[ale] linux recommendations

[James Sumners]

If you read the welcome message at the boot prompt it tells you that you can
press F1 through F5(?) for additional options. That is where it tells you about
the other boot images on the CD. All you need to install Debian is the first CD;
the other six CDs are just extra software that you might use some day.

You really have to decide what the machine is to be used for before calling it
stale. Do you really need a web server to be running the latest version of X.org
and Gaim? I hope not. The testing branch is the next release. When testing is
not in freeze, new packages are added to it almost weekly. When a freeze is on
testing does not see many changes other than bug fixes. Unstable, though, sees
new packages almost daily unless testing is in freeze. When testing is in freeze
unstable does not get many new big packages (e.g. Mozilla Firefox) unless it
will not adversely affect testing. Yes, unstable can severly break at times but
for the most part it is very stable and very good for a bleeding edge desktop
system. Generally, if unstable breaks it is because of a major package that has
a problem and you can stop by #debian on freenode to get information about how
to fix it (almost always in the topic).

Debian is a different beast than the hand holding distros like SuSE or Red Hat.
I think that if you give it time and really learn how the Debian system works
you won't turn back. You do have to read though.

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 21:25:37 -0500
Geoffrey <esoteric at 3times25.net> wrote:

> James Sumners wrote:
> > Stable is meant to be stable. You can install with a 2.4.x kernel if
> > you type 'bf24' at the boot prompt.
> 
> That's fine.  I don't necessarily agree with a 2.2 kernel being stable, 
> I'd call it stale.  My opinion.  I don't install anything called testing 
> or unstable on a client machine, but will install SuSE Pro, possibly 
> even Fedora core.
> 
> I must have missed the bf24 option, was it displayed anywhere?
> 
> > Sarge's (the testing branch, which is due out Real Soon Now)
> > installer is much more user friendly than Woody's installer. If you
> > are looking for a more update installer you can try out the Sarge
> > discs (http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/).
> 
> I just finished downloading the 7 discs for stable. :(
> 
> > I run Debian stable on all my servers. For my desktops and laptop I
> > use the unstable branch. I intend to load Ubuntu Linux on my laptop
> > over the winter break (I work at a college) and give it a shot. I
> > have really been looking for a "desktop distribution" based on Debian
> > to fall in love with for my everyday systems.
> 
> I don't know, I just can't seem to consider something that is running 
> stuff that is that old.  2.2 kernel by default.
> 
> > But, as Jim said, Debian stable does NOT have the latest and greatest
> > software. What it does have is the most solid release system out
> > there. Security updates? Stable has 'em and has 'em fast.
> 
> You must mean the most solid Debian release system out there. :)
> 
> -- 
> Until later, Geoffrey
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-- 
James Sumners
http://ug.dyndns.org/~jsumners/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological
personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the
corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a
condition to which they are quickly addicted."

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