Fabian Greffrath

I started using Debian when I started studying Physics in 2001, simply because it was the OS that was installed on the computers used for the Computational Physics classes. Though this wasn't my first contact with Unixy OS, I was a pure "user" at that time and used the system solely for the purposes of the class, i.e. some simple programming, some LaTeX, some Gnuplot. Over time, I became more and more familiar with the system and used it to write my diploma thesis. It was about that time, around 2006, that I decided that this would be the only OS that I would ever again install on my personal computers. However, I got the feeling that Debian was "lacking something", especially with regard to multimedia support. So, I joined Daniel Baumann's short-lived "debian-unofficial.org" effort and later joined the official pkg-multimedia team, where I got involved with more and more packages that I felt made the difference. This was also when my first packages (unace-nonfree and rott, IIRC) were sponsored into the archive. Nowadays, I think that multimedia in Debian has become a bit boring a topic, simply because everything already works to my needs ;) -- which is something that fills me with both pride and confidence! Currently, my favorite field of activity in Debian is games, especially Doom, and fonts. :) But the most valuable thing I found in Debian is an OS that I can modify to my needs. Whenever something does not work as expected, I am free (and feel obligated) to file a bug or work on a patch. I have learned to love this great way to profit from my own effort and contribute back at the same time that I finally decided -- after 14 years as a user and nearly 9 years as a contributor -- to apply and become a Debian Developer.

• Fabian Greffrath