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Linux can be a bit scary for users coming from a Windows or MacOS background, and even seasoned Linux users can find the Debian distribution a bit daunting at first.

The Debian Universe aims to become a complete guide to installing, managing and running Debian GNU/Linux. It walks you through setting up Debian on your computer, then shows you how to manage and use it for everyday tasks such as wordprocessing and accounting, and running services such as a web server or firewall.

In keeping with the open and accessible spirit of Debian, The Debian Universe is a book that is evolving and developing right here in front of you. The text is maintained in Subversion, a version control system more typically used for collaborative software development, and the latest version is always accessible online right here so you can watch it grow.

As a result some sections may be totally empty at this stage and others may be in a very rough state, but with your help I'm working as fast as I can to fill in the blanks. With your participation this book will develop into something genuinely useful, since reader feedback and comments will guide me as I write it.

Many of the chapters are published in my column of the same name in linmagau, the Australian Linux magazine. Some sections are being translated into Spanish for publication in the Mexican Debian users guide el espirographo, and parts are also being translated into Norwegian and Italian.