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Debian
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The Open Source Definition - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 11 facts
accountBruce Perens stated that when he had to write license guidelines for the Debian project, the 'Four Freedoms' document (associated with the Free Software Foundation) was unknown to him.
accountFollowing the amendment of the Debian Social Contract, Debian developers voted in General Resolution 2004–004 to postpone changes regarding non-software content until the next release, which began development in June 2005.
claimThe Debian project publishes the 'Debian Social Contract and Free Software Guidelines' to define the criteria for free software within the Debian operating system.
procedureWhen a Debian Developer uploads a package for inclusion in Debian, the ftpmaster team reviews the software licenses to ensure they align with the Debian Social Contract, occasionally consulting the debian-legal mailing list for difficult cases.
accountThe creation of the Debian Social Contract and the Debian Free Software Guidelines was prompted by an email discussion between Ean Schuessler of Debian and Donnie Barnes of Red Hat, in which Schuessler accused Red Hat of failing to elucidate its social contract with the Linux community, leading Bruce Perens to realize that Debian also lacked a formal social contract.
quoteAnthony Towns, the Debian release manager, stated: "As [SC #1] is no longer limited to 'software', and as this decision was made by developers after and during discussion of how we should consider non-software content such as documentation and firmware, I don't believe I can justify the policy decisions to exempt documentation, firmware, or content any longer, as the Social Contract has been amended to cover all these areas."
claimNon-program content in the Debian operating system began to comply with the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) more strictly starting with the release of Debian 4.0 in April 2007.
claimBecause the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) allows for invariant sections that violate the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG), content licensed under the GFDL must be stored in a separate 'non-free' repository that is not officially considered part of Debian.
claimThe 'debian-legal' mailing list serves as a forum for discussions regarding software licensing within the Debian project and maintains archives of these discussions.
claimThe Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) were originally focused on software, but the definition of 'software' was ambiguous, leading the Debian project to explicitly apply the same principles to software documentation, multimedia data, and other content in June 2004.
claimThe Debian project maintains a General Resolution regarding the suitability of the GNU Free Documentation License for the Debian main software repository.
Governance of open source software: state of the art - Springer Nature link.springer.com Jun 9, 2007 6 facts
claimOpen source projects such as Apache, Debian, Gnome, Mozilla, and Netbeans utilize a decentralized design for code acceptance, where committers or developers within a specific module are responsible for making decisions regarding code inclusion.
accountMajor open source projects have increasingly incorporated, starting with Debian in 1997, accelerating from 1999, and including Linux by 2007, as cited in O’Mahony (2005).
claimIn many open source projects, active community members have the right to become members of the project's associated foundation and elect its Board of Directors, as seen in the yearly elections at Debian and Apache.
procedureThe Debian project requires contributors seeking developer status with commit privileges to complete a three-step application process involving a sponsor, which includes verifying identity via face-to-face cryptographic key signing, demonstrating knowledge of and allegiance to open source philosophy, and proving technical competence.
procedureTo mitigate risks from external code contributions, projects like Debian screen the identity, loyalties, and technical competence of future participants at the point of entry.
claimSeveral open source projects utilize democratic processes for leadership selection: Debian elects its Project Leader annually, FreeBSD committers choose their 'core team', and Netbeans developers choose their governing board.
Open Source Licensing Explained: A Comprehensive Guide - TuxCare tuxcare.com Oct 21, 2024 2 facts
measurementKernelCare Enterprise supports enterprise Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and Oracle Linux.
claimLinux distributions such as Debian and Ubuntu use GPL-licensed software to ensure continued openness and collaboration.
Patterns in the Transition From Founder-Leadership to Community ... arxiv.org Feb 5, 2026 2 facts
referenceThe article 'Transition of governance in a mature open software source community: evidence from the debian case' was published in Information Economics and Policy, volume 20, pages 323–332.
accountThe Debian operating system initiated a multi-year governance transition process in 1997, moving from a founder-owner model to a system of annual democratic elections, as documented by O’mahony and Ferraro in 2007.
Open-source license - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 1 fact
referenceBruce Perens proposed the Debian Free Software Guidelines at Debian to establish a specific and objective standard for free and open-source software hosted in Debian repositories.
What is Open Source Software? Definition Guide, Benefits & Types sonarsource.com 1 fact
claimThe Linux operating system, including distributions such as Debian, CentOS, Red Hat, and openSUSE, is a prominent example of open source software known for stability and security.
Open Source Hardware Definition | OSHWA oshwa.org 1 fact
referenceThe Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Definition 1.0 is based on the Open Source Definition for Open Source Software, which was created by Bruce Perens and the Debian developers as the Debian Free Software Guidelines.