Notes for Debian and Ubuntu: Philosophy and Technology ========================================================= Written and presented by: Benjamin Mako Hill Talk delivered at: Gnubies_: New York GNU/Linux Beginners Group Wednesday, October 13, 2004 IBM building 590 Madison Ave .. _gnubies: http://www.eskimo.com/~lo/linux/ Introduction ------------- Ubuntu is an African concept of humanity toward others: A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed. --Archbishop Desmond Tutu - Ubuntu is about sharing, working together, and engaging in profound and meaningful collaboration. - Ubuntu a distinctly ethical and philosophical position. In this way, it provides an interesting way to introduce the role of philosophy and ethics in the Free Software movement. The History and Philosophy of Free Software -------------------------------------------- The idea of Free Software was first advanced by Richard Stallman. It is: - The freedom to run software, for any purpose - The freedom to study how software works, and adapt it to your needs. - The freedom to redistribute copies. - The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Connected to Free software is the idea of copyleft. Copyleft basically says: the only thing you are restricted from doing, is making this software less free. This does not preclude *commercial* development. Free Software is an *ethical* position. It is *all* about freedom. It turns out that freedom makes software that is also better than proprietary software. This makes sense: *unrestricted collaboration will be more productive than secrecy and reproduction of labor.* Open Source ------------ As a result of the better software, another group of programmers created a new term, "Open Source," to make the Free Software model more attractive to people and businesses who might be scared off by talk of freedom. The differences are ultimately political and some, but not all, see them as contradictory. The Debian Project ------------------- The Debian project is Linux Distribution. The things it is well respected for in the Linux community include: - Excellent package management tools -- ``apt-get`` as one example. - An *huge* list of packages. - A consistent (and enforced) distribution wide policy. - A huge volunteer base. - A commitment to Free Software philosophy. Debian has also developed a reputation for some things it has historically not done very well. These include: - Releasing frequently and/or predictably. - Accountability (in the corporate or institutional sense). - Ease of use (especially the installer) for beginners. - Tight desktop integration. Ubuntu ------- Enter... The Ubuntu GNU/Linux Distribution! Ubuntu is a Debian-based distribution. - Ubuntu starts with Debian and then narrows it down to a manageable number of packages -- and then works on making those easy-to-use, integrated, and bug free. - All of the other bits are still available through Ubuntu's ``universe`` component which is a snapshot of Debian. - Ubuntu then is able to release predictably and frequently (every six months). - Ubuntu is able create an OS that is easier to install and use (less questions in the installer, etc), integrated GNOME environment. At the same time, Ubuntu maintains Debian's commitment to Free Software. Ubuntu (and everything in it), like Debian can: - be run for any purpose - be modified when bugs are fixed - be copied and given to others - can be derived and resold or redistributed without permission Quick Links ------------ - `Benjamin Mako Hill`_ - Ubuntu_ - Debian_ .. _Benjamin Mako Hill: http://mako.yukidoke.org .. _Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntulinux.org .. _Debian: http://www.debian.org