Debian has released a new version of its operating system that offers a combination of the Debian software environment with the GNU/HURD nucleus. The release, known as Debian Gnu/Hurd 2023, is available in the Debian Gnu/Hurd repository and includes nearly two-thirds of the total size of the Debian archive. Installation assemblies are available for architecture i386, while ready-made images for virtual machines are also provided for those who want to familiarise themselves with the distribution without installation.
Debian Gnu/Hurd is the only actively-developed Debian platform created on a nucleus base different from Linux. The GNU/HURD platform is not officially supported by Debian, so Debian Gnu/Hurd releases have the status of an unofficial release. The GNU/HURD core has been developed to replace the Unix nucleus and is designed as a set of servers that operate on top of the GNU MACH micro-rewind to implement various system services such as file systems and file access control systems.
The newest release of Debian Gnu/Hurd involves the package base of Debian 12 and includes a disk driver working in the user’s space, which is based on the NetBSD project. This driver allows the system to be loaded without using Linux drivers and a layer that triggers Linux-drivers through a special emulation layer in the Mach nucleus. The Mach core with such loading is controlled by CPU, memory, timer and interruption controller. The release also offers improved support for Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC), Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) and 64-bit systems, which has made it possible to achieve a full-fledged Debian detachment. Additionally, accumulated corrections have been included in the latest release.