Debian Celebrates 15th Birthday
Fifteen years ago, on Saturday the 16th of August, 1993, Ian Murdock wrote an email to the comp.os.linux.development newsgroup , announcing his upcoming Debian Linux Release.
"I’ve totally re-created the release, in other words, I haven’t just made a few changes to SLS and then called it a new release," Murdock wrote on the SLS (Softlanding Linux System) mailing list.
The SLS was the first Linux distribution, compiled in 1992 by Peter McDonald, that consisted of more than just the basic Linux kernel and a few rudimentary tools. SLS did bring the graphic X Windows System with it, but caused a series of problems that led to dissatisfaction in the Linux community. About one month before the Debian release, Patrick Volkerding published version 1.0 of Slackware, which – unlike the brand new Debian – was a mere modification of SLS.
Murdock was concerned with transparency and freedom of his distribution in accordance with the values of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). The Debian developer community grew quickly, and the project developed a sophisticated internal structure with a constitution, a corporate contract, and guidelines for the organization. Debian was especially admired for dissolving the packet-dependency. Security leaks were posted on public mailing lists, which increased the potential number of developers who could patch the leaks quickly.
Debian worked so well that an increasing number of commercial and non-commercial providers began to build their own distributions from Debian’s packet-system. Ubuntu, one of the best-known Debian-derivatives, has since overtaken Debian in popularity, to the dismay of some members of the Debian community.
The distribution is also frequently used in large migration projects in the public sector.For example, Debian is the Linux of choice in Munich, Germany; the Austrian version of Vienna’s Wienux is based on Debian; and the Spanish region of Extremadura uses it for its schools and councils with GNU/LinEx.
Officially, the next stable version of Debian 5.0, code-named Lenny, will be released in September.
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
-
The GNU Project Celebrates Its 40th Birthday
September 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the GNU Project, and it was celebrated with a hacker meeting in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.