Debian 12

I use Debian  for programming, maintaining my website, and learning Linux scripting. I also encourage my friends to use open-source operating systems such as Debian , Ubuntu , or any other Linux variant.

I am using Debian on my personal computer and also on my friend's computer. I am not using Debian at work.

I use Debian for all purposes and all of my computer activities, not for any specific feature or particular use case.

Debian's best features are that it is very light and very comfortable for even older computers.

Regarding speed, Debian feels light and comfortable to me, and it has significant community support. If anyone encounters a problem in Debian, they can connect to the Debian community and receive help very quickly. This is the main reason I use Debian, and I love using the terminal.

Since using Debian, I have noticed that whatever I need for my work is already available in Debian. The Debian community is very active, and if any new feature or concern comes up, as soon as they update Debian mirrors or the apt repository, I can install and use it.

Debian should have a reset feature; if something goes wrong, such as when I have installed or modified any root file, there should be a reset feature to restore my initial default settings. Additionally, I think Debian should allow for the removal of all dependencies when a particular requirement is not useful, as sometimes we install many things without knowing what they are.

I have been using Debian for almost twelve years.

Debian is stable for my needs.

It is very easy to scale Debian up or down if needed.

When I have needed help with Debian, I received very quick support from the community.

I used Linux before Debian, and I was using Ubuntu  prior to that, with Windows preceding those.

There is nothing as such for return on investment, but I do not need a new computer to run Debian or a highly configurable computer. I can run Debian on my old computer as well, which is very useful for saving money.

I considered Ubuntu before choosing Debian.

Since I support using open-source applications, my advice to others looking into using Debian is to embrace the freedom to use everything without limitations. I encourage people to use open-source applications and operating systems such as Debian and any Linux variant, so that what they are using remains open-source and useful to all.

Debian is doing a great job, and they should keep it up. Thank you.

I should note that since I mentioned I am using Debian on my personal computer, there were many questions regarding my workplace or my organization, so the questions should be classified based on earlier questions. I would rate this review an eight out of ten.

My main use case for Debian  involves leveraging Amazon EC2  instances and Kubernetes  clusters, EKS, for our day-to-day project work, which helps us to keep track of our projects. Using Amazon Machine Images, we get control over tightening security and providing only limited amounts of root user access via Debian  to a specific number of users so that any mishaps in high environments would not incur faulty changes made by internal users or external hackers. Debian is excellent for ensuring that only a limited amount of privileges can be granted via its shell and everything remains locked if a session is active. This is what Debian secures, and it is one of the leading operating system packages and machine images in the industry.

I manage security controls on Debian by leveraging user privileges through creating new system users. Root level access is provided only to root IAM  users so that only they have full access control. Other users rely only on normal user privileges where they are allowed read-only access for Debian controls.

The best features Debian offers include a very good amount of operating system patching and regular updates on a consistent basis, which makes Debian a better option than other operating system patch versions. Currently, the release fixes and other fixes are much faster and the latest stable versions are also quick compared to other packages and operating system patches like Ubuntu . This makes it a very good critical solution with rapid updates, keeping everything stable among other environments.

There was a time when these quick updates made a difference in my work. A CVE related to one cron timer package was on the higher end of severity. Debian was one of the first machine images which released that patch in the 12.8 release, which helped us solve this issue and move forward with the next updated version as soon as possible.

The key features of Debian that I can precisely mention include the foundation and the fact that it is open source, which helps us run the environment in normal architecture with diverse hardware such as ARM64 and AMD64. The foundations are solid regarding the same and the latest stable versions are updated regularly. The core applications are also very good, particularly the software stack which gets updated from well-known sources such as Python and OpenJDK.

Debian has positively impacted my organization, and I have noticed specific improvements since adopting it. Upon adopting Debian changes, the organization has taken good initiatives so that security patches and releases are managed regularly so that no vulnerability is left open and no external hackers or inexperienced professionals are able to compromise any data security.

There are certain areas where Debian can definitely improve, particularly in restricted access privileges for certain aspects. Certain features should be provided only to specific users, such as normal SSH and secure shell access which should be provided in a limited manner. Cron job inclusion cannot be provided to everyone. These are features which can be added.

