Debian is one of the oldest and most popular Linux distributions available today. First released in 1993 by Ian Murdock, Debian has grown to become a large community-driven project with thousands of developers and maintainers around the world. Here are some key details about Debian Linux:
Origins and History
Debian was created in 1993 when Ian Murdock, then a student at Purdue University, wanted to create a completely open source Linux distribution. He named it after himself and his then-girlfriend Debra Lynn. The first release, Debian 0.01, was made in August 1993 consisting mainly of software from the Softlanding Linux System.
Over the years, Debian slowly gained popularity as one of the major early Linux distributions alongside Slackware and Red Hat Linux. In 1996, Bruce Perens joined the project and helped establish the Debian Social Contract and Debian Free Software Guidelines which outlined Debian's commitment to the open source community. These documents helped cement Debian's place as one of the most community-driven and ethical Linux distributions committed to free software principles.
In 1998, Debian released version 2.0 which was the first to use the new Debian package management system (dpkg and APT) that the project is still known for today. This release provided a much easier way for users to install and manage software packages on Debian. Subsequent releases saw Debian ported to more processor architectures including ARM and improved internationalization support.
By the 2000s, Debian had established itself as one of the most popular and influential Linux distributions. In 2004, the first release of Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 Sarge occurred after two years of development. This release also marked a transition in the project to time-based releases rather than the previous "when it's ready" release cycle. Later long-term support releases such as Debian 5 Lenny (2009), Debian 6 Squeeze (2011), and Debian 7 Wheezy (2013) further improved the distribution's reliability and security.
Recent Developments
In 2015, Debian released version 8 Jessie dedicating the release name to the Toy Story character. This release came with improved installation and live images, new Debian ports, and updated software. Debian also announced that systemd would become the default init system replacing sysvinit for improved boot performance and reliability. However this caused some controversy within the project due to opposition from veteran developers.
Debian 9 Stretch was released in 2017 after two years of development. It included over 59,000 other ready-to-use software packages and ran on 64-bit PCs along with 26 other architectures. Version 10 Buster came out in 2019 with even more updated packages, security improvements, and better hardware support.
The current stable release is Debian 11 Bullseye which was released in August 2021. It offers default encryption during installation, a new installer, improved ARM support, and updated software like the Linux kernel 5.10 and GNOME 3.38. The next major version planned is Debian 12 Bookworm which is expected for release in 2023.
Philosophy and Principles
Debian adheres to a unique philosophy within the open source community based around its Social Contract and Free Software Guidelines. Key principles driving the project include:
- Commitment to free software ideals - Debian only includes free software according to its guidelines and seeks to avoid non-free software. This keeps Debian 100% open source.
- Community-driven - Debian is developed by a large, decentralized global community of developers and volunteers. Decisions are made democratically based on community consensus.
- Stability and security - Software packages are carefully tested, tweaked and backported to avoid bugs and security flaws. Updates are not rushed for the sake of stability.
- Standardization - Debian only uses Freedesktop.org open standards and avoids developer-specific customizations to maintain interoperability.
- Independence - Debian is funded mainly by donations and does not rely on commercial interests to make decisions. The project remains neutral and vendor-independent.
These principles have guided Debian's development and allowed it to remain influential as one of the most robust, ethical and community-driven distributions that values its users and contributors.
Debian Package Management
One area where Debian stands out is its package management system comprised of tools like APT (Advanced Packaging Tool), dpkg, aptitude and others. Some key features include:
- Large software repository - Debian contains over 59,000 packages covering every kind of software from web servers to desktop apps to programming tools. All software is pre-compiled into .deb packages.
- Powerful dependency resolution - Debian can automatically install other required packages when installing new software to satisfy all dependencies.
- Secure packages - Packages are cryptographically signed by maintainers and checked on installation to verify authenticity. This prevents tampered or fake packages.
