Debian

The series on setting the record straight about computer history continues.
That Linus Torvalds pulled off a great coup with the development of his free kernel, Linux, is by now known to anyone who can read a daily newspaper. Less well known are the people behind Linux who have rendered great service to the GNU/GPL. A not inconsiderable share of the credit goes to the distributors. Such as SuSE GmbH (Software und Systementwicklung), which became known for the Linux distribution of the same name and was recently swallowed by Novell.
Of course there are several more distributors, like Mandrake and RedHat, all of whom have contributed their share to Linux. One distributor stands out in particular. Debian.
Debian was brought to life on 16 August 1993 by Ian Murdock. A 100% non-commercial Linux distribution. The name Debian is made up of Ian and Debra, the name of Murdock's wife. Murdock led the project for six years. Under his leadership five releases came out, starting with version 1.0.
What sets Debian so enormously apart from other distributors is the autocratic structure it operates with. Every few years, or as needed, elections are held.
Every developer may vote and may stand for office.
The structure, despite being democratically elected, is autocratic. Above everything stands the Debian Project Leader (DPL), who represents the project to the outside world and holds it together on the inside. The current DPL is Branden Robinson. He was elected at the beginning of this year, after several unsuccessful candidacies.
Below him come a technical committee, a secretary, the FTP masters (who ultimately bundle the release packages), a documentation department, a CD department, various computer architecture departments and developers specialising in security - to name just a handful.
To become a Debian developer, you have to apply to the welcoming committee. The committee then decides whether someone becomes a Debian developer or not.
Despite this massive administrative apparatus, Debian has managed to be successful in the nearly twelve years of its existence. No other distribution has as many derivatives (AFAIK over 200). Ubuntu and Knoppix, for instance, are the best known.
Debian always offers three releases in parallel. There is “stable”. This is considered stable by the developers. Security updates and patches for it are available within a few hours of a bug becoming known. Then there are “testing” and “unstable”. All new developments land in “unstable”. If they prove themselves after at least ten days, they land in “testing”. When the release managers are of the opinion that a new version has matured in “testing”, “testing” is frozen - “freezed”. Only important changes then make their way into this development branch. After a certain time, “freezed” becomes “stable”. Then the cycle begins anew.
The releases always get nicknames, borrowed from characters in Pixar's film “Toy Story”. Buzz, Rex, Bo, Hamm, Slink, Potato, Woody (stable) and Sarge (freezed). The “unstable” branch is called Sid, after the kid next door who breaks all the toys.
Currently more than 1,000 developers from all over the world are involved in the Debian project.