I would like to mention that robustness can be improved and IPtables configuration and certain other firewall configuration can be improved rather than relying on third-party packages. This way, Debian can be improved so that network calls can be monitored and reviewed.

There are certain user guides in the open source GitHub  that could be updated over these features which can be a good resource for users so that they can keep track of what they are implementing and what the scope of work needs to be. Because Debian is one of the most important software used around the world and the firmware upgrades are quite good. Hardware support is also updated regularly. Time-to-time updates regarding the packages and security concerns need to be managed, and there can be much more traceable IPtable configurations so that people can understand what happens when a new connection is established on the machine. Everything can be tracked through some kind of notification service so that the root level can also monitor if this amount of traffic is normal or if someone is trying to DDoS the secure shell.

I have been using Debian for around three years with Amazon Machine Images.

Debian is quite stable, and the testing cycles in Debian are quite good.

Debian's scalability is quite good. It handles a good amount of traffic and can easily manage around 50,000 users and 50,000 requests with our application currently.

I have not interacted with Debian's customer support or their support channels yet.

Previously, from the very beginning, our architect mentioned that we would look to Debian as this was one of the better options in the marketplace. We examined this solution based on our architecture discussion, and Debian seemed better than Fedora and Mint. The main reason was that latest updates are already being implemented in Debian rather than Fedora and Mint.

I have seen a return on investment using Debian. The least amount of privileges which we provide and the investment cost which we incurred on another machine images were comparatively lower. We saved around $150 per month regarding the same.

The portion regarding pricing was not being managed by myself. This was handled by another team because we request this from another team and they actually set up this portion for our team so that we can deploy and test our applications.

Before choosing Debian, I evaluated other options such as Fedora and Mint.

Majority of the things in Debian packages are handled using this, and all security packages are scanned on a daily basis so that any vulnerability does not emerge. A system cron job is also added in Debian console so that regular scans and updates are reflected on our Power BI dashboard via that system cron job, allowing the leadership and organization level to get updates regularly on what is happening in the background.

A specific example that shows how Debian made a positive impact is in recent scenarios. In the 12.18 version, Debian actually provided very good faster patching, which helped us resolve that CVE as soon as possible. Timely updates and providing open source helps Debian packages to be updated by the open source community as well and mark down those packages which are critical and high so that everyone gets to know what is happening in the background. Keeping everything open source helps grow the community and also lets others know what is happening as well.

My advice to others looking into using Debian is that they can explore multiple operating system patch and image options, but the shipping mechanism of Debian is much wider and the community can be quite large. The updates are maintained consistently. Debian is quite good, and I hope future releases are much better with new features being added regularly so that it takes and stays relevant and competitive in the market with other operating system patches.

I rate Debian overall at an 8 out of 10 based on performance and the scale with which it works, the release and updates, and a few areas for improvement that I have mentioned previously. I have cut two marks for the improvements needed, but everything else is quite good.

I have primarily used Debian  for bare-metal systems and embedded devices, utilizing it as a stable base OS for development, testing, and production environments. Debian  is particularly useful for package management, OTA updates using .deb packages, and system-level debugging.

Currently, I have been developing an IP PA system project where I was using Debian exclusively, and it helped me significantly because of its reliability, stability, and package management system. Using Debian, I was able to deploy a reliable application and a reliable OTA update system.

Debian has been a great distribution that I have used, and it helped me considerably when I deployed my project, providing a reliable system for deployment.

I have primarily used Debian on on-premises systems and private environments, especially for Linux-based development and deployment setups. I have not primarily used it on public cloud platforms like AWS , but it works reliably in private setups.

It is mostly custom in-house infrastructure where we run Debian on our own hardware and internal systems, not relying on a managed private cloud provider.

For my needs, we require a stable release and predictable updates with minimal regressions and support for OTA updates. Debian excels in all these requirements with its tested stable release and conservative updates, making deployment predictable and reliable, especially in embedded or production systems.

In my experience, the best features Debian offers are its stability, predictability, behaviors, and strong package management, which are crucial for a reliable system. Updates are well-tested, dependencies are handled cleanly, and the system remains reliable over a long period, which is very important for production and embedded Linux environments.