- Upgrade without reinstallation - Debian can do in-place OS upgrades by simply installing newer packages and rebooting when required. Reinstalling the OS every upgrade is not required.
- Advanced package management with APT - APT allows easy installation, update and removal of packages and groups of packages using simple commands like apt install, apt update and apt upgrade.
- Developer friendly - Debian packages make it easy for developers to manage dependencies when coding applications using languages like Python, Perl, PHP etc.
These features make installing and managing software a breeze on Debian compared to other distributions. Debian's large repository of thoroughly tested packages is one of its major strengths.
Debian Versions and Branches
Debian has three main branches that accommodate different needs:
- Stable - The current stable release such as Debian 11 Bullseye. It prioritizes stability and security with somewhat older software.
- Testing - Next major release such as Debian 12 Bookworm currently in development and testing. Offers newer packages but less stability.
- Unstable (sid) - Bleeding edge packages but very prone to bugs and build failures. Only for developers and advanced users.
Additionally, Debian provides long term support (LTS) releases such as Debian 8 Jessie and Debian 10 Buster that are supported with security updates for several years extra. This caters to large organizations that cannot frequently upgrade but want longevity.
For newer hardware enablement, Debian also provides backports allowing users to optionally install newer kernel and graphics stacks for better hardware support. Debian strives to balance stability with up-to-date software using this multi-branch development style.
Uses and Popularity
Some areas where Debian is commonly used include:
- Web servers - Many web servers run on Debian thanks to strong security and abundant web applications like Apache, Nginx, MySQL, PHP etc. Available as pre-built packages.
- Embedded systems - Debian's versatility allows it to power embedded systems based on ARM and other architectures like in NAS boxes, routers, IoT devices etc.
- Desktop OS - Debian's GNOME and KDE desktop options provide a robust and customizable desktop environment. Advanced users prefer Debian for control.
- Software development - Debian includes virtually every developer tool from compilers to interpreters for Python, Ruby, NodeJS etc. Enables rapid development and prototyping.
- Cloud computing - Debian images can be spun up easily on most cloud platforms like AWS EC2, GCP Compute Engine and OpenStack for cloud deployments.
According to the 2021 Linux market share statistics from W3Techs, Debian has the fourth largest install base among Linux distributions with 3.1% of the market after Ubuntu, CentOS and RHEL. Large tech companies like NASA, Wikipedia and Google use Debian extensively as well. Debian may not be the most popular distribution, but it remains highly influential within the open source community.
Technical Details
Under the hood, Debian utilizes the Linux kernel and consists entirely of free and open source software. Here are some key technical details:
- Supported architectures - Debian is highly portable and runs on amd64, i386, ARM64, ARMhf, PPC64el, s390x and 26 other architectures.
- Init system - Debian historically used the sysvinit init system but modern versions now default to systemd for booting the system.
- Package formats - Software packages use the .deb format installable with dpkg or APT tools like apt-get and apt. Deb packages contain binaries, config files and metadata.
- Boot process - Debian uses the standard Linux boot process of GRUB or another bootloader, followed by the init system, runlevels and finally the graphical login or desktop environment.
- Filesystem hierarchy - Debian adheres to the Linux FHS or filesystem hierarchy standard to organize files under root directories like /etc, /usr, /var, /boot and more. This enables standardization.
- Desktop environments - Debian offers users several desktop environment flavors including GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, MATE, Cinnamon and more optimized for Debian.
- Administration - Debian can be managed via the command-line with shell access or via GUI tools like tasksel, netconsole, netselect and others for easy system administration.
- Programming - Developers can leverage Debian's vast collection of programming tools, compilers, interpreters and libraries for Python, Perl, PHP, C/C++, JavaScript, Ruby and other languages.
For those who want maximum control and stability along with adherence to free software ideals, Debian continues to deliver a robust, universal operating system fully equipped for any usage scenario from servers to desktops to embedded systems and more. Its development process guided by a strong open source community makes Debian an influential Linux distribution and operating system.