Who the bloody hell cares about Debian?
Channel: Linux.conf.au 2011 -- Brisbane, Australia
Date: 2014-11-23

Presenter(s): Stefano Zacchiroli
URL: http://2011.linux.conf.au/programme/schedule/view_talk/153

This talk is a determined attempt at demolishing popular misconceptions about
the Debian distribution, perpetrated by no less than the current Debian Project
Leader.

Here is one way of presenting Debian. Debian is a project of 1'000 members that
do-ocratically and democratically make a GNU/Linux distribution of 30'000
packages. The distribution started in 1993 and is one of the oldest and longest
running distribution out there, with an unparalleled focus on quality and
stability.

Here is another way. Debian is just an old fart among GNU/Linux distros.
Debian stable is so stable that becomes obsolete a few months later its release
(if not before). Ubuntu on the other hand releases every 6 months and offers
all the advantages of Debian packaging and packages; why should people care
about Ubuntu's mother? In fact, nowadays who uses Debian anymore? Who cares
about Debian anyhow?

FAIL. Such a reasoning can't be more wrong. ... To be honest, some of the above
is true, but focusing on that misses the point and fails to acknowledge the
novel role of Debian in the free software ecosystem. First of all, Ubuntu and
all other Debian derivatives directly depend on the work which is still being
done in Debian. Contributors of Ubuntu and other distros should care about and
collaborate with Debian to ease their work-flows and be better free software
citizens. Users of derivatives should also be made aware that most of the
software they use come from unmodified Debian source packages. They surely do
not want such software to bitrot anytime soon, right?

Debian has also several unique technical features, still unmatched by
concurrent newfangled distributions (and more of those are coming with Debian
Squeeze!).

Even more importantly, Debian is unique in: (1) its independence from money,
infrastructure, people power, and similar "features" that companies use to
control the progress of free software distributions; (2) its culture of freedom
and democracy, which are both at stake with company-driven decisions on the
evolution of free software distributions.

If you care about free software, you couldn't care more about Debian.
Nowadays, like in 1993. This talk will show you why and how.

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