14 DAY TRIAL // Debian developer Jonathan Wiltshire has announced earlier that the forthcoming Debian GNU/Linux 9.0 "Stretch" operating system has entered the final phase of development and is now officially frozen, as of February 5, 2017.
Debian GNU/Linux 9.0 "Stretch" will be the next major release of the acclaimed Debian GNU/Linux operating system, and it is currently being developed under the Debian Testing umbrella, which users can easily deploy on their systems if they want to become early adopters or just help with the testing.
The Freeze phase is now in effect for Debian GNU/Linux 9.0 "Stretch," which means that no new packages, nor updated ones are permitted until the operating system is declared GA (General Available) and ready to hit the streets, exception making only critical bugs and anything else that might block the final release.
"The Release Team is pleased to announce that Debian 9.0 "stretch" has entered the final phase of development and is now frozen," said Jonathan Wiltshire in the mailing list announcement. "Britney will no longer migrate packages automatically. All migrations will require an explicit unblock from the Release Team."
It won't be long until the final release of Debian GNU/Linux 9.0 "Stretch"
Now that Debian GNU/Linux 9.0 "Stretch" is frozen, it won't be long until the final release is announced so we can finally upgrade our computers from the Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" series. Right now, we don't know when that will happen, as it depends on how fast the remaining bugs are fixed.
Debian developers should take a look at Mr. Wiltshire's message (link above) to learn how they can request an unblock. In the meantime, those who want to help with the testing can report bugs through the official channels. Information about pre-approvals and auto-removals is also provided in the mailing list announcement.
In related news, the second RC (Release Candidate) build of the Debian GNU/Linux 9.0 "Stretch" Installer was announced a few days ago, and it introduces support for the long-term supported Linux 4.9 kernel series. You can download Debian Stretch Installer RC2 right now if you want to install the operating system on your PC(s).