With the target date looming for the Debian 'Lenny' stable release
and the Debian project's 15th birthday coming up on Aug. 16th (Debian Day) I thought I'd spin-up the World's largest Linux Distribution.
What's it for?
The short answer is, 'whatever you want to use it for'. While those new to Linux may find the installation program to be slightly spartan an lacking in options, Debian is a great choice for servers and desktops.
Installation
For this installation I am using Debian testing AMD64 on an AMD Athlon X2 system. Due to the sheer size of this distribution Debian Lenny is available as 30 CDs or 5 DVDs. Thankfully it is not necessary to download all of them. The first CD or DVD will suffice. There are also KDE and xfce-specific .iso's available for download. There is also the option of a net-install .iso which includes the Debian installer and will download only the packages you choose to install. (a long process with a slow internet connection)
There are a few options available upon booting the install disk. Simply pressing return brings-up a console install. To start the installer in graphical mode type 'installgui'. For this install I am using DVD-1 and 'installgui'.
The installation is straightforward but does include a few frustrating issues. Setting up network (in this case wired Ethernet), root password and users, timezone, etc.. are all pretty standard. The partitioner offers options to use the entire disk, the largest contiguous free space, and LVM. When choosing the 'manual' option it is a good idea to have a basic knowledge of disks and partitioning. Unlike other distributions, the installer does not provide a graphical representation of the disks.
Debian installs the GNOME desktop environment by default. A glaring weak spot in the installer is the lack of an option to choose which DE to install. Most other distributions such as Mandriva, Fedora, and openSUSE allow you to choose between at least KDE or GNOME or both. This is not an issue for me personally as I usually install KDE, GNOME, and xfce and frequently switch between them. For those who wish to install and use KDE exclusively this can be frustrating. The boot option of 'expertgui' may offer a solution here but I haven't yet tested that option. If you wish to install and use KDE there is a KDE-specific .iso which should suit your needs.
Package selection is very limited with this installer. The installer offers a choice of package groups such as "server', 'desktop', 'laptop', etc... but does not allow for individual package selection. For instance, choosing 'server' installs both Samba and NFS along with AppleTalk. The default of installing everything in the category can lead to bloat and unnecessary disk usage.
After installing the base system the installer offers the option of using a network repository. Selecting this option will download and install the latest packages but, depending on your connection speed may take considerably longer. In the case of the KDE-specific .iso, choosing to use a network repository will actually download and install GNOME. If you are using this option DO NOT use network repos. Packages can updated after install.
Installed System
After completing the install and logging-in the system boots into a Debian-branded GNOME desktop. The system is fast and very stable. Debian is very suitable for CLI system configuration. For those who prefer configuration via GUI there are a number of GNOME tools which will allow for this. Unlike 'one-stop' configuration tools such as SUSE's YaST it is necessary to have a familiarity of which tools perform what configuration tasks. This can be daunting for new Linux users. If you are new to Linux configuring some parts of your system will require reading documentation.
Installing proprietary Nvidia drivers in Debian is not trivial. There are a number of ways to do this. Unlike Ubuntu's 'restricted drivers' and openSUSE 11's 'one-click install' getting these drivers installed will require some pain.
The install includes kernel 2.6.24, GNOME 2.22.2, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, and as of this install, iceweasel (re-branded firefox) 2.0.0.14. Although 3.0 will be available if it's not already.
Package Management
This is an area where Debian really shines. APT (Advanced Package Tool) is a great package management system. APT can be invoked via a console or through Synaptic. An intuitive graphical interface makes package management as easy as it can be. Debian also includes Ubuntu's 'add/remove programs' applet. With Synaptic, adding repositories is a breeze. One problem I encountered while installing KDE involved a failure to recognize the install media. When attempting to grab some packages from the media APT failed. It was necessary to disable the disk option in the repository list to force downloading of all packages chosen for install.
Multimedia
As with other major distributions, support for popular multimedia formats is lacking due to patent concerns. Outside of the US this problem is easily solved by adding the debian-multimedia.org repository to APT's repository list.
To Sum Up
All of your favorite applications should work without a hitch. The system is very stable.
GNOME will notify you of any available updates. Curiously, to get update notifications using KDE, I have to install Adept.
I don't recommend Debian for those who are new to Linux. Instead they would be better served with distributions such as Ubuntu, openSUSE, and Mandriva. However Debian is a great choice for those with a basic knowledge of Linux. Although Debian may require more manual (console) configuration. Reading the documentation will become necessary at times. There is no 'all-in-one' tool for configuration such as SUSE's YaST or Mandriva's Control Center. Multimedia restraints are no different than those of other large distributions but this is easier to remedy on Debian than most others.