When comparing Debian with other Linux distributions, Debian stands out for its stability and conservative package updates. Updates rarely introduce unexpected changes, making our system more reliable over time. The package management handles dependencies very cleanly, making installs and upgrades predictable and easier to manage, reducing downtime and debugging efforts compared to faster-moving distributions.

One particularly useful feature is how Debian handles package information with tools like apt-cache and apt-policies, making it easy to understand package versions, dependencies, and where a package is coming from, which helps during debugging. Additionally, I find the Debian DPKG tool very useful, among other tools that aid in integration.

In my case, Debian provides stability and reliable versions, as I have noticed very few system breakages after updates. The reliable package updating process in Debian is very dependable, which helps me considerably in my organization for reliable application development.

Using Debian, we experience significantly fewer bugs after deployment, resulting in smoother deployments owing to Debian's stability.

Debian support is excellent. While it does not have traditional paid customer support like some commercial distributions, the Debian community and documentation are very strong. I find that relying on community support and documentation has been more than sufficient to solve any issues I have faced.

If I consider how Debian can be improved, it could be more accessible in making newer software versions available for users who need recent features while still maintaining default stable behavior. While backports help, the workflow could be streamlined. The release cycle can feel slow for rapidly evolving tools, and better guidance around mixing stable, backports, and testing would help.

Regarding hardware support, Debian can be improved by supporting multiple BSPs, making it more versatile in the embedded domain. Hardware support for new devices can sometimes lag behind, which is understandable given Debian's focus on stability. Clearer guidance on handling newer hardware or firmware would be beneficial.

From my college time onward, I have been using Linux and Debian distribution, so I have been using Debian for approximately six years.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Debian an eight.

I rate Debian an eight out of ten because it excels in stability, reliability, and package management, which are very important for long-running production systems. What keeps it from being a perfect score is mainly the slow access to newer software and hardware support, as well as documentation that is somewhat fragmented for advanced use cases. These are trade-offs rather than flaws, but they do affect flexibility for some projects.

Before using Debian, we had experience with other Linux distributions, mainly Ubuntu-based systems and some vendor-provided Linux images. We decided to use Debian because we needed a more stable and predictable base, especially for long-running systems where frequent changes or upgrades could cause issues. Debian's updates and clean package management gave us more control over system behavior.

Debian support is excellent. While it does not have traditional paid customer support like some commercial distributions, the Debian community and documentation are very strong. I find that relying on community support and documentation has been more than sufficient to solve any issues I have faced.

Before using Debian, we had experience with other Linux distributions, mainly Ubuntu-based systems and some vendor-provided Linux images. We decided to use Debian because we needed a more stable and predictable base, especially for long-running systems where frequent changes or upgrades could cause issues. Debian's updates and clean package management gave us more control over system behavior.

We did not track formal ROI metrics, but we clearly observe returns in terms of time saved and reduced maintenance efforts. Debian's stability leads to fewer production issues, emergencies, fixes, and less time spent on system recovery, improving overall engineering efficiency. For example, we had fewer post-update failures and rollbacks, which saved debugging time and reduced downtime, allowing the same team to manage systems without needing additional resources. Additionally, there were direct cost savings since Debian has no licensing fees, and we did not require paid support, so it saved us considerable money.

From scratch to deployment, Debian works very well from a cost and license perspective, as there are no licensing fees, which makes setup and scaling more straightforward. The main cost incurred is only in terms of hardware and engineering time, not software licenses.

Before choosing Debian, we evaluated other Linux distributions, mainly Ubuntu  and some vendor-specific Linux. Debian's stability, support, and package management made it a better fit for production and embedded systems.

I advise others to use Debian if they need stability and reliability for their software update plans, utilizing backports and manual builds. It is an excellent choice for systems needing long-term support and minimal surprises, although they should be aware that it may not always have the latest packages. Some additional planning, such as using backports and building from source, might be necessary for projects requiring cutting-edge software. Overall, it is a solid choice for production and embedded environments.

I would add that Debian has been a very reliable and stable foundation for all the systems I have worked on. Its package management, transparency, and predictable updates have been extremely helpful, especially for embedded and production environments. Overall, it is a solid operating system for long-term projects, and I would recommend it to anyone who values stability and maintainability. I rate this review at an eight out of ten.