Custom Debian Distributions
Terminology
The following terminology has settled in, thanks to various threads on debian-devel@lists.debian.org:
Custom Debian Distribution (CDD): a subset of Debian that is configured to support a particular target group out-of-the-box.
CDD in development: a distribution that is not yet a CDD but aims to become one. These are started with the explicit goal of improving Debian as a whole, consequently all extras they offer will either become part of Debian, or are temporary workarounds to solve a need of the target group which can't be solved within Debian yet.
Flavor: upon installation of a CDD there often is a choice, depending on the particular use, about what set of defaults to use. A flavor is the name of such a set. (e.g. Skolelinux has flavors for main-server, workstation, and thin-client-server)
Subproject: group of people within Debian working together on a common purpose. In most cases this common purpose is either some specific functionality (e.g. debian-multimedia) or a CDD (e.g debian-enterprise).
Communication
Mailinglist: discussions about ["CDDs"] currently take place on debian-custom@lists.debian.org mailing list, while old discussion passed on debian-devel, before the creation of d-custom list, has been put in http://people.debian.org/~kalfa/cdd/debian-devel
Irc: #debian-custom channel at ?FreeNode is present
wiki: used to document the outcome of discussions on the mailinglist.
News
[http://lists.debian.org/debian-custom/ debian-custom mailing list created]
[http://people.debian.org/~tille/debian-med/talks/paper-cdd/debian-cdd.html/ Paper about Custom Debian Distributions]
[http://alioth.debian.org/projects/cdd/ Project on Alioth]
[http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-nonprofit/News/2003/20030717 Report from debcamp Custom Distribution BOF]
CDDs in Development (alphabetical):
[http://alioth.debian.org/projects/debian-br-cdd/ Debian-BR-CDD]: a CDD by the brazilian project [http://www.debian-br.org/ Debian-BR]
[http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-desktop Debian Desktop]:
[["DebianGIS"] http://pkg-grass.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl]: a CDD for Geographical Information and Earth Observation Systems
[http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-jr Debian Junior]:
[http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-lex Debian Lex]:
[http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-med Debian Med]:
[http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-nonprofit Debian Nonprofit]:
[http://www.demudi.org ?DeMuDi]:
[http://developer.skolelinux.no Skolelinux] (build by the [http://wiki.debian.net/?DebianEdu DebianEdu] project): a CDD aimed at schools.
[http://userlinux.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl ?UserLinux]: ?EnterpriseServer , enterprise desktop, SOHO; fostering service and support providers.
CDDs in Discussion:
["?BeBian"] (Debian as/for ["BeOS"])
- [Debian-eGov] (Debian for Municipalities and Administrations)
Other Debian Customizations
[http://linux.hiweed.com Hiweed-Debian]:
Hiweed Leng <hiweed at 163.com>
[http://metadistros.hispalinux.es ?MetaDistros]:
Jesus Climent <jesus.climent at hispalinux.es>
[http://www.guadalinex.org ?GuadaLinEx]:
Teófilo Ruiz Suárez <teo@debian.org>
[http://www.knoppix.org Knoppix]:
Klaus Knopper <klaus@knopper.net> (?)
[http://dirk.eddelbuettel.com/quantian.html Quantian]:
Dirk Eddelbuettel <edd@debian.org>
[http://www.morphix.org Morphix]:
Alex de Landgraaf <alextreme@xs4all.nl>
- Morgane:
Arapaho pmalamy@tuxfamily.org
[http://gnoppix.org/ Gnoppix]:
Andreas Mueller <amu@gnoppix.org>
[http://www.ofset.org/freeduc-cd/ FREEDUC]:
FREEDUC developers <ofset-freeduc@lists.sourceforge.net>
[http://www.credativ.de/ German-Government-Desktop]:
Andreas Mueller <erposs@credativ.de>
[http://www.kalyxo.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/["LiveCD" Kalyxo]]:
Andreas Mueller <amu@kde.org>
Common Issues for CDDs
Automatic installation
Using the new DebianInstaller and a few hooks to get the partitioning we want and the packages we want installed into the hard drive. I'm fairly satisfied with this solution.
Installing the list of package we want
Using meta-packages (ie packages consisting only of dependencies) to install the packages we want. Used hooks in base-config to get them installed during first time installation. Not too happy about the meta-package approach, as it is fragile and break easily if some dependency is unavailable.
Preconfigure the packages we install
Using two different approaches: (1) Load answers into the debconf database before the packages are installed using some home-make scripts, and (2) rewrite/replace configuration files using cfengine at the end of the installation if the package is unable to configure what we want using debconf. I'm fairly satisfied with this solution, but am not sure if the method used to feed the debconf database is the best available. I believe the best option would be to extend all the packages we use to make it possible to configure everything we need using debconf answers.
Automatic X configuration
Using home-brewed script filling the debconf database, and then call dexconf from the ?"XFree86" package to generate the configuration file.
The Hardware detection info is fetched from various packages (discover, ["Kudzu"], detect, etc).
CD building
Using a heavily patched version of debian-cd to create the ["CDs"]. Most of the patches is to include the d-i boot floppies. This should now be possible with the standard version of debian-cd, but no one in Skolelinux have taken the time to update our copy of the scripts.
Configure default language for all users
Using a custom script to rewrite config files to modify the default language/locale.
Making simpler KDE / GNOME ([XFree86]) reaching and menus
Make a simplier way to elect the window desktop manager (KDE/GNOME) by default or by selection on screen by the user (in a similar way to the ["LILO"] / ["Grub"] boot screens to select to partion to boot).
Working on a system to make simple menus and change the menu depending on the users group membership.
Working on the direct use of KDE programs in GNOME and viceversa (in a similar way to ["alien"].