Debian/GNU Linux

3/22/00

Includes more than 3000 packages - all free

Company: Debian Version: 2.1 (slink), 2.2 (potato) Rating:	Go to Download Site Installation Instructions
Requirements: System based on SPARC, Intel x86, Alpha or Motorola 680x0 Purchase Information: Free

Debian is the non-commercial, all-volunteer-run distribution used by many Linux developers. It also forms the basis of the Corel Linux and Storm Linux distributions. Debian features the largest number of packages (at this writing, 3,200) and advanced package management tools. It has a reputation for being more difficult to install, but the more manual install may help users learn important things about their systems. Debian calls its distribution GNU/Linux out of respect for the GNU project, which contributes a great many of the C libraries and basic utilities that fill out nearly all Linux distributions. The GNU project also created the GNU Public License, or GPL, a legal and social contract that protects the Linux kernel and many other open source softwares. The Debian distribution is available for SPARC, Intel x86, Alpha and Motorola 680x0. A version using the GNU HURD kernel instead of Linux is also being developed.