Technologies To The People- x-devian

What do you do when you reach enlightenment? Keep going. x-devian was ahead of its time in 2005. But that didn’t stop Technologies To The People engineers from moving forward. Get a glimpse of the not-so-distant future. Introducing the new x-devian.

Use it, it's free

New in x-devian, includes more than 16,000 pieces of software, but the core desktop installation fits on a single CD. x-devian covers every standard desktop application from word processing and spreadsheet applications to web server software and programming tools. x-devian is a free, open source GNU/Linux-based operating system.

Absolutely Free of Charge

x-devian is Free Software, and available to you free of charge. It's also Free in the sense of giving you rights of Software Freedom, but you probably knew that already! Unlike many of the other commercial distributions in the free and open source world, the x-devian team really does believe that Free software should be free of software licencing charges.

Fast, Easy Install

x-devian has a fast and easy graphical installer right on the Desktop CD, which is also a Live CD. We have kept the distribution installation CD set down to one single CD, everything else is available online if you need it. On a typical computer, the x-devian installation should be done in less than 25 minutes. Best of all, you will only ever need to use it once, because we support ongoing upgrades via the network, from version to version. You never need to reinstall the operating system, just upgrade from each released version to the next when you want to. And if you use x-devian on the server, we haven't forgotten you. x-devian includes a nice, easy text installer and even has a one click LAMP install option!

Immediately Useful

When you finish your x-devian installation your system is immediately usable. On the desktop you have a full set of business productivity applications, internet applications, drawing and graphics applications, and games. Or for the server you get just what you need to get up and running, with nothing you don't. There are thousands of additional pieces of software that are just a few clicks away, but we've done the hard work to get the basics in place easily and effectively.

Applications

x-devian includes a full range of desktop and server applications. When you install x-devian you have software for most computing needs, from complex programming to business presentations and databases. x-devian is a complete desktop operating system and application set. It includes everything you need to gain computer literacy skills, and to become proficient in the use of computers for home, business and professional purposes. x-devian is an excellent platform for education, there are no limits to the amount that students can learn about their software.

Business software in x-devian

When you install x-devian, you get business software that handles word processing to create letters and documents, spreadsheet software for business analysis and calculation, and presentation software that lets you get your point across clearly in a business meeting. This software, called OpenOffice, is compatible with Microsoft Office, so you can easily exchange documents with friends and colleagues who use Windows and Microsoft Office.

x-devian also includes a world class internet browser (Firefox) which is fast and secure, and which has many features to improve your web surfing experience. For example, tabbed browsing lets you open many web pages in the same window and switch quickly between them, and popup blocking means that you determine which sites are allowed to create new popup windows and adverts. x-devian has an excellent email and calendar application (Evolution) which sets the pace in the email world in terms of searching and organising your mail.

x-devian for education

x-devian is an excellent operating system for education. If you are looking to gain basic computer literacy, x-devian includes applications that cover every area of computer use from the straightforward (typing, word processing) to the specialist (graphic design and desktop publishing). It is also an excellent platform for students of information technology and computer science, as it includes all the tools you need to become a world class software developer. x-devian is available in many languages, which makes it appealing to new users who prefer to learn in their local language.

x-devian for Internet servers

On the x-devian installation disk you will find specialised software for databases, web serving, email hosting and DNS name serving, internet cacheing and directory services. x-devian also includes Samba for Windows file sharing, FTP server software for large file repositories and NTP for network time services. x-devian can be installed in a minimal server configuration optimised for datacenter servers that will not be used as desktop machines.

Debian and x-devian

x-devian and Debian are closely related. x-devian builds on the foundations of Debian architecture and infrastructure, with a different community and release process.

Debian is "the rock upon which x-devian is built".

Debian is a volunteer project to develop a GNU/Linux distribution. Debian was started more than a decade ago and has since grown to comprise more than 1000 members with official developer status and many more volunteers and contributors. It has expanded to encompass nearly 17,000 "packages" of free and open source applications and documentation. Debian's history, make-up, and position make it very good at certain things. Debian has a well-deserved reputation for integrated package management and access to a large list of free software applications. As a result, Debian has grown into one of the largest Linux distributions. As a volunteer organization, Debian has historically been less good at making time-based or predictable releases, and has a difficult time providing accountability. Stable releases of Debian have been few and far between in recent years. The more raw unreleased versions of Debian do not provide security fixes for individual packages that are rapidly changing, but are incorporated in development work. While not important to many Debian users, these shortcomings have discouraged a number of potential Debian users. Still Debian is ported to more architectures than any other distribution, and allows for almost any combination of free software components to be mixed and matched as you wish. The x-devian team hopes to address some of those issues and bring more people onto the Debian system.

Get ready, get set, get x-devian

When you install x-devian almost all of the software installed already meets these ideals, and we are working to ensure that every single piece of software you need is available under a licence that gives you those freedoms. Currently, we make a specific exception for some "drivers" which are only available in binary form, without which many computers will not complete the x-devian installation. The complete x-devian software repository is enormous. About 1,000 pieces of software are installed by default, out of the basic fully supported software list of 1,300 packages. In addition to that, there are more than 16,000 packages which are available to you immediately, and more software is available from third parties. Coming summer 2007.

All features referenced in the x-devian are subject to change.

It’s here. It’s real. And it’s amazing. x-devian delivers features which make it easy to find, access, and enjoy everything on your computer.

Now Built In

x-devian offers some new standard features you may have seen before.

Universal System

More and more people are using Linux. To make this choice simply irresistible, x-devian lets you install and run the operative system on your computer. x-devian is suitable for both desktop and server use. The current x-devian release supports PC (Intel x86), 64-bit PC (AMD64), Sun UltraSPARC and T1 (Sun Fire T1000 and T2000), PowerPC (Apple iBook, Powerbook, G4 and G5) and OpenPower (Power5) architectures. Download your Operative System

Free and open source software

x-devian is a community driven project to create an operating system and a full set of applications using free and open source software. At the core of the x-devian Philosophy of Software Freedom are these core philosophical ideals: Every computer user should have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, share, change and improve their software for any purpose, without paying licensing fees.Every computer user should be able to use their software in the language of their choice. Every computer user should be given every opportunity to use software, even if they work under a disability. Our philosophy is reflected in the software we produce and include in our distribution.

Free software

For x-devian, the "free" in "free software" is used primarily in reference to freedom and not to price - although we are committed to not charging for x-devian. The most important thing about x-devian is not that it is available free of charge, but that it confers rights of software freedom on the people who install and use it. It is those freedoms that enable the x-devian community to grow, sharing its collective experience and expertise to improve x-devian and make it suitable for use in new countries and new industries. Quoting the Free Software Foundation's "What is Free Software", the freedoms at the core of free software are defined as: The freedom to run the program, for any purpose. The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others. The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that everyone benefits. Free software has been a coherent social movement for more than two decades. This movement has produced millions of lines of code, documentation, and a vibrant community of which x-devian is proud to be a part.

Open source

Open source is a term coined in 1998 to remove the ambiguity in the English word "free". The Open Source Initiative described open source software in the Open Source Definition. Open source continues to enjoy growing success and wide recognition. x-devian is happy to call itself open source. While some refer to free and open source as competing movements with different ends, we do not see free and open source software as either distinct or incompatible. x-devian proudly includes members who identify with both the free software and open source camps and many who identify with both..