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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
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<title>The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ - Getting support for Debian GNU/Linux</title>
<link href="index.en.html" rel="start">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html" rel="prev">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html" rel="next">
<link href="index.en.html#contents" rel="contents">
<link href="index.en.html#copyright" rel="copyright">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html" rel="chapter" title="1 Definitions and overview">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html" rel="chapter" title="2 Getting and installing Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="3 Choosing a Debian distribution">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html" rel="chapter" title="4 Compatibility issues">
<link href="ch-software.en.html" rel="chapter" title="5 Software available in the Debian system">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html" rel="chapter" title="6 The Debian FTP archives">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html" rel="chapter" title="7 Basics of the Debian package management system">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html" rel="chapter" title="8 The Debian package management tools">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html" rel="chapter" title="9 Keeping your Debian system up-to-date">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html" rel="chapter" title="10 Debian and the kernel">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="11 Customizing your installation of Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-support.en.html" rel="chapter" title="12 Getting support for Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="13 Contributing to the Debian Project">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html" rel="chapter" title="14 Redistributing Debian GNU/Linux in a commercial product">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html" rel="chapter" title="15 Changes expected in the next major release of Debian">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html" rel="chapter" title="16 General information about the FAQ">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisfaq" rel="section" title="1.1 What is this FAQ?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisdebian" rel="section" title="1.2 What is Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-linux" rel="section" title="1.3 OK, now I know what Debian is... what is Linux?!">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-non-linux" rel="section" title="1.4 Does Debian just do GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-difference" rel="section" title="1.5 What is the difference between Debian GNU/Linux and other Linux distributions? Why should I choose Debian over some other distribution?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-gnu" rel="section" title="1.6 How does the Debian project fit in or compare with the Free Software Foundation's GNU project?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-pronunciation" rel="section" title="1.7 How does one pronounce Debian and what does this word mean?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-version" rel="section" title="2.1 What is the latest version of Debian?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-updatestable" rel="section" title="2.2 Are there package upgrades in `stable'?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-boot-floppies" rel="section" title="2.3 Where/how can I get the Debian installation disks?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdrom" rel="section" title="2.4 How do I install the Debian from CD-ROMs?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdimage-symlinks" rel="section" title="2.5 Why does the official stable released CD-ROM contain symlinks for `frozen' and `unstable'? I thought this CD contains just `stable'!">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-remoteinstall" rel="section" title="2.6 Can I get and install Debian directly from a remote Internet site?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-alternativebootinstaller" rel="section" title="2.7 Are there any alternative strategies for booting the system installer?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1" rel="section" title="3.1 Which Debian distribution (stable/testing/unstable) is better for me?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2" rel="section" title="3.2 But what about Knoppix, Linex, Ubuntu, and others?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches" rel="section" title="4.1 On what hardware architectures/systems does Debian GNU/Linux run?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherdistribs" rel="section" title="4.2 How compatible is Debian with other distributions of Linux?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherunices" rel="section" title="4.3 How source code compatible is Debian with other Unix systems?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherpackages" rel="section" title="4.4 Can I use Debian packages (".deb" files) on my Red Hat/Slackware/... Linux system? Can I use Red Hat packages (".rpm" files) on my Debian GNU/Linux system?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-non-debian-programs" rel="section" title="4.5 How should I install a non-Debian program?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-termcap" rel="section" title="4.6 Why can't I compile programs that require libtermcap?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-accelx" rel="section" title="4.7 Why can't I install AccelX?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-motifnls" rel="section" title="4.8 Why do my old XFree 2.1 Motif applications crash?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-apps" rel="section" title="5.1 What types of applications and development software are available for Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-softwareauthors" rel="section" title="5.2 Who wrote all that software?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pkglist" rel="section" title="5.3 How can I get a current list of programs that have been packaged for Debian?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-buildenv" rel="section" title="5.4 How can I install a developer's environment to build packages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-missing" rel="section" title="5.5 What is missing from Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-no-devs" rel="section" title="5.6 Why do I get "ld: cannot find -lfoo" messages when compiling programs? Why aren't there any libfoo.so files in Debian library packages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-java" rel="section" title="5.7 (How) Does Debian support Java?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-isitdebian" rel="section" title="5.8 How can I check that I am using a Debian system, and what version is it?