Debian fans, get ready. The highly anticipated release of Debian 13, codenamed trixie, is officially set to land on August 9. That’s less than a month away, and yes, there are release parties being organized around the world to mark the occasion.
Before trixie arrives, however, the final development push is about to hit a hard wall. The full freeze begins on July 27. From that point forward, no package will move into the testing branch without an approved unblock request. Even packages uploaded before the freeze won’t sneak in unless they’re already migrated.
If you’re a developer hoping to get your updates into trixie, the deadline is tight. All unblock requests must be submitted before the end of July 30. After that, only urgent and critical fixes will be considered. The final week leading up to August 9 will see a total freeze, meaning even minor bugs and polish won’t make it unless absolutely necessary.
This tighter-than-usual timeline isn’t accidental. The Debian team admits the short notice wasn’t ideal, but holding back the release wasn’t an option. So it’s all hands on deck to ensure trixie ships on time.
The Debian project is also calling on users to test upgrade paths from Debian 12 “bookworm” to trixie. If you find problems, you’re encouraged to file reports under the upgrade-reports pseudo-package. This kind of feedback is vital to ensuring Debian continues its reputation for stability and reliability.
With Ubuntu 24.10 and other major Linux releases also on the horizon, Debian 13 looks ready to make some serious noise of its own. Whether you’re a die-hard apt fan or just love the idea of a clean, community-driven distro, August 9 could be a date to circle on your calendar.
