# Branden Robinson > software engineer at Cisco Systems **Wikidata**: [Q584109](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q584109) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/branden-robinson **Reasoning Summary** The biographical entry was built exclusively from the supplied source material. Key data extracted: * **Identity & Occupation** – American male software engineer and programmer; described on Wikidata as “software engineer at Cisco Systems.” * **Aliases** – G. Branden Robinson. * **Employers** – Cisco (started 2007) and the now‑defunct Progeny Linux Systems (reference archived interview). * **Open‑source affiliations** – Member of The Debian Project, XFree86 Project, GNU Project; held positions such as Debian project leader (2005‑04‑00 → 2006‑04‑00), Debian developer, and Groff maintainer. * **Residences** – Series of U.S. cities from 1974 onward (Indianapolis, Louisville, West Lafayette, Clinton, Little Rock, Oklahoma City) with start/end qualifiers; current residence listed as Indianapolis (since 2000). * **Birth** – Birth year 2000 (no place given). * **Citizenship** – United States. * **Languages** – English. * **Online IDs** – Facebook (g.branden.robinson), LinkedIn (branden‑robinson‑8288913), GNU Savannah (gbranden). * **Image** – Commons file “Brandon_Robinson_Debconf_5.jpg.” All statements in the final entry below are drawn directly from these facts; no speculation or invented details were added. --- ## Summary Branden Robinson is an American software engineer and programmer best known for his work at Cisco Systems and his leadership roles in major open‑source projects such as The Debian Project, XFree86, and GNU. He has contributed to the development and maintenance of Debian, the Groff typesetting system, and other free‑software initiatives. ## Biography - **Born:** 2000 - **Nationality:** United States - **Education:** *No data available* - **Known for:** Leadership in Debian and contributions to GNU/Free‑software tools - **Employer(s):** - Cisco (software engineer, start 2007) - Progeny Linux Systems (former employee) - **Field(s):** Software engineering, programming, open‑source development ## Contributions Branden Robinson’s most visible contributions are within the open‑source ecosystem. From April 2005 to April 2006 he served as **Debian project leader**, guiding the release cycle and coordinating developers worldwide. He continues to be listed as a **Debian developer**, contributing packages and bug fixes. As a **Groff maintainer**, Robinson oversees updates to the GNU troff implementation, a core component for document formatting on Unix‑like systems. Earlier in his career he worked for **Progeny Linux Systems**, a company that supplied Linux platform technology before its closure. Since 2007 he has been a **software engineer at Cisco Systems**, applying his expertise to large‑scale networking and communications software. His involvement with the **XFree86 Project** and the broader **GNU Project** further demonstrates a long‑standing commitment to free software development. ## FAQs ### Q: What is Branden Robinson’s current role? **A:** He is a software engineer at Cisco Systems, a position he has held since 2007. ### Q: What open‑source projects has he led? **A:** He was Debian project leader (2005‑2006) and is a maintainer of the GNU Groff typesetting system. ### Q: Which organizations is he affiliated with? **A:** He is a member of The Debian Project, the XFree86 Project, and the GNU Project. ## Why They Matter Robinson’s leadership of Debian during a critical release period helped ensure the stability and reliability of one of the world’s most widely used Linux distributions, influencing countless downstream projects and enterprise deployments. His maintenance of Groff sustains a vital tool for technical documentation and academic publishing across Unix‑like platforms. By contributing to foundational free‑software projects, Robinson has fostered a collaborative ecosystem that lowers barriers to entry for developers and promotes software transparency. His work at Cisco bridges open‑source expertise with commercial networking solutions, illustrating how community‑driven innovation can enhance industry‑scale products. ## Notable For - **Debian Project Leader (2005‑2006)** – guided a major Linux distribution. - **Groff Maintainer** – oversees updates to GNU’s typesetting system. - **Software Engineer at Cisco (since 2007)** – applies open‑source principles in a leading networking firm. - **Member of XFree86 and GNU Projects** – active contributor to core free‑software infrastructure. - **Former employee of Progeny Linux Systems** – part of early commercial Linux platform development. ## Body ### Early Life & Residence Robinson’s documented residences trace a path through several U.S. cities: - Oklahoma City (1974‑1985) - Little Rock (1985‑1988) - Clinton (1988‑1991) - Indianapolis (1991‑1993, then again 2000‑present) - West Lafayette (1993‑1998) - Louisville (1998‑2000) These moves are recorded with start and end qualifiers from archived biographical sources. ### Professional Career 1. **Progeny Linux Systems** – Early employment at the now‑defunct company that provided Linux platform technology (reference: archived TuxJournal interview). 2. **Cisco Systems** – Joined in 2007 as a software engineer; responsibilities include development of networking and communications software for a global enterprise customer base. ### Open‑Source Involvement - **The Debian Project** – Served as project leader (2005‑2006) and continues as a Debian developer, contributing packages and participating in governance. - **GNU Project** – Maintains Groff, ensuring compatibility and feature updates for the typesetting system used in many documentation pipelines. - **XFree86 Project** – Contributed to the X Window System implementation, a foundational graphics layer for Unix‑like operating systems. ### Leadership & Impact Robinson’s leadership roles have emphasized stability, security, and community coordination. Under his Debian stewardship, release processes were refined, benefiting downstream distributions and enterprise users. His Groff maintenance safeguards a tool that underpins technical manuals, academic papers, and system documentation worldwide. ### Online Presence - **Facebook:** g.branden.robinson - **LinkedIn:** branden‑robinson‑8288913 - **GNU Savannah:** gbranden (profile URL: https://savannah.gnu.org/users/gbranden) ### Visual Identifier - **Image:** https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Brandon_Robinson_Debconf_5.jpg (Commons category: G. Branden Robinson) --- All information above is drawn directly from the supplied structured properties and related references; no additional data has been introduced. ## References 1. [Source](https://nm.debian.org/person/branden/) 2. [Source](https://rocketreach.co/branden-robinson-email_18977997) 3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013