Re: We might need a better wording for our release page
Richard Lewis wrote:
>> https://wiki.debian.org/Glossary#release has:
>>
>> # *release*
>> #
>> # see [Debian Release]
>> #
>> # * The occasion of a new [stable] version of Debian being declared
>> # ready for production use.
>
> This describes the launch event, rather than the thing being released: i
> think this should be downplayed
It's one of the senses of the word "release" that people might need to
look up ("what do you mean, a release party? were you in jail?"), so
it's in the glossary.
>> # * A [suite] that has been or is going to be released; more generally,
>> # a synonym for [suite] - even [sid] has a `Release` file and is
>> # traditionally (if oxymoronically) referred to as "the unstable
>> # release".
>>
>> (And see also https://wiki.debian.org/Glossary#distribution .)
>>
>> So if somebody comes up with a good answer it can go there...
>
> The glossary is definitly better than the debian.org page, which uses
> "distribution" in a rather odd way "The stable distribution contains the
> latest officially released distribution of Debian."
I was going to say that www.debian.org/releases/ starts off on the
wrong foot by having the wrong name, but it does of course end up
listing the current stable, oldstable, and so on right back to... oh,
only 2.0 for some reason.
> I would find it clearer if "distribution" was only used to mean Debian,
Agreed, but at least it's a less harmful confusion.
> ie a "linux distro", which is how people describe it. Stable, testing,
> unstable, bookworm are vesions (i suppose "release" also works) of
> Debian.
I notice https://wiki.debian.org/DebianRepository/Format is even
pickier about defining "Suite" as meaning only the "branch labels"
like "unstable" as opposed to "Codename" (=sid). Meanwhile I'm
surprised to see that Debian Policy entirely avoids this topic.
> ------------------- Suggested revision below ---------------------
>
> Debian Releases
>
> Debian is avialable in three main versions available: stable, testing
> and unstable.
(Typo and repetition there, but yes, probably the human-friendly
approach is to phrase this in terms of "versions". If I had a time
machine and a mind control ray I'd get them named "branches".)
> stable
> ------
> The stable version is the latest production-ready version of
> Debian. This is the version which we recommend using for live services
> and for beginners.
Here in fact we probably *should* mention the word "release" instead
of using the word "version" so often. But don't say we recommend
using it for people.
The "stable" version is the latest official Debian release.
This is the version recommended for beginners and for production
services.
>
> The name "stable" refers to the fact that it does not change often:
> although we regularly release security fixes, we (amost?) never change
> the versions of software from it. We do make minor updates which can
> introduce minor changes, but care is taken to not break anything. We
> generally release a new vesion of stable every couple of years, but
> there is no fixed timetable: we release a new stable version when it is
> ready.
Yes, it might be a good idea to say this here, because I don't see it
stated anywhere else. Maybe we can boil it down further? I'd have
suggested stealing text from https://wiki.debian.org/DebianReleases
...but in fact that never quite says any of this.
> The current stable distribution of Debian is version 12, codenamed
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here just for once we might in fact want to call it a release!
> bookworm. It was initially released on June 10th, 2023 and its latest
> update, version 12.8, was released on November 9th, 2024. The next
(A low-priority nitpick: all the styleguides agree it should be "June
10, 2023" and "November 9, 2024". Of course almost nobody naturally
writes dates like that, so it may not be worth the effort.)
> version of Debian will be named trixie.
Leave that for the next section.
> testing
> -------
>
> The 'testing' suite is where the next version of Debian is tested. It
~~~~~
If we're going to use the word "suite" at all we should introduce it
at the top ("Debian always has at least three suites in active
maintenance") and use it consistently. It's probably easier if we
avoid that, though.
> can be thought of as a bit like a 'rolling release' as it is updated
> daily with newer versions of software. It is less tested and requires
> more active administration than using stable. Packages are uploaded to
> unstable (see below) and automatically moved to testing unless critical
> bugs are found: in practice many people use find it a good compromise
> between stability and having access to new software.
This is a better description than the current version (with its
confusing imagery of packages forming a queue), but be careful about
recommending the suite with the least security support! Maybe the
rather subjective "rolling release" part could be incorporated into
that final "in practice" section... something like
The "testing" version is where the next version of Debian is tested.
It is updated constantly with packages arriving from unstable (see
below) if no critical bugs have been found in them. In practice many
users treat this as a "rolling release"; it requires more active
administration than stable (since for a start it has no direct
security support) but gives access to newer software.
> See the Debian FAQ for more information.
(The FAQ is of course also chock-full of the same sort of wobbly
terminology as this page.)
> unstable
> --------
> The 'unstable' suite (also referred to as 'sid') is where active
---------------------------
I'd keep the codename bit as the final paragraph in each section:
The current "stable" release of Debian is version 12, codenamed
"bookworm" [...]
The current "testing" version of Debian is codenamed "trixie".
The "unstable" version of Debian is always codenamed "sid".
> development of Debian occurs. Generally, unstable is used by developers
> and advanced users who like to live on the edge. It is recommended that
> users running unstable subscribe to the debian-devel-announce mailing
> list to receive notifications of major changes.
Instead of dropping the "should" I'd go the other way:
and advanced users who like to live on the edge. Such users should
subscribe to the debian-devel-announce mailing list to receive
notifications of major changes.
--
JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
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