Credit where it's deserved.
Whilst I have installed Linux operating systems on various machines for several years, I'm not, in any sense of the word, an expert in computing. Whilst I do have two science degrees, they're in the domains of environmental science and the science of psychology (I use computers for studying, entertainment, gaming, etc. But not, yet at least, for coding). Most, if not all, environmental scientists these days also campaign for better environmental policies. Policies that protect the land, water and air from degradation, including pollution. And of course, any such commitment, or code of practice requires a community that has the right attitude for the task. The motivated reasoning to put the environment before profit seeking, for example (not the opposite of that)
The Debian community, and more broadly people that care about 'community', past and present, show what we can achieve when 'we' put our minds to sustaining something that benefits the community, in general. Therefore, I just want to say a small thank-you (small as in I'm one human amongst billions, on a comparably massive planet), to all the people that have made, and continue to make access to computer software free (free as in transparent. AKA "open source"). Transparency is, of course, positively correlated with honesty (e.g., peer review). Whether it's in business (practice), politics (policy), science (methods, papers, etc) or computer code (open access), transparency and accountably are pillars of a healthy community.
For someone such as myself that has not been directly involved in sustaining the Debian 'ecosystem', the fact that so many people, past and present, diligently do, provides me with a sense of hope. In many social contexts, it's not a matter of 'putting our differences aside', so as to focus on a 'common good' task, such as developing a free to access Linux distribution_it's realising that all of those (competing) differences are illusions (they can be overcome). In that when we cooperate, when someone helps us out in our time of need, it's not their differences that matter then. It's their, for example, helpful nature. To reiterate the key point of this thank-you post, transparency and accountability are what are required to provide 'proof', that those that do seek to take advantage of our helpful natures, can't hide their, less than helpful or selfish nature (perhaps nurture), 'behind closed doors' (in the "shadows").