Raspbian is a Debian-based Linux distribution for Raspberry Pi. Like Debian, every 2 to 3 years Raspbian freezes the release status of all packages (programs, libraries, drivers, etc.) provided in the repository (software archive), Changes then only take place on a small scale. For example, with bug fixes or security updates. In parallel, Raspberry Pi Foundation continues to release improvements to Raspberry Pi-specific software.
The previous Raspbian releases are Wheezy and Jessie. If a new Raspbian release is released now, then the previous release will be outdated with the provided software. In order to enjoy the new software versions, you have to perform a release change. This is an upgrade process that can take several hours, depending on the system.
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