Debians

Debians refers to the people and projects associated with the Debian Project and its namesake operating system, Debian. The Debian Project is a community-driven, free software initiative that develops Debian, a general-purpose operating system primarily based on the Linux kernel but also supporting other kernels. The project began in 1993, founded by Ian Murdock, with the aim of creating a stable, universal platform composed entirely of free software. The name Debian is a portmanteau of Debra, the founder’s partner at the time, and Ian.

Debians participate in a collaborative, volunteer-driven development process that emphasizes openness, collaboration, and the freedom to run, study, modify, and share software. The project adheres to the Debian Social Contract and the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG), which guide licensing and distribution practices. A large portion of Debian’s value comes from thousands of software packages maintained by volunteers and organized in structured repositories.

Governance and decision-making occur through a combination of mailing lists, project-wide discussions, and elections. The Debian Project Leader (DPL) is elected annually, and there are various teams and maintainers who oversee package quality, security, and infrastructure. Decisions are typically made through consensus when possible and by voting when necessary.

Technology and packaging form another core pillar. Debian uses the dpkg package manager with APT as a higher-level tool. Its repositories are organized into main, contrib, and non-free sections, and the project supports multiple architectures. Debian operates a three-tier release model: unstable, testing, and stable, with stable releases receiving long-term support.

Debians have a broad impact on the software ecosystem, serving as a foundation for many derivatives and influencing free software standards worldwide.