diff options
author | Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> | 2005-10-07 19:51:38 +0000 |
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committer | Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> | 2005-10-07 19:51:38 +0000 |
commit | 1ea73eea5ecc6a8ed901316049259aee737ee554 (patch) | |
tree | 03a077f0b1b1548f3c806bd1c5795964fba0fb52 /en/welcome/what-is-debian.xml | |
download | installation-guide-1ea73eea5ecc6a8ed901316049259aee737ee554.zip |
move manual to top-level directory, split out of debian-installer package
Diffstat (limited to 'en/welcome/what-is-debian.xml')
-rw-r--r-- | en/welcome/what-is-debian.xml | 112 |
1 files changed, 112 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/en/welcome/what-is-debian.xml b/en/welcome/what-is-debian.xml new file mode 100644 index 000000000..dcd384c65 --- /dev/null +++ b/en/welcome/what-is-debian.xml @@ -0,0 +1,112 @@ +<!-- retain these comments for translator revision tracking --> +<!-- $Id$ --> + + <sect1 id="what-is-debian"> + <title>What is Debian?</title> +<para> + +Debian is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to developing free +software and promoting the ideals of the Free Software Foundation. +The Debian Project began in 1993, when Ian Murdock issued an open +invitation to software developers to contribute to a complete and +coherent software distribution based on the relatively new Linux +kernel. That relatively small band of dedicated enthusiasts, +originally funded by the +<ulink url="&url-fsf-intro;">Free Software Foundation</ulink> +and influenced by the +<ulink url="&url-gnu-intro;">GNU</ulink> +philosophy, has grown over the years into an organization of around +&num-of-debian-developers; <firstterm>Debian Developers</firstterm>. + +</para><para> + +Debian Developers are involved in a variety of activities, including +<ulink url="&url-debian-home;">Web</ulink> +and <ulink url="&url-debian-ftp;">FTP</ulink> +site administration, graphic design, legal analysis of +software licenses, writing documentation, and, of course, maintaining +software packages. + +</para><para> + +In the interest of communicating our philosophy and attracting +developers who believe in the principles that Debian stands for, the +Debian Project has published a number of documents that outline our +values and serve as guides to what it means to be a Debian Developer: + +<itemizedlist> +<listitem><para> + +The +<ulink url="&url-social-contract;">Debian Social Contract</ulink> is +a statement of Debian's commitments to the Free Software Community. +Anyone who agrees to abide to the Social Contract may become a +<ulink url="&url-new-maintainer;">maintainer</ulink>. +Any maintainer can introduce new software into Debian — provided +that the software meets our criteria for being free, and the package +follows our quality standards. + +</para></listitem> +<listitem><para> + +The +<ulink url="&url-dfsg;">Debian Free Software Guidelines</ulink> are a +clear and concise statement of Debian's criteria for free software. +The DFSG is a very influential document in the Free Software Movement, +and was the foundation of the +<ulink url="&url-osd;">The Open Source Definition</ulink>. + +</para></listitem> +<listitem><para> + +The +<ulink url="&url-debian-policy;">Debian Policy Manual</ulink> is an +extensive specification of the Debian Project's standards of quality. + +</para></listitem> +</itemizedlist> +</para><para> + +Debian developers are also involved in a number of other projects; +some specific to Debian, others involving some or all of the Linux +community. Some examples include: + +<itemizedlist> +<listitem><para> + +The +<ulink url="&url-lsb-org;">Linux Standard Base</ulink> +(LSB) is a project aimed at standardizing the basic GNU/Linux system, +which will enable third-party software and hardware developers to +easily design programs and device drivers for Linux-in-general, rather +than for a specific GNU/Linux distribution. + +</para></listitem> +<listitem><para> + +The +<ulink url="&url-fhs-home;">Filesystem Hierarchy Standard</ulink> +(FHS) is an effort to standardize the layout of the Linux +file system. The FHS will allow software developers to concentrate +their efforts on designing programs, without having to worry about how +the package will be installed in different GNU/Linux distributions. + +</para></listitem> +<listitem><para> + +<ulink url="&url-debian-jr;">Debian Jr.</ulink> +is an internal project, aimed at making sure Debian has something to +offer to our youngest users. + +</para></listitem> +</itemizedlist> + +</para><para> + +For more general information about Debian, see the +<ulink url="&url-debian-faq;">Debian FAQ</ulink>. + +</para> + + </sect1> + |