Debian GNU/Linux the stable Linux distribution

Debian is fundamentally different from the other major GNU/Linux distributions in that it is non-commercial. This means not only that it is free, but that it is not subject to normal commercial pressures such as releasing the latest and greatest before it's really ready.

Likewise, this means that Debian does not include the latest and greatest in its standard distribution, so at any one time there are three Debian releases: 'stable', 'testing' and 'unstable'. Currently the Emporium sells the stable distribution only. The current stable distribution is release 4.0, code-named 'Etch'.

Conversely, this means that Debian is valued for its stability. It is a favoured choice of discerning sysadmins, particularly for servers. It does not have the user-friendly install routines of other mainstream distributions like SUSE, Red Hat/Fedora and Ubuntu, so it is not recommended for users who are new to Linux.

However, once up and running Debian's Advanced Packaging Tool, apt, makes updating very easy, and experienced Debian administrators often use apt to apply security updates automatically.

Debian, organized by the Debian Project, is a widely used distribution of free software developed through the collaboration of volunteers from around the world. The system is based on the Linux kernel, along with many basic tools from the GNU project; for this reason, some prefer that it be referred to as GNU/Linux.

Debian is known for its adherence to the Unix and Free Software philosophies, and for its abundance of options—the current release includes over fifteen thousand software packages for eleven computer architectures, ranging from the ARM architecture commonly found in embedded systems and the IBM s390 mainframe architecture to the more common x86 and PowerPC architectures found in modern personal computers. Debian GNU/Linux is the basis for several other distributions, including Knoppix and Ubuntu.

These practices afford easy upgrades between releases and automated installation and removal of packages.

Debian is supported by donations through Software in the Public Interest, Inc, a non-profit umbrella organization for Free Software projects.

Debian Etch DVD full set

Set of 3 DVD-Rs £10.00

Debian release 4.0, codenamed Etch, is the latest milestone stable release of this definitive distribution, which is so popular with sysadmins who value stability.

Etch is much improved over its predecessor, Sarge, which itself was a major advance. All the traditional Debian features of stability security and ease of maintenance remain, but this release is up to the minute and has a much more user-friendly install.

Today (9th April) I installed it on a Lenovo laptop, and it went on very smoothly, last week I upgraded one of our web servers from Sarge to Etch, and this too was painless. Important when the server is locked away in a data centre a hundred miles away!

Summary features:

Kernel 2.6.18, with SMP as standard
Improved installer, no need for reboot during install, and GUI install available
udev replaces devfs
Even more software: 18200 packages
Xorg 7.1
GNOME 2.14
KDE 3.5.5a
OpenOffice.org 2.0.4a
glibc 2.3.6
gcc 4.1
PHP 5.2
Python 2.4
Apache 2.2
PostgreSQL 8.1
MySQL 5.0.32
etc, etc

The full distribution now ships on 3 or 4 DVD's, or 19 to 23 CD's, depending on architecture. With the demand for CD's falling, the Emporium will be distributing the DVD version only: if you must have the CD version let us know and if the demand is there we'll do it.

The version we're distributing is 4.0, released 8th April 2007. Initially we're stocking the i486, ia64, AMD64 and Power PC architectures: we'll add others as demand arises. If you want one of them please let us know. The ia64 ad Power PC sets have 4 DVD's, not 3, but the price is the same.

the Linux Emporium

Debian GNU/Linux the stable Linux distribution

Debian Etch DVD full set

Debian Etch Sources DVD full set