Photo: Ilya Schurov / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ian Murdock matters enormously to me. Born in Constance and educated at Purdue, he founded Debian and wrote the Debian Manifesto, laying ideological and technical groundwork that still underpins a huge portion of the computing world today. Every time I touch a Linux based system, his vision is somewhere beneath it. His death in 2015 at just forty-two was a real loss. He was not a flashy public figure, but he quietly changed the world through a belief in free, collaborative software. I think of him as a true revolutionary, the kind history undervalues until you look closely.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ian Murdock
- Name (Japanese)
- イアン・マードック
- Reading
- いあん・まーどっく
- Born
- April 28, 1973 – December 28, 2015
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Ox
- Origin
- Constance, Freiburg Government Region, Germany
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- computer scientist / engineer / programmer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- William Henry Harrison High School
- University
- Purdue University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Debian Manifesto | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Ian Murdock born?
April 28, 1973 – December 28, 2015.
Where is Ian Murdock from?
Ian Murdock is from Constance, Freiburg Government Region, Germany.
What does Ian Murdock do?
Ian Murdock works as computer scientist, engineer, programmer.
What is Ian Murdock known for?
Notable works include Debian Manifesto.
Computer scientist — see all → · Engineer — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.