Linux, Open Source & Ubuntu: Debian 6.0 Branches Out Beyond the Project's Linux Roots

FreeBSD, Meet Debian

The Debian 6 feature that I was most interested in checking out was the operating systems new FreeBSD kernel variant.

ZFS Storage

The new kFreeBSD variants of Debian 6 bring new features such as ZFS storage to the distribution.

Debian 6 Desktop

While best-suited for server roles, Debian 6 can also perform well as a desktop environment.

Software Center

Ubuntus App Store-like Software Center, which put a friendly face on the distributions massive collection of ready-to-install software packages, is now available in Debian 6.

Net Installer

For most of my installs, I opted for small, network-based install images that reach over the network to Debian mirror servers to fetch the files needed for an installation.

Free Software First

With version 6, the Debian project has managed to excise all non-free firmware from its default install sources—though they remainaccessible if desired.