Note: The name is not representing it's actual purpose, other factors may apply...
RedDeb is a name created by @PolMartDetera on Telegram (thank you), and it is called like that because, as the name suggests, it doesn't only run on a singular device, even though some tweaks are needed, and it runs down the family of Xiaomi phones and Xiaomi sub-company made phones (such as Redmi, Mi and POCO phones) (and maybe some others).
It works by utilizing the Android boot.img to load a custom initramfs that then loads a premade environment created in the Android Data directory or SD-Card. This works because Android, as a base, uses Linux, and Linux is very versatile, being able to boot multiple OS's with a single kernel.
The nice thing about RedDeb is that, unlike other Linux OS's for Android Smartphones, it natively runs as a dual-boot next to Android thanks to the A/B Partitioning Scheme or via the DSU infrastructure.
Right now, with the current devices that I own, RedDeb only works on the Redmi Note 11, but other phones that may be able to support RedDeb are:
- Phones with SnapDragon chips.
- Phones that have a Close-To-Mainstream kernel (e.g. 6.x.x).
- Phones with a large community. (custom kernel sources, tutorials on building kernels, etc.)
- Phones that you or others have succesfully built and booted custom kernels
If your phone has one or more of these requirements, then you might be able to build Reddeb. If your device meets all the requirements, then you're sure 100% that your phone can run RedDeb (See Porting)
Personally, I've seen many Mediatek sources not build correctly, as Mediatek's are harder to build because of their closed-source kernels.
Please check Installing in the wiki.