Sixteen candles for Debian Linux…

On August 16, 1993 one of the largest distributions of Linux was born: Debian. In a time when you were probably running Windows for Workgroups 3.11, playing Doom, and listening to the top album of the year: the soundtrack from The Bodyguard. A new type of operating system and new ways of thinking about software were slowing being built from the ground up and nobody was sure it would work.

With the publication of The Debian Manifesto by Ian Murdock a new philosophy of building a full operating system was unleashed. The idea was simple: make it free, open, and let anyone who thinks they can help improve it. The idea had been used in the past for smaller projects successfully. Open software ideals led pioneers like Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds to contribute to projects whose scope they could have never imagined. Stallman’s GNU project led to key components of an OS being freely and openly licensed to anyone and Torvalds’ Linux kernel laid the groundwork for a fully open operating system.

Debian has always been seen as one of the bastions of open source philosophy. Its open framework allowed for contributors from all over the globe to take part in developing a fully functioning operating system which could be used by anyone. Although other Linux distributions were being developed none of them were completely free and were being developed by companies or corporations, Debian stood alone.

The ease of use and stability of Debian has made it a popular choice for manufacturers. Ubuntu, which is based on Debian, can be found running on the Dell’s netbooks, XPS, and Inspiron lines. Debian can be found running on everything from netbooks to servers and super computers. With advances in the user interface and package management systems Debian has poised itself to be one of the first choices for end-users looking for an escape from a Microsoft or Apple-centric computing.

Though Debian and the Open Source communities have come a long way there are still battles to be fought. Public opinion is one of the largest targets ahead for Open Source. The public is barely aware that free and open versions of software they use daily even exists, support for games is sub-par and interfaces could use an overhaul, but these problems should seem minuscule compared to building a full operating system from scratch, for free.

So brew yourself some Free Beer and tip a glass to Debian even though it won't be able to partake for another 5 years.