Debian
A non-commercial, community-driven Linux distribution.
Debian is one of the oldest still-active Linux distributions and the upstream of Ubuntu, Tails, Raspberry Pi OS, Kali Linux, Devuan, MX Linux, and many others. Debian releases are unusually stable: a "stable" release ships only well-tested package versions and gets security updates for several years, with a "frozen" period before each release during which only critical fixes are accepted.
The Debian Social Contract and DFSG (Debian Free Software Guidelines) — published in 1997 — shaped much of the broader open-source movement. Debian's commitment to free software is unusually strict: the official repositories include only DFSG- free software, with non-free packages available in a separate "non-free" section that requires explicit opt-in.
Ian Murdock founded Debian in 1993 (the name combines his name with his then-partner's, Debra). The Debian Project is a volunteer organisation with around a thousand active developers; governance happens through elected positions and General Resolutions. Debian is the foundation of much of the modern Linux ecosystem.
License: Composite (DFSG-compliant) per package
Category: Distribution
Website: https://www.debian.org/
Install
Download an ISO from https://www.debian.org/distrib/ Or in a container: docker run -it debian:latest bash
Authors
- Ian Murdock (founder, 1993)
- Debian Project (community)