“The Debian project is pleased to announce the fifth update of its stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 (codename etch). This update mainly adds corrections for security problems to the stable release, along with a few adjustment to serious problems.

Please note that this update does not constitute a new version of Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 but only updates some of the packages included. There is no need to throw away 4.0 CDs or DVDs but only to update via an up-to-date Debian mirror after an installation, to cause any out of date packages to be updated.

Those who frequently install updates from security.debian.org won’t have to update many packages and most updates from security.debian.org are included in this update.” Read the rest of this entry »

“The Debian project is pleased to announce the fourth update of its stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 (codename etch). In addition to correcting several security problems and a few serious defects in the stable release, for the first time in Debian’s history an update for a stable distribution also adds support for newer hardware by giving users the option to install newer drivers. …

About “etch-and-a-half”

“Etch and a half” is Debian’s desire to support hardware that requires updated drivers. This marks the first time the Debian project updates several core packages in its stable distribution without security implications and demonstrates its huge dedication for their users.

Components newer than the first release of Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 (“etch”) that were not supported yet will be detected by an updated installation routine which is able to install a newer Linux kernel (2.6.24) on the freshly installed system. This revision includes packages that are based upon the Linux 2.6.24 kernel as well. Installation of these additional packages is not required and will not occur by default. The existing 2.6.18-based kernel will continue to be the default kernel for the etch release.”

Release Announcement: http://www.debian.org/News/2008/20080726

This means that for the first time in Debian’s history we see a new kernel release (2.6.24-etchnhalf.1) besides the kernel that initially shipped with etch (2.6.18) in the effort to support new hardware that requires updated drivers from 2.6.18. Even though there were several solutions for this already from using backports.org kernels, to building your own kernels this is a nice addition, especially for the installer but also for people that don’t like to use packages outside the stable repositories.

“The Debian project is pleased to announce the third update of its stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 (codename etch). This update mainly adds corrections for security problems to the stable release, along with a few adjustment to serious problems.

Those who frequently install updates from security.debian.org won’t have to update many packages and most updates from security.debian.org are included in this update.”

Note: this is true . I’ve not even noticed this and seen it as a minor apt upgrade

Release Announcement: http://www.debian.org/News/2008/20080217

A complete list of all accepted and rejected packages together with rationale is on the preparation page for this revision: http://release.debian.org/stable/4.0/4.0r3/

This article will show what changes (related to the debian kernel images) can Debian Sarge users expect to see when Etch will reach stable. Users of Debian testing/sid are already familiar with these changes as they are live in Etch for a while.
So what changes will you see in the next Debian stable release? There are many changes, and this article will show the ones related to the Debian kernel packages that are available in the stable release. The examples shown bellow are taken from i386/amd64 systems as they are the most common ones (though most of the changes will apply on all available architectures). Read the rest of this entry »