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonenglish" rel="section" title="5.9 How does Debian support non-English languages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pine" rel="section" title="5.10 Where is pine?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-qmail" rel="section" title="5.11 Where is qmail/ezmlm/djbdns?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-flash" rel="section" title="5.12 Where is a player for Flash (SWF)?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-googleearth" rel="section" title="5.13 Where is Google Earth?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-voip" rel="section" title="5.14 Where is VoIP software?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonfreewireless" rel="section" title="5.15 I have a wireless network card which doesn't work with Linux. What should I do?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dists" rel="section" title="6.1 How many Debian distributions are there?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-codenames" rel="section" title="6.2 What are all those names like etch, lenny, etc.?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sid" rel="section" title="6.3 What about "sid"?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-stable" rel="section" title="6.4 What does the stable directory contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-testing" rel="section" title="6.5 What does the testing distribution contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-unstable" rel="section" title="6.6 What does the unstable distribution contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dirtree" rel="section" title="6.7 What are all those directories at the Debian FTP archives?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-archsections" rel="section" title="6.8 What are all those directories inside <samp>dists/stable/main</samp>?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-source" rel="section" title="6.9 Where is the source code?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-pools" rel="section" title="6.10 What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-incoming" rel="section" title="6.11 What is "incoming"?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-ownrepository" rel="section" title="6.12 How do I set up my own apt-able repository?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-package" rel="section" title="7.1 What is a Debian package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-deb-format" rel="section" title="7.2 What is the format of a Debian binary package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgname" rel="section" title="7.3 Why are Debian package file names so long?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-controlfile" rel="section" title="7.4 What is a Debian control file?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-conffile" rel="section" title="7.5 What is a Debian conffile?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-maintscripts" rel="section" title="7.6 What is a Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm script?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-priority" rel="section" title="7.7 What is an <em>Essential</em>, <em>Required</em>, <em>Important</em>, <em>Standard</em>, <em>Optional</em>, or <em>Extra</em> package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-virtual" rel="section" title="7.8 What is a Virtual Package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-depends" rel="section" title="7.9 What is meant by saying that a package <em>Depends</em>, <em>Recommends</em>, <em>Suggests</em>, <em>Conflicts</em>, <em>Replaces</em> or <em>Provides</em> another package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pre-depends" rel="section" title="7.10 What is meant by Pre-Depends?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgstatus" rel="section" title="7.11 What is meant by <em>unknown</em>, <em>install</em>, <em>remove</em>, <em>purge</em> and <em>hold</em> in the package status?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-puttingonhold" rel="section" title="7.12 How do I put a package on hold?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcepkgs" rel="section" title="7.13 How do I install a source package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcebuild" rel="section" title="7.14 How do I build binary packages from a source package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-creatingdebs" rel="section" title="7.15 How do I create Debian packages myself?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-pkgprogs" rel="section" title="8.1 What programs does Debian provide for managing its packages?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-updaterunning" rel="section" title="8.2 Debian claims to be able to update a running program; how is this accomplished?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-whatpackages" rel="section" title="8.3 How can I tell what packages are already installed on a Debian system?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-listfiles" rel="section" title="8.4 How to display the files of a package installed?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-filesearch" rel="section" title="8.5 How can I find out what package produced a particular file?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-datapackages" rel="section" title="8.6 Why doesn't get `foo-data' removed when I uninstall `foo'? How do I make sure old unused library-packages get purged?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-howtocurrent" rel="section" title="9.1 How can I keep my Debian system current?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-upgradesingle" rel="section" title="9.2 Must I go into single user mode in order to upgrade a package?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-savedebs" rel="section" title="9.3 Do I have to keep all those .deb archive files on my disk?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-keepingalog" rel="section" title="9.4 How can I keep a log of the packages I added to the system? I'd like to know when which package upgrades and removals have occured!">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-autoupdate" rel="section" title="9.5 Can I automatically update the system?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptproxy" rel="section" title="9.6 I have several machines how can I download the updates only one time?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-non-debian-kernel" rel="section" title="10.1 Can I install and compile a kernel without some Debian-specific tweaking?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-customkernel" rel="section" title="10.2 What tools does Debian provide to build custom kernels?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-custombootdisk" rel="section" title="10.3 How can I make a custom boot floppy?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-modules" rel="section" title="10.4 What special provisions does Debian provide to deal with modules?