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<h1 class="title">Debian Pure Blends</h1>
<p class="author">
Jonas Smedegaard (& Andreas Tille)
</p>
<p class="date">Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam, November 12th, 2010</p>
</div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Overview</h1
><ul
><li
>Debian is generic - Blends are specific</li
><li
>Purity: all is Debian</li
><li
>Why bother?</li
><li
>Technical details</li
><li
>Team, community, users</li
><li
>Future</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian - the universal Operating System</h1
><ul
><li
>Stable</li
><li
>Flexible</li
></ul
><p
>Debian is the universal Operating System.</p
><dl
><dt
>Goal</dt
><dd
>Usable everywhere</dd
></dl
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian - very flexible...</h1
><ul class="incremental"
><li
>Flexible: good</li
><li
>Very flexible: very good</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian - <strong
>too</strong
> flexible!</h1
><ul
><li
>Flexible: good</li
><li
><span style="text-decoration: line-through;"
>Very flexible: very good</span
></li
><li
>Very flexible: very confusing!</li
></ul
><p
>Debian is too flexible: confusing and to some even scary!</p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian - ways to simplify</h1
><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"
><li
>Keep things as-is - educate users instead</li
><li
>Remove choice</li
><li
>Provide multiple defaults</li
></ol
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian - simple if generic defaults are ok</h1
><ul
><li
>Mainstream (but not too new) hardware</li
><li
>GNOME desktop</li
><li
>Iceweasel web browser</li
><li
>Exim MTA</li
><li
>Apache web server</li
><li
>MySQL database server</li
></ul
><p
>Debian <em
>is</em
> simple - if you happen to like its defaults.</p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blend - Debian for a specific purpose</h1
><p
>Debian Pure Blend (in short DDD): a subset of Debian configured to support a particular target group out-of-the-box.</p
><dl
><dt
>Goal 1</dt
><dd
>Turn Debian into the distribution of choice for a specific target group</dd
><dt
>Goal 2</dt
><dd
>Advertise this fact to the world to attract users and developers</dd
></dl
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blend - technical parts</h1
><ul
><li
>package selection(s)</li
><li
>customizations</li
></ul
><p
>The concrete work to include as packages with official Debian.</p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blend - reality parts</h1
><ul
><li
>goals & noise about progress</li
><li
>package health + encourage additional software packaging</li
><li
>passion & patience</li
><li
>good relations with Debian package maintainers, competitors, and upstream authors</li
><li
>good relations with users</li
></ul
><p
>Surrounding work making a Blend relevant.</p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blend - current blending projects</h1
><ul
><li
>Debian Jr</li
><li
>Debian Med</li
><li
>Debian Edu</li
><li
>Debian Science</li
><li
>Debian EzGo</li
><li
>BrDesktop</li
><li
>Debian Accessibility</li
><li
>Debian Lex</li
><li
>DebiChem</li
><li
>Debian GIS</li
><li
>Debian Multimedia</li
></ul
><p
>Projects working on Blends - some pure, some not (yet)...</p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blends - all Debian</h1
><ul
><li
><strong
>D</strong
>ebian packages - selections (e.g. for tasksel to pick up)</li
><li
><strong
>D</strong
>ebian configuration - use of policy-compliant package-provided interfaces</li
><li
><strong
>D</strong
>ebian distribution media - installing via Debian itself</li
></ul
><dl
><dt
>DDD</dt
><dd
><strong
>Debian</strong
> packages <strong
>Debian</strong
> configured from <strong
>Debian</strong
> distribution</dd
></dl
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blends - why bother?</h1
><p
>Nice on paper with ideals and priciples, but...</p
><p
>What's in it for me?!?</p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blends - downsides</h1
><ul
><li
><strong
>annoying</strong
> - Debian package maintainers may not like proposed changes</li
><li
><strong
>slow</strong
> - stable distribution is released infrequently</li
><li
><strong
>rigid</strong
> - all contributions must match Debian Free Software Guidelines</li
><li
><strong
>complex</strong
> - packages must obey Debian Policy</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blends - Benefits</h1
><ul
><li
>backed by Debian - help, bug tracking, translations, etc.</li
><li
>teamwork - others might help you refine and maintain your setups</li
><li
>common structures - others might take over if you loose interest</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - Debian support overloading choices</h1
><ul
><li
>Debian installer</li
><li
>tasksel</li
><li
>debconf</li
><li
>aptitude</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - examples of non-pure blending</h1
><ul
><li
>include non-Debian packages or non-packaged stuff</li
><li
>include Debian packages from different Debian suite</li