Debian is a great choice for a server or desktop. You can count on Debian's legendary stability and quality. There are good reasons behind the fact that Debian is the basis of so many other distros.
and the Debian project's 15th birthday coming up on Aug. 16th (Debian Day) I thought I'd spin-up the World's largest Linux Distribution.
What's it for?
The short answer is, 'whatever you want to use it for'. While those new to Linux may find the installation program to be slightly spartan an lacking in options, Debian is a great choice for servers and desktops.
Installation
For this installation I am using Debian testing AMD64 on an AMD Athlon X2 system. Due to the sheer size of this distribution Debian Lenny is available as 30 CDs or 5 DVDs. Thankfully it is not necessary to download all of them. The first CD or DVD will suffice. There are also KDE and xfce-specific .iso's available for download. There is also the option of a net-install .iso which includes the Debian installer and will download only the packages you choose to install. (a long process with a slow internet connection)
There are a few options available upon booting the install disk. Simply pressing return brings-up a console install. To start the installer in graphical mode type 'installgui'. For this install I am using DVD-1 and 'installgui'.
The installation is straightforward but does include a few frustrating issues. Setting up network (in this case wired Ethernet), root password and users, timezone, etc.. are all pretty standard. The partitioner offers options to use the entire disk, the largest contiguous free space, and LVM. When choosing the 'manual' option it is a good idea to have a basic knowledge of disks and partitioning. Unlike other distributions, the installer does not provide a graphical representation of the disks.
Debian installs the GNOME desktop environment by default. A glaring weak spot in the installer is the lack of an option to choose which DE to install. Most other distributions such as Mandriva, Fedora, and openSUSE allow you to choose between at least KDE or GNOME or both. This is not an issue for me personally as I usually install KDE, GNOME, and xfce and frequently switch between them. For those who wish to install and use KDE exclusively this can be frustrating. The boot option of 'expertgui' may offer a solution here but I haven't yet tested that option. If you wish to install and use KDE there is a KDE-specific .iso which should suit your needs.
Package selection is very limited with this installer. The installer offers a choice of package groups such as "server', 'desktop', 'laptop', etc... but does not allow for individual package selection. For instance, choosing 'server' installs both Samba and NFS along with AppleTalk. The default of installing everything in the category can lead to bloat and unnecessary disk usage.
After installing the base system the installer offers the option of using a network repository. Selecting this option will download and install the latest packages but, depending on your connection speed may take considerably longer. In the case of the KDE-specific .iso, choosing to use a network repository will actually download and install GNOME. If you are using this option DO NOT use network repos. Packages can updated after install.
Installed System
After completing the install and logging-in the system boots into a Debian-branded GNOME desktop. The system is fast and very stable. Debian is very suitable for CLI system configuration. For those who prefer configuration via GUI there are a number of GNOME tools which will allow for this. Unlike 'one-stop' configuration tools such as SUSE's YaST it is necessary to have a familiarity of which tools perform what configuration tasks. This can be daunting for new Linux users. If you are new to Linux configuring some parts of your system will require reading documentation.
Installing proprietary Nvidia drivers in Debian is not trivial. There are a number of ways to do this. Unlike Ubuntu's 'restricted drivers' and openSUSE 11's 'one-click install' getting these drivers installed will require some pain.
The install includes kernel 2.6.24, GNOME 2.22.2, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, and as of this install, iceweasel (re-branded firefox) 2.0.0.14. Although 3.0 will be available if it's not already.
Package Management
This is an area where Debian really shines. APT (Advanced Package Tool) is a great package management system. APT can be invoked via a console or through Synaptic. An intuitive graphical interface makes package management as easy as it can be. Debian also includes Ubuntu's 'add/remove programs' applet. With Synaptic, adding repositories is a breeze. One problem I encountered while installing KDE involved a failure to recognize the install media. When attempting to grab some packages from the media APT failed. It was necessary to disable the disk option in the repository list to force downloading of all packages chosen for install.
Multimedia
As with other major distributions, support for popular multimedia formats is lacking due to patent concerns. Outside of the US this problem is easily solved by adding the debian-multimedia.org repository to APT's repository list.
To Sum Up
All of your favorite applications should work without a hitch. The system is very stable.
GNOME will notify you of any available updates. Curiously, to get update notifications using KDE, I have to install Adept.
I don't recommend Debian for those who are new to Linux. Instead they would be better served with distributions such as Ubuntu, openSUSE, and Mandriva. However Debian is a great choice for those with a basic knowledge of Linux. Although Debian may require more manual (console) configuration. Reading the documentation will become necessary at times. There is no 'all-in-one' tool for configuration such as SUSE's YaST or Mandriva's Control Center. Multimedia restraints are no different than those of other large distributions but this is easier to remedy on Debian than most others.
Debian is a great choice for a server or desktop. You can count on Debian's legendary stability and quality. There are good reasons behind the fact that Debian is the basis of so many other distros.
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