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-removeoldkernel" rel="section" title="10.5 Can I safely de-install an old kernel package, and if so, how?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-papersize" rel="section" title="11.1 How can I ensure that all programs use the same paper size?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-hardwareaccess" rel="section" title="11.2 How can I provide access to hardware peripherals, without compromising security?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-consolefont" rel="section" title="11.3 How do I load a console font on startup the Debian way?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-appdefaults" rel="section" title="11.4 How can I configure an X11 program's application defaults?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-booting" rel="section" title="11.5 Every distribution seems to have a different boot-up method. Tell me about Debian's.">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-custombootscripts" rel="section" title="11.6 It looks as if Debian does not use <samp>rc.local</samp> to customize the boot process; what facilities are provided?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-interconffiles" rel="section" title="11.7 How does the package management system deal with packages that contain configuration files for other packages?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-divert" rel="section" title="11.8 How do I override a file installed by a package, so that a different version can be used instead?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-localpackages" rel="section" title="11.9 How can I have my locally-built package included in the list of available packages that the package management system knows about?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-diverse" rel="section" title="11.10 Some users like mawk, others like gawk; some like vim, others like elvis; some like trn, others like tin; how does Debian support diversity?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-debiandocs" rel="section" title="12.1 What other documentation exists on and for a Debian system?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-onlineresources" rel="section" title="12.2 Are there any on-line resources for discussing Debian?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-searchtools" rel="section" title="12.3 Is there a quick way to search for information on Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-buglogs" rel="section" title="12.4 Are there logs of known bugs?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-bugreport" rel="section" title="12.5 How do I report a bug in Debian?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contrib" rel="section" title="13.1 How can I become a Debian software developer?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contribresources" rel="section" title="13.2 How can I contribute resources to the Debian project?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-supportingorganizations" rel="section" title="13.3 How can I contribute financially to the Debian project?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-sellcds" rel="section" title="14.1 Can I make and sell Debian CDs?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-packagednonfree" rel="section" title="14.2 Can Debian be packaged with non-free software?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-childistro" rel="section" title="14.3 I am making a special Linux distribution for a "vertical market". Can I use Debian GNU/Linux for the guts of a Linux system and add my own applications on top of it?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-commercialdebs" rel="section" title="14.4 Can I put my commercial program in a Debian "package" so that it installs effortlessly on any Debian system?">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-i18n" rel="section" title="15.1 Extended support for non-English users">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-dependencybasedboot" rel="section" title="15.2 Faster booting: Dependency based boot sequence">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-di" rel="section" title="15.3 Improvements in the Debian Installer">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morearches" rel="section" title="15.4 More architectures">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morekernels" rel="section" title="15.5 More kernels">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors" rel="section" title="16.1 Authors">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-feedback" rel="section" title="16.2 Feedback">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-latest" rel="section" title="16.3 Availability">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-docformat" rel="section" title="16.4 Document format">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.1" rel="subsection" title="3.1.1 You asked me to install stable, but in stable so and so hardware is not detected/working. What should I do?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.2" rel="subsection" title="3.1.2 Will there be different different versions of packages in different distributions?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.3" rel="subsection" title="3.1.3 The stable distributions really contains outdated packages. Just look at Kde, Gnome, Xorg or even the kernel. They are very old. Why is it so?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.4" rel="subsection" title="3.1.4 If I were to decide to change to another distribution, Can I do that?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.5" rel="subsection" title="3.1.5 Could you tell me whether to install testing or unstable?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.6" rel="subsection" title="3.1.6 You are talking about testing being broken. What do you mean by that?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.7" rel="subsection" title="3.1.7 Why is it that testing could be broken for months? Wont the fixes introduced in unstable flow directly down into testing?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.8" rel="subsection" title="3.1.8 From an administrator's point of view, Which distribution requires more attention?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.9" rel="subsection" title="3.1.9 What happens when a new release is made?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.10" rel="subsection" title="3.1.10 I have a working Desktop/cluster with Debian installed. How do I know which distribution I am running?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.11" rel="subsection" title="3.1.11 I am currently tracking stable. Can I change to testing or unstable? If so, How?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.12" rel="subsection" title="3.1.12 I am currently tracking testing (lenny). What will happen when a release is made? Will I still be tracking testing or will my machine be running the new stable distribution?