Debian is a Linux operating system, a popular and influential distribution among the Linux distributions that are free under the GNU license.
The Debian operating system can be used as a desktop operating system but also for an enterprise server environment.
A feature that is specific to the Debian distribution is the fact they divide updates into versions. At any given moment there are three versions: stable, test and unstable.
The unstable state is the newest among them, containing the program packages exactly as they are received from the developers. If no problems are detected within 10 days, the packages are reproduced in the test version. When the test version proves itself to be stable and there are no serious issues, then the manager responsible for launching a new version “freezes” the packages, that is, delays and finally stops the distribution of any new packages coming from the unstable version, as to not introduce any problems or errors still unfixed. The package is assigned a version number and this becomes the new stable version. Over the course of its lifetime, the version in question will typically only receive security updates.
The stable version is the one recommended for production environments, as it is the one that was thoroughly tested. The unstable version usually targets users who want to benefit the latest program releases or help debugging it. The test version is not significantly more stable than the unstable version, but the packages have already passed the preliminary test period in the unstable version.
Several operating systems, including Ubuntu, MEPIS, Dreamlinux, Damn Small Linux, Xandros, Knoppix, BackTrack, Linspire, Aptosid formerly knows as sidux, Kanotix, Parsix, LinEx and Linux Mint, are based on the Debian operating system.
It can be installed both a regular CD/DVD for a standard installation or with a few non-essential modifications, as well as an Internet-based installation that allows you to install more basic packages, the optional ones being installed on your own needs.
If you want to get latest access to new software or want to benefit new features, then you need to upgrade to Debian Testing as a few months or even years can pass between those features are introduced in the stable version.
Upgrading to Debian Testing is a fast and clean process:
1) Open the terminal
2) change the directory to / etc / apt using:
cd / etc / apt
3) Make a copy of the sources.list file using:
sudo cp sources.list sources.list.backup
4) Delete the contents of the sources.list file using:
sudo nano sources.list
5) Insert the line below into the sources.list file using:
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free
6) Update the software
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
7) Update distribution
sudo apt dist-upgrade
For those who use Debian with the GNOME desktop, they may experience intense CPU and memory usage after upgrading to Debian Testing. To solve this problem use the following commands in the terminal:
rm ~ / .cache / tracker
rm ~ / .local / share / tracker
After upgrading to Debian Testing, remove the packages that were installed using the command:
sudo apt autoremove