Debian (/ˈdɛbiən/),[4][5] also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free

and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was
established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The first version, Debian 0.01, was released on
September 15, 1993,[6] and the first stable version, 1.1, was released on June 17, 1996.[7] The
Debian Stable branch is the most popular edition for personal computers and servers, and is the
basis for many other distributions.
Debian is one of the oldest operating systems based on the Linux kernel. The project is coordinated
over the Internet by a team of volunteers guided by the Debian Project Leader and three
foundational documents: the Debian Social Contract, the Debian Constitution, and the Debian Free
Software Guidelines. New distributions are updated continually, and the next candidate is released
after a time-based freeze.
Since its founding, Debian has been developed openly and distributed freely according to the
principles of the GNU Project. Because of this, the Free Software Foundation sponsored the project
from November 1994 to November 1995. When the sponsorship ended, the Debian Project formed
the nonprofit organization Software in the Public Interest to continue financially supporting
development.
Debian has access to online repositories that contain over 51,000 packages.[8] Debian officially
contains only free software, but non-free software can be downloaded and installed from the Debian
repositories.[9] Debian includes popular free programs such as LibreOffice,[10] Firefox web
browser, Evolution mail, K3b disc burner, VLC media player, GIMP image editor,
and Evince document viewer.[9] Debian is a popular choice for servers, for example as the operating
system component of a LAMP stack.[11][12]

Kernels[edit]
Several flavors of the Linux kernel exist for each port. For example, the i386 port has flavors for IA-
32 PCs supporting Physical Address Extension and real-time computing, for older PCs, and for x86-
64 PCs.[13] The Linux kernel does not officially contain firmware without sources, although such
firmware is available in non-free packages and alternative installation media.[14][15]

Desktop environments[edit]

XFCE is default on CD images and non-Linux ports

Debian offers CD images specifically built for Xfce, the default desktop on CD, and DVD images
for GNOME, KDE and others.[16] MATE is officially supported,[17] while Cinnamon support was added
with Debian 8.0 Jessie.[18] Less common window managers such
as Enlightenment, Openbox, Fluxbox, IceWM, Window Maker and others are available.[19]
The default desktop environment of version 7.0 Wheezy was temporarily switched to Xfce, because
GNOME 3 did not fit on the first CD of the set.[20] The default for the version 8.0 Jessie was changed
again to Xfce in November 2013,[21] and back to GNOME in September 2014.[22]

Localization[edit]
Several parts of Debian are translated into languages other than American English, including
package descriptions, configuration messages, documentation and the website.[23] The level of
software localization depends on the language, ranging from the highly
supported German and French to the barely translated Creek and Samoan.[24] The Debian 10
installer is available in 76 languages.[25]

Installation[edit]
Debian offers DVD and CD images for installation that can be downloaded using BitTorrent or jigdo.
Physical disks can also be bought from retailers.[26] The full sets are made up of several discs (the
amd64 port consists of 13 DVDs or 84 CDs),[27] but only the first disc is required for installation, as
the installer can retrieve software not contained in the first disc image from online repositories.[28]
Debian offers different network installation methods. A minimal install of Debian is available via
the netinst CD, whereby Debian is installed with just a base and later added software can be
downloaded from the Internet. Another option is to boot the installer from the network.[29]
Installation images are hybrid on some architectures and can be used to create a bootable USB
drive (Live USB).[30]
The default bootstrap loader is GNU GRUB version 2, though the package name is simply grub,
while version 1 was renamed to grub-legacy. This conflicts with e.g. Fedora, where grub version 2 is
named grub2.
The default desktop may be chosen from the DVD boot menu among GNOME, KDE
Plasma, Xfce and LXDE, and from special disc 1 CDs.[31][32]