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.13" rel="subsection" title="3.1.13 I am still confused. What did you say I should install?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.1" rel="subsection" title="3.2.1 I know that Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... is Debian-based. So after installing it on the hard disk, can I use 'apt' package tools on it?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.2" rel="subsection" title="3.2.2 I installed Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... on my hard disk. Now I have a problem. What should I do?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.3" rel="subsection" title="3.2.3 I'm using Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... and now I want to use Debian. How do I migrate?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-oldcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.1 Which other codenames have been used in the past?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sourceforcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.2 Where do these codenames come from?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-frozen" rel="subsection" title="6.5.1 What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg" rel="subsection" title="8.1.1 dpkg">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-apt-get" rel="subsection" title="8.1.2 APT">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-aptitude" rel="subsection" title="8.1.3 aptitude">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-synaptic" rel="subsection" title="8.1.4 synaptic">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-tasksel" rel="subsection" title="8.1.5 tasksel">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-extra" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6 Other package management tools">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dselect" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.1 dselect">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-deb" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.2 dpkg-deb">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-split" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.3 dpkg-split">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptitude-upgrade" rel="subsection" title="9.1.1 aptitude">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-apt" rel="subsection" title="9.1.2 apt-get, dselect and apt-cdrom">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-update_aptitude" rel="subsection" title="9.1.3 aptitude">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-mirror" rel="subsection" title="9.1.4 mirror">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-dpkg-mountable" rel="subsection" title="9.1.5 dpkg-mountable">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.1" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1 Mailing lists">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-mailinglistconduct" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1.1 What is the code of conduct for the mailing lists?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.2" rel="subsection" title="12.2.2 Web forums">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.3" rel="subsection" title="12.2.3 Wiki">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.4" rel="subsection" title="12.2.4 Maintainers">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.5" rel="subsection" title="12.2.5 Usenet newsgroups">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-SPI" rel="subsection" title="13.3.1 Software in the Public Interest">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-FSF" rel="subsection" title="13.3.2 Free Software Foundation">
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<p><a name="ch-support"></a></p>
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<p>
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">previous</a> ]
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
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[ 12 ]
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[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
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</p>
<hr>
<h1>
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
<br>Chapter 12 - Getting support for Debian GNU/Linux
</h1>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-debiandocs"></a>12.1 What other documentation exists on and for a Debian system?</h2>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Installation instructions for the current release: see <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual">http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual</a></code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
The Debian GNU/Linux reference covers many aspects of system administration
through shell-command examples. Basic tutorials, tips, and other information
are provided for many different topics ranging from system administration to
programming.
</p>
<p>
Get it from the <code>debian-reference</code> package, or at <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/doc/user-manuals#quick-reference">http://www.debian.org/doc/user-manuals#quick-reference</a></code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
The Debian Policy manual documents the policy requirements for the
distribution, i.e. the structure and contents of the Debian archive, several
design issues of the operating system etc. It also includes the technical
requirements that each package must satisfy to be included in the distribution,
and documents the basic technical aspects of Debian binary and source packages.
</p>
<p>
Get it from the <code>debian-policy</code> package, or at <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/doc/devel-manuals#policy">http://www.debian.org/doc/devel-manuals#policy</a></code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Documentation developed by the Debian Documentation Project. It is available
at <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/doc/">http://www.debian.org/doc/</a></code> and
includes user guides, administration guides and security guides for the Debian
GNU/Linux operating system.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Documentation on installed Debian packages: Most packages have files that are
unpacked into <samp>/usr/share/doc/PACKAGE</samp>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Documentation on the Linux project: The Debian package <code>doc-linux</code>
installs all of the most recent versions of the HOWTOs and mini-HOWTOs from the
<code><a href="http://www.tldp.org/">Linux Documentation Project</a></code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Unix-style `man' pages: Most commands have manual pages written in the style of
the original Unix 'man' files. For instance, to see the manual page for the
command `ls', execute <samp>man ls</samp>. Execute <samp>man man</samp> for
more information on finding and viewing manual pages.
