The missing link between developers and users
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Overview
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What is Debian?
- Linux is just the kernel of your operating system.
- You need a lot of applications around.
- Those collections of software around the Linux kernel is called
operating system or distribution.
- Companies who build such distributions are called distributors.
- They make money by selling their distribution in boxes, doing support and training.
- You might know Mandrake, RedHat, SuSE^H^H^H^HNovell and others.
- Debian is just one of them.
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Sorry.
That was wrong.
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The Debian Project is an association of individuals who have made
common cause to create a free operating system. This operating system
that we have created is called
Debian GNU/Linux,
or simply Debian for short.
Moreover, work is in progress to provide Debian for other kernels,
including in particular the Hurd and NetBSD. There have even been
discussions of a possible port to Windows.
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What are Custom Debian Distributions?
- Debian contains nearly 10000 binary packages
- General users interested in a subset of those packages
- Care for special groups of target users with different skills
and interests
- Not only handy collections of specific program packages but care for
easy installation and configuration for the intended purpose.
- No fork from Debian
→ Basic idea: Do not make a separate distribution
but make Debian fit for special purpose instead
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Motivation
- Support of target users with common profile:
- Less technical competence
- Not able to install upstream programs with acceptable
effort
- No interest in administration
- Interest in defined subset of available free
software
- Need for easy usage
- Defined security profile
- Language barrier
- Support of administrators with common profile:
- Limited time frame
- Seeking for time saving in often repeated tasks
- Lack of specialist knowledge
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Status of specialised free software
- Hard to install
- Hard to maintain
- Need for special configuration
- Sometimes hard to use because (lack of user interface)
- Strange Licenses
- Orphaned upstream
- Porting issues (architectures, byte order, 32 vis 64 bit)
- Parallel development of the same functionality
- Used tools or back ends are not intended for those
applications
→ Lack of an integrated framework
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General problem
- Free Software development is kind of evolutionary process
- Needs a critical mass of supporters which are
- Specialised software has a limited set of users (specialists)
- Results in a limited set of programmers
- We have to attract both groups to get it working ...
→ We are the missing link between upstream developers and users
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Existing Custom Debian Distributions
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Debian - adaptable for any purpose?
- Developed by about 1000 volunteers
- Flexible, not bound on commercial interest
- Strict rules (policy) glue all things together
- Common interest of each individual developer to get the best operating
system for himself
- Developers have children in real life or work in the field of
medicine etc.
- In contrast to employees of companies every single Debian developer has the
freedom and ability to realize his vision
- Do-O-Cracy = "The doer decides"
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Why not just forking from Debian?
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Meta Packages - Users point of view
- Collection of specific software
- No research for available software necessary
- User is not forced to browse the whole package list of Debian
- Easy comparison between software covering the same task
- Safety against accidental removal of dependencies
- Conflicts to incompatible packages
- Easy installation
- Low effort for administration
- Documentation packages
- Packaging and creating of relevant documentation
- Translation
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Handling of meta packages
- No special help by usual package handling tools
- Tricks to obtain informations about meta packages
(Mentioned in Custom
Debian Distributions paper)
- Target of future development
- Searching for existing meta packages
- Overview about dependencies
- Enhancing tools like aptitude,
synaptic, etc.
- Special tasksel section
- Web tools which keep meta package information up to date
- Find a set of keywords for each Custom Distribution and write a
tool to search comfortable
- Make use of Debian Package Tags
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User roles
- Role based user menu system
- User with role <cdd> is provided with additional
menu
- Do not bother other users with those additional menus
- Implemented in current Debian-Med packages
- Roles system is implemented by flexible plugins
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Developing meta packages
- The package cdd-dev provides development tools
- Examples and templates to fill in dependencies
- Verification of dependencies inside distribution
- Simple method to provide user menus
- Verification of dependencies
- Creates <cdd>-common package
- Package <cdd>-common: user roles
configuration
- Usage of these tools is strongly recommended
- Debian-Med packages provide a working example
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Documentation & Translation
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Communication
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What is a (customised) live CD?
- Boot an operating system
- Autodetect hardware
- Copy writable data to RAM disk and mount it writable
- Configure and start services
- Contain all applications for a certain task ready to run
- User is able to
- Work with his special applications
- Carry his own environment around
- Demonstrate (or even show off using) his fine system
- Leave the local harddisk untouched
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Further usage of live CDs
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Selection of Debian based live CDs
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Mastering a live CD - the right way™
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To do
- Enhance tools for handling meta packages
- Fix tasksel to present list of CDDs
- Debian Package Tags
- Integrate live CD build system into Debian
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Future
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Further Information
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