Debian's long-term support experiment
Well Supported
© Lead Image © elwynn, 123RF.com
The Debian project is extending its famous development process to offer long-term support.
Debian Linux, which calls itself "The Universal Operating System," is a huge and popular Linux variant. Debian was one of the first Linux distributions, and it remains one of the largest, with over 43,000 software packages. Unlike many other leading Linux distros, Debian is not backed directly by a company, and it is managed democratically by the many volunteers who populate the Debian mailing list.
Despite its reputation as an all-free, counter-cultural collection for hackers, Debian is also quite stable and reliable, which makes it a viable option for many corporate networks. But after many years of Linux in the enterprise, admins have a pretty clear idea of what they want: a system that will operate for several years without requiring an upgrade. Rolling out a new operating system in the enterprise can take many months, and the process is quite complex and prone to complications. Better to make such events as infrequent as possible.
In 2014, the Debian developers woke up and realized the recent trend for Long-Term-Support (LTS) releases had left them behind. Because Debian is not backed by a company that can make money on selling support contracts (like SUSE, Red Hat, and Canonical), they had never gotten around to implementing some form of long-term support.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.