Overview

• Debian is generic - Blends are specific
• Purity: all is Debian
• Why bother?
• Technical details
• Team, community, users
• Future

Debian - the universal Operating System

• Stable
• Flexible

Debian is the universal Operating System.

Goal

Usable everywhere

Debian - very flexible...

• Flexible: good
• Very flexible: very good

Debian - too flexible!

• Flexible: good
• Very flexible: very good
• Very flexible: very confusing!

Debian is too flexible: confusing and to some even scary!

Debian - ways to simplify

1. Keep things as-is - educate users instead
2. Remove choice
3. Provide multiple defaults

Debian - simple if generic defaults are ok

• Mainstream (but not too new) hardware
• GNOME desktop
• Iceweasel web browser
• Exim MTA
• Apache web server
• MySQL database server

Debian is simple - if you happen to like its defaults.

Debian Pure Blend - Debian for a specific purpose

Debian Pure Blend (in short DDD): a subset of Debian configured to support a particular target group out-of-the-box.

Goal 1

Turn Debian into the distribution of choice for a specific target group

Goal 2

Advertise this fact to the world to attract users and developers

Debian Pure Blend - technical parts

• package selection(s)
• customizations

The concrete work to include as packages with official Debian.

Debian Pure Blend - reality parts

• goals & noise about progress
• package health + encourage additional software packaging
• passion & patience
• good relations with Debian package maintainers, competitors, and upstream authors
• good relations with users

Surrounding work making a Blend relevant.

Debian Pure Blend - current blending projects

• Debian Jr
• Debian Med
• Debian Edu
• Debian Science
• Debian EzGo
• BrDesktop
• Debian Accessibility
• Debian Lex
• DebiChem
• Debian GIS
• Debian Multimedia

Projects working on Blends - some pure, some not (yet)...

Debian Pure Blends - all Debian

• Debian packages - selections (e.g. for tasksel to pick up)
• Debian configuration - use of policy-compliant package-provided interfaces
• Debian distribution media - installing via Debian itself

DDD

Debian packages Debian configured from Debian distribution

Debian Pure Blends - why bother?

Nice on paper with ideals and priciples, but...

What's in it for me?!?

Debian Pure Blends - downsides

• annoying - Debian package maintainers may not like proposed changes
• slow - stable distribution is released infrequently
• rigid - all contributions must match Debian Free Software Guidelines
• complex - packages must obey Debian Policy

Debian Pure Blends - Benefits

• backed by Debian - help, bug tracking, translations, etc.
• teamwork - others might help you refine and maintain your setups
• common structures - others might take over if you loose interest

Tech - Debian support overloading choices

• Debian installer
• tasksel
• debconf
• aptitude

Tech - examples of non-pure blending

• include non-Debian packages or non-packaged stuff
• include Debian packages from different Debian suite
• configure system other than via Debian package installation
• install using non-Debian media

You don't own your system - you provide one for others to own.

So don't refine it like a (sloppy) user: Handle it like a Debian developer!

Tech - Debian, generic setup

• select package profile(s)
• install

Tech - Debian, hand-tuned

• select package profile(s)
• select additional packages
• install
• (re)configure packages

Tech - Debian, auto-tuned

• pre-seed package selection
• pre-seed package configurations
• install
• (re)configure non-debconf packages

Tech - Debian Pure Blend = generic

• select blend profile
• install

Tech - tasks involved

• extra software → into Debian officially
• manual configurations → preseeding
• maybe create temporary dirty hacks
• maybe use/create reusable tweaks
• eliminate dirty hacks and tweaks
• convince others in Debian to add as tasksel task

Tech - blends-dev

Tool to help maintain package lists and prospective packages.

Example: http://debian-med.alioth.debian.org/tasks/psychology

Tech - dirty tricks

Avoid configuration files...

• config.d folders
• databases
• networked data

Tech - tweaks

Reusable scripts compatible with one or more of...

• FAI
• hands-off at http://hands.com/d-i/
• CFengine
• Puppet

Tech - good style

• Aptitude
• debconf
• Config::Model

Tech - When is it "Pure"?

When all is in Debian, with no dirty tricks:

• package selection(s)
• customizations
• installation

Team - getting involved

• identify and isolate tweaks at your own system
• register missing software - on wiki page or (better!) in Debian BTS
• write documentation
• write the dream of how things ought to work
• wite how details work now
• discuss downstream (i.e. with users and subdistros) how things work / should work
• discuss upstream (i.e. with authors) what is possible now / soon

Team - getting involved II

• write intro for peer enthusiasts
• decide and document ideal formats - translations, graphics etc.
• prioritize pending tasks - of various kinds to encourage many different contributions
• document where it is ok to ask beginners' questions
• document if beginners can ask for a mentor

Team - getting involved III

• make illustration
• make screendumps
• make fan graphics
• make desktop backgrounds, CD covers, stickers, etc.
• Register the project as a DOAP file, and maybe at Ohloh and Freshmeat etc.
• Register and maintain relevant Debtags

Team - getting involved IV

• Translate package descriptions
• Translate debconf dialogs
• Translate upstream code

Team - getting involved V

• Help integrate contributions from graphics artists, translators and others
• document decision processes of the team (and Debian and upstreams?)
• document workflows in teams
• insist on transparency - not only for code!

Team - Continuous status checks

• Ask users about their needs - you will forget over time!
• Ask teams about their tasks - each participant has slightly different perception of the common vision and status
• Ask upstreams about use: perhaps potentials are missed, or code or persons feel as being abused

Debian Pure Blends - Future

• debconf dontcare vs. explicit choice of default option
• debconf query mechanism (and fill buffer from live system)
• APT explicit choice of alternate dependency/recommendation
• APT dontcare vs. explicit choice of default dependency/recommendation
• Config::Model - semantic configfile handling