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There seems to be a need for a short, straightforward introduction to Debian that assumes general UNIX knowledge (either a free or commercial variant). Most of the Debian guides that I see also serve as introductions to Linux or UNIX, and spend a lot of time on installation tasks, file and directory concepts, and the like. I have introduced several UNIX-savvy friends of mine to Debian, so I drew on my experience and started writing something. It assumes that the user has moderate UNIX skills, and already has an installed Debian system to work with (there is plenty of installation documentation lying about), and tries to impart the information necessary to "get things done" in Debian as quickly as possible. A table of contents is below, and the work in progress is at <http://people.debian.org/~mdz/debian-for-unix-users.html/>. Feedback is appreciated. Contents -------- 1. The Debian Way 1.1. Introduction to Debian as a Free Software Operating System 1.2. The Debian Development Process 2. How to Find Documentation 2.1. On-Line Manual Pages 2.2. Finding the Right Package 2.3. The `/usr/share/doc' Directory 2.4. `dhelp' 2.5. Documentation Packages 2.6. Documentation Websites 3. Package Management 3.1. Introduction to Debian Packages 3.2. The Debian Archive 3.3. Working with Binary Packages: Software Installation and Removal 3.4. Working with Source Packages 3.5. Package Configuration 4. System Configuration 4.1. Users 4.2. Networking 4.3. The X Window System 4.4. Access Permissions 5. System Maintenance 5.1. Upgrading Packages 6. Glossary -- - mdz