><li
>configure system other than via Debian package installation</li
><li
>install using non-Debian media</li
></ul
><p
>You don't own your system - you provide one for others to own.</p
><p
>So don't refine it like a (sloppy) user: Handle it like a Debian developer!</p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - Debian, generic setup</h1
><ul
><li
>select package profile(s)</li
><li
>install</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - Debian, hand-tuned</h1
><ul
><li
>select package profile(s)</li
><li
>select additional packages</li
><li
>install</li
><li
>(re)configure packages</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - Debian, auto-tuned</h1
><ul
><li
>pre-seed package selection</li
><li
>pre-seed package configurations</li
><li
>install</li
><li
>(re)configure non-debconf packages</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - Debian Pure Blend = generic</h1
><ul
><li
>select blend profile</li
><li
>install</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - tasks involved</h1
><ul
><li
>extra software → into Debian officially</li
><li
>manual configurations → preseeding</li
><li
>maybe create temporary dirty hacks</li
><li
>maybe use/create reusable tweaks</li
><li
>eliminate dirty hacks and tweaks</li
><li
>convince others in Debian to add as tasksel task</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - blends-dev</h1
><p
>Tool to help maintain package lists and prospective packages.</p
><p
>Example: <a href="http://debian-med.alioth.debian.org/tasks/psychology"
><code
>http://debian-med.alioth.debian.org/tasks/psychology</code
></a
></p
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - dirty tricks</h1
><p
>Avoid configuration files...</p
><ul
><li
>config.d folders</li
><li
>databases</li
><li
>networked data</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - tweaks</h1
><p
>Reusable scripts compatible with one or more of...</p
><ul
><li
>FAI</li
><li
>hands-off at http://hands.com/d-i/</li
><li
>CFengine</li
><li
>Puppet</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - good style</h1
><ul
><li
>Aptitude</li
><li
>debconf</li
><li
>Config::Model</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Tech - When is it "Pure"?</h1
><p
>When all is in Debian, with no dirty tricks:</p
><ul
><li
>package selection(s)</li
><li
>customizations</li
><li
>installation</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Team - getting involved</h1
><ul
><li
>identify and isolate tweaks at your own system</li
><li
>register missing software - on wiki page or (better!) in Debian BTS</li
><li
>write documentation</li
><li
>write the dream of how things ought to work</li
><li
>wite how details work now</li
><li
>discuss downstream (i.e. with users and subdistros) how things work / should work</li
><li
>discuss upstream (i.e. with authors) what is possible now / soon</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Team - getting involved II</h1
><ul
><li
>write intro for peer enthusiasts</li
><li
>decide and document ideal formats - translations, graphics etc.</li
><li
>prioritize pending tasks - of various kinds to encourage many different contributions</li
><li
>document where it is ok to ask beginners' questions</li
><li
>document if beginners can ask for a mentor</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Team - getting involved III</h1
><ul
><li
>make illustration</li
><li
>make screendumps</li
><li
>make fan graphics</li
><li
>make desktop backgrounds, CD covers, stickers, etc.</li
><li
>Register the project as a DOAP file, and maybe at Ohloh and Freshmeat etc.</li
><li
>Register and maintain relevant Debtags</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Team - getting involved IV</h1
><ul
><li
>Translate package descriptions</li
><li
>Translate debconf dialogs</li
><li
>Translate upstream code</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Team - getting involved V</h1
><ul
><li
>Help integrate contributions from graphics artists, translators and others</li
><li
>document decision processes of the team (and Debian and upstreams?)</li
><li
>document workflows in teams</li
><li
>insist on transparency - not only for code!</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Team - Continuous status checks</h1
><ul
><li
>Ask users about their needs - you will forget over time!</li
><li
>Ask teams about their tasks - each participant has slightly different perception of the common vision and status</li
><li
>Ask upstreams about use: perhaps potentials are missed, or code or persons feel as being abused</li
></ul
></div>
<div class="slide">
<h1
>Debian Pure Blends - Future</h1
><ul
><li
>debconf dontcare vs. explicit choice of default option</li
><li
>debconf query mechanism (and fill buffer from live system)</li
><li
>APT explicit choice of alternate dependency/recommendation</li
><li
>APT dontcare vs. explicit choice of default dependency/recommendation</li
><li
>Config::Model - semantic configfile handling</li
></ul
></div>
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