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==Design== [[File:Gdebi.png|thumb|right|GDebi installing a .deb package]] Debian packages are standard [[Unix]] [[ar (Unix)|ar archives]] that include two [[tar (computing)|tar]] archives. One archive holds the control information and another contains the installable data.<ref name="rh20100917">{{cite web|url=https://raphaelhertzog.com/2010/09/17/how-to-create-debian-packages-with-alternative-compression-methods/|title=How to create Debian packages with alternative compression methods|author=Raphaël Hertzog|date=17 Sep 2010|website=raphaelhertzog.com|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref> [[dpkg]] provides the basic functionality for installing and manipulating Debian packages. Generally end users don't manage packages directly with [[dpkg]] but instead use the [[APT (Package Manager)|APT]] package management software or other [[APT (Package Manager)#Front-ends|APT front-ends]] such as [[aptitude (software)|aptitude]] ([[nCurses]]) and [[Synaptic (software)|synaptic]] ([[GTK]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.debian.org/Courses/MaintainingPackages/Packages/Management|title=Debian Courses/Maintaining Packages/Packages Management|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=31 Oct 2010|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref> Debian packages can be converted into other package formats and vice versa using [[Alien (file converter)|alien]], and created from source code using [[checkinstall]] or the Debian Package Maker.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/apa.en.html#alien|title=Overview of Debian Maintainer Tools / Alien|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=n.d.|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref> Some core Debian packages are available as '''udeb'''s ("micro debs"), and are typically used only for bootstrapping a Debian installation. Although these files use the ''udeb'' filename extension, they adhere to the same structure specification as ordinary ''deb'' files. However, unlike their ''deb'' counterparts, ''udeb'' packages contain only essential functional files.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/doc/internals/ch03.html|title=Chapter 3. D-I components or udebs|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=n.d.|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203083145/http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/doc/internals/ch03.html|archive-date=3 December 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In particular, documentation files are normally omitted. ''udeb'' packages are not installable on a standard Debian system, but are used in [[Debian-Installer]].
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