Debian is Free Software. Debian is the seed and base for many other distributions. Many of the most popular Linux distributions, like Ubuntu, Knoppix, PureOS, SteamOS or Tails, choose Debian as a base for their software. Debian is providing all the tools so everyone can extend the software packages from the Debian archive with their own packages for their needs. Long Term Support. There is Long Term Support (LTS) at no charge. This brings you extended support for the stable release for 5 years and more. Besides there is also the Extended LTS initiative that extends supports for a limited set of packages for more than 5 years.