The dates for the DebConf20 event are yet to be announced

Mar 20, 2019 18:20 GMT  ·  By

The Debian Project announced today the host city for next year's DebConf20 Debian GNU/Linux developer conference as Haifa, in Israel.

A port city built in tiers, Haifa is found in the northern area of Israel, extending from the Mediterranean sea till the north slope of the Carmel Mountain National Park. Haifa it's the third-largest city in Israel after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and it is close to the biblical city Nazareth where Jesus studied and prayed.

In 2020, the Debian Project will celebrate 12 years since the first DebConf Debian developer conference, so they decided to choose Israel instead of Lisbon, Portugal, for next year's DebConf20 event despite the extensive discussions between the DebConf team and committee due to Israel's political system.

"Within the DebConf committee and the wider DebConf team there have been extensive discussions about Israel as a hosting country, and we acknowledge that there will be some members of Debian that prefer to not travel to Israel for political reasons," says Daniel Lange. "But it was a close call. The five-member DebConf committee had a two-hour final decision meeting and a 3:2 vote in favor of Israel."

DebConf21 could be hosted in Lisbon, Portugal

DebConf is Debian Project's main event of the year, representing a vital experience for Debian developers around the globe that gather together to share their knowledge and laid down the plans for the next major release of the widely-used Debian GNU/Linux operating system. Until DebConf20, there will be DebConf19 in Curitiba, Brazil, from July 21st until July 28th, 2019.

DebConf20 is for Debian GNU/Linux 11, the next major Debian GNU/Linux release coming after Debian GNU/Linux 10 "Buster." For DebConf21, the Debian Project decided to choose a city in Europe to make the life of many Debian members a bit easier, so Lisbon in Portugal could very much be the host city for the DebConf21 developer conference in 2021.