12. Getting support for Debian Linux

12.1 What other documentation exists on and for a Debian system?

• Installation instructions for the current release: see http://www.debian.org/1.1/install.
• Debian-specific documentation: Avaiable in three ways:
  • on installed Debian systems.

    The latest versions of the dpkg package come with extensive new programmers' manual and Debian policy manual which are installed into the directory /usr/doc/dpkg. These documents are now available in the "unstable" distribution, but will be included in the next release.

    Users who install the package doc-debian_VVV-RRR.deb will find additional Debian-specific documentation in /usr/doc/debian. This package is stored in the Debian-1.1/binary/doc section in the Debian FTP archives.

  • on the WWW: See http://www.debian.org/Documentation/.
  • at Debian FTP mirror sites: See the directory doc/, or doc/ (which is just a link to doc).
• Documentation on installed Debian packages: Most packages have files that are unpacked into /usr/doc and /usr/doc/examples.
• Documentation on the Linux project: The Debian package doc-linux_VVV-RRR.deb installs all of the most recent versions of the HOWTO's and mini-HOWTO's from the Linux Documentation Project. This package is in the Debian-1.1/binary/doc section in the FTP archives.
• Unix-style 'man' pages: Most commands have manual pages written in the style of the original Unix 'man' files. They are referenced by the section of the 'man' directory where they reside: e.g., foo(3) refers to a man page which resides in /usr/man/man3, and it can be called by executing the command: man 3 foo, or just man foo if section 3 is the only one containing a page on foo. One can learn which directory of /usr/man contains a certian man page by executing man -w foo.

  New Debian users should note that the 'man' pages of many general system commands are not available until they install these packages (both of which are normally stored in the Debian-1.1/binary/doc directory of the Debian FTP archive:

  • manpages_VVV-RRR.deb (or manpages-de_VVV-RRR.deb for German text).
  • man_VVV-RRR.deb, which contains the man program itself, and other programs for manipulating the manpages.
  • 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 info. Its main advantage over the original 'man' pages are that it is a hypertext system. It does not require the WWW, however; info can be run from a plain text console. It was designed by Richard Stallman and preceded the WWW. The program that manipulates `info' files is installed as a separate package info_VVV-RRR.deb, usually stored in the directory Debian-1.1/binary/doc on the FTP archive.

12.2 Are there any on-line resources for discussing Debian?

There are several Debian-related mailing lists:

• debian-announce@lists.debian.org (moderated). (Usually) major system announcements. On average, fewer than one message per week are posted here.
• debian-changes@lists.debian.org. Announcements of new package uploads for the Debian system. This list may carry several announcements in a day.
• debian-user@lists.debian.org . A mailing list where users can ask for and receive advice on the use or configuration of Debian packages or other aspects of Debian Linux. This list is an invaluable learning resource; there can be 20 messages a day or more on this list.
• debian-sparc@lists.debian.org . This list is for those involved in porting Debian software to the Sparc platform.
• debian-alpha@lists.debian.org . This list is for those involved in porting Debian software to DEC alpha platforms.
• debian-68k@lists.debian.org . This list is for those involved in porting Debian software to Motorola 680x0 platforms; currently this means the Atari and Amiga only.
• debian-talk@lists.debian.org .

To subscribe to debian-X (for X in announce, changes, user), send mail to debian-X-REQUEST@lists.debian.org with the word "subscribe" in the Subject: header. If you have a forms-capable World Wide Web browser, you can subscribe to debian-announce and debian-user by using the WWW form. You can also un-subscribe using that form.

The lists are managed by Anders Chigstrom (ac@netg.se)

Archives of the Debian mailing lists are available on WWW at http://www.debian.org/Lists-Archives/.

Users can address questions to individual package maintainers, since their email addresses are provided in the Debian control file (see Section Debian control file that is included within each package. One can also learn the maintainers' names and email addresses by searching the "Packages" file, since this file is just a concatenation of all the available package control files in a particular directory tree. To extract a control file from a particular debian package, use the command,

dpkg --info packageName_VVV-RRR.deb

Another related mailing list, debiangame, is being run by Gary Moore (htmlurl url="mailto://gary@ssc.com" name="mailto://gary@ssc.com) at the University of Washington. As the name suggests, it is devoted to the discussion of games that have been (or might be) packaged for Debian. To subscribe, send mail to listproc@u.washington.edu, putting in the message body:

  subscribe debiangame FirstName LastName

Users should post non-Debian-specific questions to one of the Linux Usenet groups, which are named comp.os.linux.* or linux.*. Specialized Systems Consultants (a.k.a. SSC) maintains a list of Linux, Unix, X, and networking newsgroups on their WWW site.

12.3 What is the code of conduct for the mailing lists?

When using the Debian mailing lists, please follow these rules:

• Don't flame; it's not polite. Besides the people developing Debian are all volunteers, donating their time, energy and money in an attempt to bring the Debian project together.
• Don't use four-letter words, some people receive the lists via packet radio, where swear words are illegal.
• Make sure that you're using the proper list.
• Don't try posting unless you are subscribed. Posting by non-subscribers was turned off to make the mailing lists usable. Thus, only postings from email addresses matching those of a subscriber are accepted. If you often post from other addresses than the one you subscribe with, mail Anders Chigstrom (ac@netg.se) with the subject "please add subscriber alias".
• See section reporting bugs. for notes on reporting bugs.

12.4 Are there any other on-line resources dealing with Debian Linux?

Software in the Public Interest, Inc ., operates a WWW-server at http://www.debian.org which provides additional on-line resources. See also Section on contributing to Debian Linux.

Generally, users should also exploit the WWW search engines for addressing specific problems. For example, the DejaNews news search service is an invaluable resource for exploring Usenet newsgroups. Try this search:

linux & WD

Or search the WWW using the Altavista Search Engine. 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.