Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released [LWN.net]

From:		Alexander Schmehl <tolimar-AT-debian.org>
To:		debian-announce-AT-lists.debian.org
Subject:		Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released
Date:		Sun, 8 Apr 2007 15:15:36 +0200

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Debian Project                                http://www.debian.org/
Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released                           press@debian.org
April 8th, 2007                 http://www.debian.org/News/2007/20070408
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released

The Debian Project is pleased to announce the official release of Debian
GNU/Linux version 4.0, codenamed "etch", after 21 months of constant
development.  Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system which supports
a total of eleven processor architectures and includes the KDE, GNOME
and Xfce desktop environments.  It also features cryptographic software
and compatibility with the FHS v2.3 and software developed for version
3.1 of the LSB.

Using a now fully integrated installation process, Debian GNU/Linux 4.0
comes with out-of-the-box support for encrypted partitions.  This
release introduces a newly developed graphical frontend to the
installation system supporting scripts using composed characters and
complex languages; the installation system for Debian GNU/Linux has now
been translated to 58 languages.

Also beginning with Debian GNU/Linux 4.0, the package management system
has been improved regarding security and efficiency.  Secure APT allows
the verification of the integrity of packages downloaded from a mirror.
Updated package indices won't be downloaded in their entirety, but
instead patched with smaller files containing only differences from
earlier versions.

Debian GNU/Linux runs on computers ranging from palmtops and handheld
systems to supercomputers, and on nearly everything in between.  A total
of eleven architectures are supported including:  Sun SPARC (sparc), HP
Alpha (alpha), Motorola/IBM PowerPC (powerpc), Intel IA-32 (i386) and
IA-64 (ia64), HP PA-RISC (hppa), MIPS (mips, mipsel), ARM (arm), IBM
S/390 (s390) and -- newly introduced with Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 -- AMD64
and Intel EM64T (amd64).

Debian GNU/Linux can be installed from various installation media such
as DVDs, CDs, USB sticks and floppies, or from the network.  GNOME is
the default desktop environment and is contained on the first CD.  The K
Desktop Environment (KDE) and the Xfce desktop can be installed through
two new alternative CD images.  Also newly available with Debian
GNU/Linux 4.0 are multi-arch CDs and DVDs supporting installation of
multiple architectures from a single disc.

Debian GNU/Linux can be downloaded right now via bittorent (the
recommended way), jigdo or HTTP;  see <http://www.debian.org/CD/> for
further information.  It will soon be available on DVD and CD-ROM from
numerous vendors <http://www.debian.org/CD/vendors/>, too.

This release includes a number of updated software packages, such as the
K Desktop Environment 3.5 (KDE), an updated version of the GNOME desktop
environment 2.14, the Xfce 4.4 desktop environment, the GNUstep desktop
5.2, X.Org 7.1, OpenOffice.org 2.0.4a, GIMP 2.2.13, Iceweasel (an
unbranded version of Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.3), Icedove (an unbranded
version of Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5), Iceape (an unbranded version of
Mozilla Seamonkey 1.0.8), PostgreSQL 8.1.8, MySQL 5.0.32, GNU Compiler
Collection 4.1.1, Linux kernel version 2.6.18, Apache 2.2.3, Samba
3.0.24, Python 2.4.4 and 2.5, Perl 5.8.8, PHP 4.4.4 and 5.2.0, Asterisk
1.2.13, and more than 18,000 other ready to use software packages.

Upgrades to Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 from the previous release, Debian
GNU/Linux 3.1 codenamed "sarge", are automatically handled by the
aptitude package management tool for most configurations, and to a
certain degree also by the apt-get package management tool.  As always,
Debian GNU/Linux systems can be upgraded quite painlessly, in place,
without any forced downtime, but it is strongly recommended to read the
release notes for possible issues.  For detailed instructions about
installing and upgrading Debian GNU/Linux, please see the release notes
<http://www.debian.org/releases/etch/releasenotes>.  Please note that
the release notes will be further improved and translated to additional
languages in the coming weeks.


About Debian
------------

Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system, developed by more than
a thousand volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the
Internet.  Debian's dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature,
and its open development model make it unique among GNU/Linux
distributions.

The Debian project's key strengths are its volunteer base, its dedication
to the Debian Social Contract, and its commitment to provide the best
operating system possible.  Debian 4.0 is another important step in that
direction.

Contact Information
-------------------

For further information, please visit the Debian web pages at
<http://www.debian.org/> or send mail to <press@debian.org>.


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(Log in to post comments)

Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released

Posted Apr 8, 2007 11:25 UTC (Sun) by sjj (guest, #2020) [Link]

Thanks to all the hardworking people behind Debian! The world would truly be a poorer place without your contribution.

Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released

Posted Apr 8, 2007 13:48 UTC (Sun) by grouch (subscriber, #27289) [Link]

Thanks to all the hardworking people behind Debian! The world would truly be a poorer place without your contribution.

Ditto!

Your second statement caused me to stop and think about all the aggravation that I have not had to endure over the years, thanks to the Debian volunteers. I can't calculate the value.

Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released

Posted Apr 8, 2007 16:18 UTC (Sun) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link]

The worst aggravation for me would be to have an amateurish Linux distro on several servers and desktops, or to put it differently: to be deprived of so many hours of fun. The true professionalism of a distributed network of volunteers really shines in Debian. Thanks a lot!

