Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 released
2009-02-14
#use wml::debian::news
The Debian Project is pleased to announce the official release of
Debian GNU/Linux version 5.0 (codenamed lenny
) after 22 months of
constant development. Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system which
supports a total of twelve processor architectures and includes the KDE,
GNOME, Xfce and LXDE desktop environments. It also features
compatibility with the FHS v2.3 and software developed for
version 3.2 of the LSB.
Debian GNU/Linux runs on computers ranging from palmtops and handheld
systems to supercomputers, and on nearly everything in between. A total
of twelve architectures are supported: Sun SPARC (sparc), HP Alpha
(alpha), Motorola/IBM PowerPC (powerpc), Intel IA-32 (i386), IA-64
(ia64), HP PA-RISC (hppa), MIPS (mips, mipsel), ARM (arm, armel), IBM
+S/390 (s390), and AMD64 and Intel EM64T (amd64).
This includes support for Marvell’s Orion platform, and for
devices based on the Orion platform, such as the QNAP Turbo Station,
HP mv2120, and Buffalo Kurobox Pro as well as Netbooks, such as the EEE PC
by Asus. Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 Lenny
also contains the build tools for Emdebian which
allow Debian source packages to be cross-built and shrunk to suit embedded ARM systems.
Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 (Lenny) includes the new ARM EABI port, Armel
.
This new port provides a more efficient use of both modern and future ARM
processors. As a result, the old ARM port (arm) has now been deprecated.
This release includes numerous updated software packages, such as
the K Desktop Environment 3.5.10 (KDE), an updated version of the GNOME
desktop environment 2.22.2, the Xfce 4.4.2 desktop environment, LXDE
0.3.2.1, the GNUstep desktop 7.3, X.Org 7.3, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, GIMP
2.4.7, Iceweasel (an unbranded version of Mozilla Firefox 3.0.6), Icedove
(an unbranded version of Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0.0.19),
PostgreSQL 8.3.5, MySQL
5.1.30 and 5.0.51a, GNU Compiler Collection 4.3.2, Linux kernel version
2.6.26, Apache 2.2.9, Samba 3.2.5, Python 2.5.2 and 2.4.6, Perl 5.10.0,
PHP 5.2.6, Asterisk 1.4.21.2, Emacs 22, Inkscape 0.46, Nagios 3.06, Xen
Hypervisor 3.2.1 (dom0 as well as domU support), OpenJDK 6b11 and more than 23,000 other ready to use
software packages (build from over 12,000 source packages).
With the integration of X.org 7.3 the X server autoconfigures itself
with most hardware. Newly introduced packages allow the full support of
NTFS filesystems or the usage of most multimedia keys out of the box.
Support for Adobe® Flash® format files are available via the swfdec
or Gnash plugin.
Overall improvements for notebooks have been introduced, like out of the
box support of CPU frequency scaling. For leisure time several new games have
beed added including puzzle games as well as first-person shooters. A notable change
is the introduction of goplay
, a graphical games browser offering filters, search,
screenshots and descriptions for games in Debian.
The inclusion of OpenJDK, a free version of Sun’s Java technology,
into Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 makes it possible to ship Java based
applications in Debian’s “main” repository.
Further improvement regarding the security of the system include the
installation of available security updates before the first reboot by the
installation system, the reduction of setuid root binaries and open ports
in the standard installation as well as building several
security-critical packages with GCC Hardening features. Various
applications have specific improvements, too. PHP for example is now
built with the Suhosin hardening patch.
For non native English speaking users the package management systems now support
translated package descriptions which will automatically show the description
of a package in the native language of the user if available.
Debian GNU/Linux can be installed from various installation media such
as DVDs, CDs, USB sticks and floppies, or from the network. GNOME is the
default desktop environment and is contained on the first CD. The K
Desktop Environment (KDE), the Xfce or the LXDE desktop can be installed
through two new alternative CD images. Again available with Debian
GNU/Linux 5.0 are multi-arch CDs and DVDs supporting installation of
multiple architectures from a single disc as well as Blu-ray Discs
allowing the archive for an entire architecture to be shipped on a single
installation medium.
In addition to the regular installation media, Debian GNU/Linux can
now also be directly used without prior installation. These special
images are also known as live images and are available for CDs, USB
sticks and different forms of network setups. Initially, these are
provided for the amd64 and i386 architectures only.
The installation process for Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 has been improved in
many ways: among many other improvements,
support for installation from more than one CD or DVD has been
restored, firmware required by some devices can be loaded by using
removable media and installations via braille display are supported
The installer boot process has also received much attention: a graphical
menu can be used to choose front-ends and desktop environments, and to
select expert or rescue mode.
The installation system for Debian GNU/Linux has now
been translated to 63 languages.
Debian GNU/Linux can be downloaded right now via bittorrent (the
recommended way), jigdo or HTTP; see Debian
GNU/Linux on CDs for further information. It will soon be available
on DVD, CD-ROM and Blu-ray Disc from numerous vendors,
too.
Upgrades to Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 from the previous release, Debian
GNU/Linux 4.0 (codenamed etch
) are automatically handled by the
aptitude package management tool for most configurations, and to a
certain degree also by the apt-get package management tool. As always,
Debian GNU/Linux systems can be upgraded painlessly, in place, without
any forced downtime, but it is strongly recommended to read the release notes for
possible issues, and for detailed instructions on installing
and upgrading. The release notes will be further improved and
translated to additional languages in the weeks after the release.
Dedication
Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 Lenny
is dedicated to Thiemo Seufer, a Debian Developer who
died on December 26th, 2008 in a tragic car accident.
Thiemo was involved in Debian in many ways. He has maintained several
packages and was the main supporter of the Debian port to the MIPS
architectures. He was also a member of our kernel team, as well as a
member of the Debian Installer team. His contributions reached far
beyond the Debian project. He also worked on the MIPS port of the
Linux kernel, the MIPS emulation of qemu, and far too many smaller
projects to be named here.
Thiemo’s work, dedication, broad technical knowledge and ability to
share this with others will be missed. The contributions of Thiemo will
not be forgotten. The high standards of Thiemos work make it hard to
pick up.
About Debian
Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system, developed by more than a
thousand volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the
Internet. Debian’s dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature,
and its open development model make it unique among GNU/Linux
distributions.
The Debian project’s key strengths are its volunteer base, its
dedication to the Debian Social Contract, and its commitment to provide
the best operating system possible. Debian 5.0 is another important step
in that direction.
Contact Information
For further information, please visit the Debian web pages at
http://www.debian.org/ or send mail to
<press@debian.org>.
