the Debian project, this association now has a hand in other free software projects, especially the PostgreSQL database, Freedesktop.org (project for standardization of various parts of modern graphical desktop environments, such as GNOME and KDE). The OpenOffice.org office suite has also long been a part of SPI, as well.

→ http://www.spi-inc.org/

In addition to SPI, various local associations collaborate closely with Debian in order to generate funds for Debian, without centralizing everything in the U.S.A. This setup avoids prohibitive international transfer costs, and fits well with the decentralized nature of the project. It is in this spirit that the Debian France association was founded in the summer of 2006. Do not hesitate to join and support the project!

→ http://france.debian.net/

1.2. The Foundation Documents

Some years after its initial launch, Debian formalized the principles that it should follow as a free software project. This activist step allows orderly and peaceful growth by ensuring that all members progress in the same direction. To become a Debian developer, any candidate must confirm and prove their support and adherence to the principles established in the project's Foundation Documents.