Gnome 2.14

Posted Apr 8, 2007 13:30 UTC (Sun) by Max.Hyre (subscriber, #1054) [Link]

Yah, but you can be certain it works with everything else in the release, which is the point of a Debian release: it Just Works.

As it happens, Gnome 2.16.2.1 is in the experimental section, and will probably be in unstable shortly. Note that unstable is more stable than most software you'll ever encounter.

To each her own.

Gnome 2.14

Posted Apr 8, 2007 14:02 UTC (Sun) by svena (subscriber, #20177) [Link]

Large parts of 2.18 are already ready in experimental. I expect there will be backports available through backports.org in good time.

Use the right tool for the right job.

Posted Apr 8, 2007 13:50 UTC (Sun) by mheily (subscriber, #27123) [Link]

Debian is for servers. Fedora is for desktops.

Use Debian

Posted Apr 8, 2007 14:06 UTC (Sun) by davi (subscriber, #18853) [Link]

I use Debian, both for servers and desktops, since several years. It just works. It rocks.

Servers and desktops

Posted Apr 8, 2007 14:22 UTC (Sun) by pr1268 (subscriber, #24648) [Link]

Actually, I think that Slackware is great for both. But, I'm horribly biased! ;-)

No matter what distro we all use, I think that the hard work the Debian developers has given us has a ripple effect amongst all distros - consider that the contributions made by any subset of the open source community benefit the community as a whole. Many thanks to the Debian community for their hard work.

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to find a fast download of Debian 4... :-)

package mismanagement, eh? ;-)

Posted Apr 8, 2007 17:59 UTC (Sun) by gvy (guest, #11981) [Link]

> I think that Slackware is great for both. But, I'm horribly biased! ;-)
You probably just happen to oversee very few systems ;-)

Kudos to debian team, iso-dvd/ for i386 and amd64 (as being the best alternative for IP-scarce places) are already heading onto ftp.linux.kiev.ua/pub/Linux/Debian mirror (UA-IX, reasonably fast in Ukraine with 100Mbps in Kiev).

Even if I happen to think that another distro fits me much better, and it's not any of another "big four". :)

package mismanagement, eh? ;-)

Posted Apr 8, 2007 21:18 UTC (Sun) by pr1268 (subscriber, #24648) [Link]

>> I think that Slackware is great for both. But, I'm horribly biased! ;-)
> You probably just happen to oversee very few systems ;-)

Yes, you're correct; I only manage two Slackware computers: my laptop and my desktop. A couple of years ago I managed two servers running Slackware 10.0. Package management on Slackware is really easy - you only have to be fluent in ssh, wget, and upgradepkg. Yeah, yeah, I know, the big-name distros do even that for you, but I kind of like having the control over upgrading packages and patches.

Back on-topic to Debian 4, I also want to extend a "thank you" to those online who are participating in the bittorrent swarm. Just since this afternoon I've completed the 1st DVD-ROM ISO; hopefully I'll have the other two by tomorrow (assuming that my ISP doesn't shut off the valve before then...) :-)

package mismanagement, eh? ;-)

Posted Apr 8, 2007 22:56 UTC (Sun) by dlang (subscriber, #313) [Link]

I've run slackware on 50ish systems, (and switched to debian becouse another department tried to push us to redhat in the name of 'standardization' and 'supportability' now running on a couple hundred servers)

frankly, when you are running a lot of servers, you don't want to use yum, dpkg, aptitude, or any other package management tool from each box directly, you want to deploy some sort of centralized configuration controls, and use those to upgrade your boxes. once you have done this, it really doesn't matter what the 'native' package manager is for those boxes (although it does make a difference on how much work you have to put into the one central image)

Servers and desktops

Posted Apr 9, 2007 2:23 UTC (Mon) by Arker (guest, #14205) [Link]

I've used most distros at one time or another, and I have to say Debian and Slack are the ones I always come back to. Each has their own strengths. I want to say it would be great if those could be combined - but the result would probably not be so good.

At any rate, congratulations and thanks to all the debian volunteers!

Use the right tool for the right job.

Posted Apr 9, 2007 9:27 UTC (Mon) by sjj (guest, #2020) [Link]

Debian is for lovers! ;-)

Use the right tool for the right job.

Posted Apr 10, 2007 8:31 UTC (Tue) by tjc (guest, #137) [Link]

Debian is for servers. Fedora is for desktops.

Thanks for your detailed analysis. ;-)

I've used Debian on my workstation in the past, and I look forward to trying this version. There's nothing better than a fresh release of Debian stable, before all the software is hopelessly out of date. I might make it all year without something breaking after an update.

Use the right tool for the right job.

Posted Apr 12, 2007 21:33 UTC (Thu) by a9db0 (subscriber, #2181) [Link]

Debian is for servers, U/K/Xbuntu is for workstations.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The reason: same package manager, same tools.

Thank you Debian Developers! My Etch-based routers, file/mail/web servers, and media systems run just great, thank you.

Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 released

Posted Apr 9, 2007 2:59 UTC (Mon) by dark (subscriber, #8483) [Link]

That's okay. The comments on the GNOME 2.18 release complain that not much
has changed since 2.14, so we're even :)