In 1993, the American software engineer Ian Murdock set out to build a new, truly open-source Linux distribution, developed firmly in the spirit of both GNU and Linux. A distribution to be meticulously and conscientiously assembled, being supported an maintained in like fashion. Ian along with a small, committed group of Free Software hackers began what has turned into one of the largest Linux projects in history know as The Debian Project.
Debian, pronounced /ˈde.bi.ən/, comes from the names of the creator of Debian, Ian Murdock, and his wife, Debra.
The Debian Project is a cooperative group bent on creating the free, (openly shared), operating system known as Debian. The core of the Debian operating system utilizes the Linux kernel which was started by Linus Torvalds and is currently supported by thousands of programmers across the globe.
So as the typical end-user, what does all this mean? Simply put, it amounts to one of the most widely used, free operating systems today, Debian. An operating system that is concerned about your privacy, security and freedom by default, supported by a wonderful community.
Here are some of the reasons to use Debian. This list is by no means complete, but a brief collection of rationalizations which I feel sets apart Debian from other Linux distributions:
It would be unfair and unbiased if I did not share some of the potential drawbacks as well:
In my opinion, there are are a few rare instances where Debian can be difficult, but not so much more than any other operating system. However, there are many many more reasons to use Debian. Coming in at no cost, with a very easy installation which provides a true multi-taking environment, there is no good reason to not give Debian a shot.
If you are interested in using a very stable, free operating system, which is developed and well supported by it’s own users strictly under the GNU protocol, then there is really no other option than to use Debian Linux. More and more people every day are moving away from invasive operating systems, such as Windows and Apple, whom support unscrupulous business practices with total disregard for your freedom of privacy, in order to acquire massive profits. If you are interested, and are thinking to install Debian, I will provide a couple of very helpful links below.
Finally, if you do decide to install and use Debian, here are a few thing you might consider doing strait off to make things a bit easier for you. All of this is done via the command line, so I separate plain text from the command strings in ‘orange‘.
apt-get install sudo
usermod -a -G sudo <username>
sudo apt-get install synaptic apt-xapian-index gdebi gksu
sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree
sudo apt-get install icedtea-plugin
sudo apt-get install evince qalculate clementine gimp gnome-disk-utility
That should give you a fairly decent start. Now explore Debian, and tailor it to your specific needs. You will quickly find there is little reason to continue supporting restrictive, paid operating systems that care only for your hard-earned money, and little for your privacy and security.
This is the first of a four-article series I am preparing to help people in their quest for freedom from surveillance whilst using the internet.