20 February, 2024 by Liosa F

What is Debian OS?

Debian OS Established by Ian Murdock in 1993, Debian stands as one of the most venerable and well-known Linux distributions. It is the basis for many other Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Mint, and Kali Linux, because of its exceptional stability and security.

Debian operating system, also known as Debian GNU / Linux, is one of the most stable Linux distributions available for free.

Debian was first introduced on August 16, 1993, by Ian Murdock; This distribution has been published by many programmers to produce a non-commercial version.

Table of Contents

Introducing Debian

Debian is free, open-source, and user-friendly, based on the Unix system. Debian boasts a massive repository of free software developed by the programmers’ community.

Similar to RHEL, Debian is the parent distribution, and many operating systems such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Kali Linux are based on it. This operating systems are called Debian-based distributions.

Debian distributions are also widely used in servers and desktops. Debian emphasizes stability, and the largest and most comprehensive software source belongs to this family.

The package management system is one of the best features of Debian. Administrators can install, update, and manage software with this system. The package manager for Debian is dpkg.

The Debian project also commits itself to publishing detailed updates on operating system security issues in addition to publishing security updates.

Debian is offered in three main channels, test (developing), stable, and unstable; Stable channels have the highest security and lowest bugs possible and have regular updates.

Debian has various versions and the latest versions are Debian 10 known as Buster, Debian 11 known as Bullseye, and Debian 12 known as Bookworm.

Debian history

In 1993, on August 16, Ian Murdock introduced Debian. The goal of this new concept was non-commercial, free distribution, and in line with the principles of the GNU and Linux projects.

Many people thought that the Debian project, which several programmers presented, would fail. But contrary to expectations, Debian thrived.

This distribution in less than 10 years became known as the unique Linux distribution. so far more than 120 distributions based on it have been released, and there are more than 59,000 software packages for Debian.

The founder of the free software movement, Richard Stallman, due to disagreed with some of Debian’s explanations and designed Virtual Richard M. Stallman software. This software reviewed Debian packages and reported non-free software.

Why is it called Debian?

The name Debian is a combination of the first name of the founder and his ex-wife (Debra Lynn) (Debra Lynn + Ian Murdock).

What Language is Debian written in?

Debian is written in 70 different languages since it is committed to flexibility, stability, and community-driven development.

Plain C
Bash and POSIX
Go (golang)
Perl
Python
Ruby

and more are the languages in which Debian is written.

Since portable programming languages are used to write the majority of the software accessible on Debian, the source code can be compiled for a variety of architectures.

Reasons for Linux Debian Success

Debian operating system has a high degree of flexibility, and also its open source has made it possible to change its source code, so 120 different models were created based on Debian.
Another reason for its success is the existence of a large community of experts and programmers to support Debian, and volunteer to error test and develop it.
There are clear and precise instructions for quality control, trial and error, and troubleshooting for a more user-friendly Debian operating system environment.

Is Debian good for beginners?

Yes. Undoubtedly, Debian is one of the best Linux distributions for beginners.

Debian is a great platform for learning. Beginners, who choose Debian, would benefit from the below options:

Stable OS.
Solving issues in the support community.
Easy installations using package management.
Customizability.

However, beginners must consider that they might face difficulties such as the learning curve and manual installation of some drivers.

Also, the priority of Debian is stability, not new software.

What is Debian Used for?

As a robust, open-source, and flexible operating system, Debian is used for a wide range of applications in many fields.

Here are a few important applications:

Security and Stability.
Software Development.
System Recovery and Troubleshooting.
Package Management.
Education.

Debian Use Cases

Debian can be installed and run on most processors with different architectures of 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Intel, AMD, ARM, and mainframe server computers from the IBM Z series.

It runs the GNOME desktop environment and includes applications such as OpenOffice.org, the Evolution email system, Iceweasel which is a modified version of Firefox, music and video players, photo viewers, text editors, and PDF viewers.

Debian has a powerful graphical environment and a convenient command line terminal for the user.

Advantages of Debian OS

Stability: All Debian packages are tested before being included in its repositories. Debian also has a slower release cycle than other distributions, and each version is supported for a long time. So it guarantees a high level of stability.

Security: Debian regularly provides security updates for its open-source software to quickly fix software security bugs and prevent possible vulnerabilities.

An established Linux distribution: Debian is one of the oldest and most established Linux distributions, and many popular distributions such as Ubuntu are based on Debian.

Server compatibility: You can use the original version of Debian on a server without needing a special version or modification. It is a great choice for a Linux VPS.

Open source: being open source is an advantage that users can apply any changes to the operating system.

Strong support: Debian is not just a Linux operating system, this software is produced by hundreds of volunteers worldwide. You can still be part of the Debian community even if you are not a programmer.

Debian is based on community and consensus. Due to the wide range of users, Debian has become a common practice in Linux software. You can find all kinds of software you need on Debian.

Disadvantages of Debian OS

Delay in updating stable versions (Debian provides stable versions every 1–3 years)
Having a slow release cycle and outdated software
The complexity of the installation and configuration process and the need for more technical knowledge
Does not support Delta updates such as Delta RPM

Types of Debian versions

Debian has been introduced in 3 versions, which we will explain in the following.

Stable version

The stable version is the latest official version of Debian that has high stability and security. it is incompatible with new software because of Debian’s slow release cycle (1-3 years).

So, if you are looking for the latest and greatest software packages, the stable version is not the best choice.

Testing version

This version is expanding its software packages and waiting in line for stability.

The Testing version is for error testing, providing the latest software enhancements. Also, the Testing version has more updates compared to the stable version.

But its disadvantage is that it can not receive security packages at the right time; The latest beta version of Debian is Bullseye.

Unstable version

The Debian OS development process is complete in unstable or sid version, and this is an experimental version that has been developed.

In the testing version, users give feedback, but the unstable version of Debian allows developers to actively submit code and influence the success of this testing version.

So we recommend this version for developers, and it’s unsuitable and unreliable for daily use.

Debian operating system features

as you get to know with Debian operating system, it is better to know its important features.

Quality Control
Very high software diversity
Support for different architectures and processors
High stability and security
Having different versions in terms of an operating system, such as live versions or installable versions
Utilizing the GNU core
including more than 29,000 applications
being Free
Being graphic and having an attractive environment for the user

Why Debian is the best OS?

As one of the best operating systems, Debian has serious loyal users and fans all over the world.

It is not surprising! Because Debian comes with all the most important features of an operating system, such as:

Security.
Flexibility and Reliability.
Community.
Stability.
Hardware Support.
Long-Term Support (LTS).
Customizability.
System Administration Friendliness.
Excellent Package Management.

Is Debian Free Software?

Yes. Debian is a completely Free Operating System.

The Debian Free Software Guidelines state that all packages included in the official Debian distribution are free.

This guarantees that the packages and their whole source code can be used and distributed freely.

Is Google using Debian?

Yes. Google’s in-house Linux systems are now running on Debian.

Formerly known as Goobuntu, it was the internal Linux distribution of Google and was based on Ubuntu LTS versions.

Google switched from Goobuntu to gLinux, a new distribution based on Debian Testing, in 2018.

What processor is in Debian?

Debian supports below processors:

AMD64 & Intel 64 (amd64
ARM (armel, armhf, arm64
MIPS (mipsel, mips64el)
Power Systems (ppc64el)
IBM S/390 (s390x)

Also, Debian’s graphical interfaces rely on X.Org’s X11 system and the kernel.