Debian Project

Overview

Volunteer-led open-source community project that creates the Debian operating system. Debian is the upstream for Ubuntu and one of the oldest Linux distributions.

Key Facts

  • Founded: 1993-08-16

  • Headquarters: Global (decentralized)

  • Status: Community-driven (non-profit)

  • Founded by Ian Murdock in 1993; one of the oldest Linux distributions

  • Debian is the upstream for Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and many others

  • Debian Policy Manual and Free Software Guidelines define the project

  • Debian packages (dpkg) and APT package management are industry standards

  • 60,000+ packages in the Debian repository

  • Debian Stable is known for rock-solid reliability

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