The Linux world will be a poorer place without Steve Langasek.

It came as no real surprise, for he had been fighting illness for several years, but Steve Langasek, a pillar of the open-source community and long-time Debian and Ubuntu Linux contributor, passed away on Jan. 1, 2025. It’s trite to say, “he’ll be missed,” but he really will be missed. His untimely death, he was only 45, has profoundly impacted the Linux and open source world.

Langasek’s journey in free software began in 1996 when he started experimenting with Slackware. After a brief stint with Red Hat, which he described as “Red Hat purgatory,” he found his true calling with Debian in 2000.

He became a staunch Debian supporter and contributor. In 2001, he officially became a Debian Developer, beginning an over two-decade-long dedication to Debian development. While with Debian, he managed the unenviable but crucial role of release manager for Debian Sarge and Etch.

In September 2007, Langasek joined Canonical as the Ubuntu release manager, where he helped direct Ubuntu’s path forward, starting with Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon). His expertise spanned various critical areas, including system administration, software development, and package maintenance. Steve’s contributions were particularly notable in projects such as Linux-PAM, Samba, and OpenLDAP.

Beyond his technical contributions, Langasek was renowned for his leadership and mentorship within the community. His patience, technical acumen, and ability to explain complex concepts made him an invaluable resource for developers and users alike.

His impact extended beyond individual projects. He was a member of the Debian Technical Committee, where his insights helped shape critical dec