</p>
<p>
New Debian users should note that the 'man' pages of many general system
commands are not available until they install these packages:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<samp>man-db</samp>, which contains the <samp>man</samp> program itself, and
other programs for manipulating the manual pages.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<samp>manpages</samp>, which contains the system manual pages. (see <a
href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonenglish">How does Debian support non-English
languages?, Section 5.9</a>).
</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
GNU-style `info' pages: User documentation for many commands, particularly GNU
tools, is available not in `man' pages, but in `info' files which can be read
by the GNU tool <samp>info</samp>, by running <samp>M-x info</samp> within GNU
Emacs, or with some other Info page viewer.
</p>
<p>
Its main advantage over the original `man' pages are that it is a hypertext
system. It does <em>not</em> require the WWW, however; <samp>info</samp> can
be run from a plain text console. It was designed by Richard Stallman and
preceded the WWW.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
Note that you may access a lot of documentation on your system by using a WWW
browser, through `dwww', `dhelp' or `doccentral' commands, found in respective
packages, or by using `yelp'.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-onlineresources"></a>12.2 Are there any on-line resources for discussing Debian?</h2>
<p>
Yes. In fact, the main method of support Debian provides to our users is by
the way of e-mail. We'll give some details on that, and mention some other
useful resources. Even more resources are listed at the <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/support">Debian Support webpage</a></code>.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s12.2.1"></a>12.2.1 Mailing lists</h3>
<p>
There are a lot of <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/">Debian-related mailing
lists</a></code>.
</p>
<p>
On a system with the <code>doc-debian</code> package installed there is a
complete list of mailing lists in
<code>/usr/share/doc/debian/mailing-lists.txt</code>.
</p>
<p>
Debian mailing lists are named following the pattern
debian-<var>list-subject</var>. Examples are debian-announce, debian-user,
debian-news. To subscribe to any list debian-<var>list-subject</var>, send
mail to debian-<var>list-subject</var>-request@lists.debian.org with the word
"subscribe" in the Subject: header. Be sure to remember to add
<em>-request</em> to the e-mail address when using this method to subscribe or
unsubscribe. Otherwise your e-mail will go to the list itself, which could be
embarrassing or annoying, depending on your point of view.
</p>
<p>
You can subscribe to mailing lists using the <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/subscribe">WWW form</a></code>. You
can also un-subscribe using a <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/unsubscribe">WWW form</a></code>.
</p>
<p>
The list manager's e-mail address is <code><a
href="mailto:listmaster@lists.debian.org">listmaster@lists.debian.org</a></code>,
in case you have any trouble.
</p>
<p>
The mailing lists are public forums. All e-mails sent to the lists are also
copied to the public archive, for anybody (even non-subscribers) to browse or
search. Please make sure you never send any confidential or unlicensed
material to the lists. This includes things like e-mail addresses. Of
particular note is the fact that spammers have been known to abuse e-mail
addresses posted to our mailing lists. See the <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/index.en.html#disclaimer">Mailing
Lists Privacy policy</a></code> for more information.
</p>
<p>
Archives of the Debian mailing lists are available via WWW at <code><a
href="http://lists.debian.org/">http://lists.debian.org/</a></code>.
</p>
<hr>
<h4><a name="s-mailinglistconduct"></a>12.2.1.1 What is the code of conduct for the mailing lists?</h4>
<p>
When using the Debian mailing lists, please follow these rules:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Do not send spam. See the <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/#ads">Debian mailing list advertising
policy</a></code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Do not flame; it is not polite. The people developing Debian are all
volunteers, donating their time, energy and money in an attempt to bring the
Debian project together.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Do not use foul language; besides, some people receive the lists via packet
radio, where swearing is illegal.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Make sure that you are using the proper list. <em>Never</em> post your
(un)subscription requests to the mailing list itself[<a
href="footnotes.en.html#f7" name="fr7">7</a>]
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
See section <a href="#s-bugreport">How do I report a bug in Debian?, Section
12.5</a> for notes on reporting bugs.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s12.2.2"></a>12.2.2 Web forums</h3>
<p>
<code><a href="http://debianhelp.org/">debianHELP</a></code> and <code><a
href="http://forums.debian.net/">Debian User Forums</a></code> are web forums
on which you can submit questions about Debian and have them answered by other
users. (These are not officially part of the Debian project.)
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s12.2.3"></a>12.2.3 Wiki</h3>
<p>
Solutions to common problems, howto's, guides, tips and other documentation can
be found at the constantly changing <code><a
href="http://wiki.debian.org/">Debian Wiki</a></code>.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s12.2.4"></a>12.2.4 Maintainers</h3>
<p>
Users can address questions to individual package maintainers using e-mail. To
reach a maintainer of a package called xyz, send e-mail to
<em>xyz@packages.debian.org</em>.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s12.2.5"></a>12.2.5 Usenet newsgroups</h3>
<p>
Users should post non-Debian-specific questions to one of the Linux USENET
groups, which are named comp.os.linux.* or linux.*. There are several lists of
Linux Usenet newsgroups and other related resources on the WWW, e.g. on the
<code><a href="http://www.linux.org/docs/usenet.html">Linux Online</a></code>
and <code><a
href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/helpdesk.php">LinuxJournal</a></code> sites.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-searchtools"></a>12.3 Is there a quick way to search for information on Debian GNU/Linux?</h2>
<p>
There is a variety of search engines that serve documentation related to
Debian:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<code><a href="http://search.debian.org/">Debian WWW search site</a></code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<code><a href="http://groups.google.com/">Google Groups</a></code>: a search
engine for newsgroups.
</p>
<p>
For example, to find out what experiences people have had with finding drivers
for Promise controllers under Debian, try searching on the phrase <samp>Promise
Linux driver</samp>. This will show you all the postings that contain these
strings, i.e. those where people discussed these topics. If you add
<samp>Debian</samp> to those search strings, you'll also get the postings
specifically related to Debian.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
Any of the common web spidering engines, such as <code><a
href="http://www.altavista.com/">AltaVista</a></code> or <code><a
href="http://www.google.com/">Google</a></code>, as long as you use the right
search terms.
</p>
<p>
For example, searching on the string "cgi-perl" gives a more detailed
explanation of this package than the brief description field in its control
file.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-buglogs"></a>12.4 Are there logs of known bugs?</h2>
<p>
Reports on unsolved (and closed) issues are publicly available: Debian
promissed to do so by stating "We will not hide problems" in the
<code><a href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract">Debian Social
Contract</a></code>.
</p>
<p>
The Debian GNU/Linux distribution has a bug tracking system (BTS) which files
details of bugs reported by users and developers. Each bug is given a number,
and is kept on file. Once it has been dealt with, it is marked as such.
</p>
<p>
Copies of this information are available at <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/Bugs/">http://www.debian.org/Bugs/</a></code>.
</p>
<p>
A mail server provides access to the bug tracking system database via e-mail.
In order to get the instructions, send an e-mail to request@bugs.debian.org
with "help" in the body.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-bugreport"></a>12.5 How do I report a bug in Debian?</h2>
<p>
If you have found a bug in Debian, please read the instructions for reporting a
bug in Debian. These instructions can be obtained in one of several ways:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
From the WWW. A copy of the instructions is shown at <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting">http://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting</a></code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
On any Debian system with the <code>doc-debian</code> package installed. The
instructions are in the file
<code>/usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt</code>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
By anonymous FTP. Debian mirror sites contain the instructions in the file
<samp>doc/bug-reporting.txt</samp>.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
You can use the package <code>reportbug</code> that will guide you through the
reporting process and mail the message to the proper address, with some extra
details about your system added automatically. It will also show you a list of
bugs already reported to the package you are reporting against in case your bug
has been reported previously, so that you can add additional information to the
existing bug report.
</p>
<p>
Expect to get an automatic acknowledgement of your bug report. It will also be
automatically given a bug tracking number, entered into the bug log and
forwarded to the debian-bugs-dist mailing list.
</p>
<hr>
<p>
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">previous</a> ]
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-choosing.en.html">3</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-ftparchives.en.html">6</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
[ 12 ]
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">next</a> ]
</p>
<hr>
<p>
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
</p>
<address>
version 4.0.3, 6 August 2008<br>
<br>
Authors are listed at <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors">Debian FAQ Authors</a><br>
<br>
</address>
<hr>
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