so easy a cave man can do it?
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| jimf Dec 09, 2006 12:58 PM EDT |
Anyone who still thinks that Debian is difficult to install needs to view this walk through. Also remember that the touted Ubuntu installer is 'derived from' this. |
| bigg Dec 09, 2006 4:01 PM EDT |
There are a few things here and there on Debian that are not perfect, but I started with Ubuntu and can switch to Debian with limited difficulty. Debian seems to be a lot faster whereas Ubuntu seems a little more polished, but it is a myth that Debian is difficult to use (install or anything else). |
| richo123 Dec 09, 2006 4:05 PM EDT |
The myth was real a few years ago when the old Debian installer had a fearsome reputation. |
| rijelkentaurus Dec 09, 2006 4:48 PM EDT |
>The myth was real a few years ago when the old Debian installer had a fearsome reputation. My first experience with Linux was with Woody. I bought a Debian CD off of eBay and...it went badly. I actually managed to struggle through the install, but I wasn't hooked to the net and I didn't expect just a console login. I didn't know what to do without a GUI and I couldn't even begin to work on it. I knew a few Dos commands, but those obviously didn't work. I cursed, cried and screamed, then reinstall Windows. Bad distro to start out on if you don't have someone holding your hand, or at least it was for me. Didn't take too long to come back to Linux, however, as I was sick to death of Windows. Fedora Core 3 and SuSE Professional 9.2 were the first two. I somehow found Knoppix and DSL along the way, and Mepis was somewhere in there. Mepis was the first distro that I felt comfortable with, and since then I've just gotten more comfortable with the CLI and don't mind working on the command line. It takes time. |
| tuxchick Dec 09, 2006 4:54 PM EDT |
" It takes time." Maybe for cavemen. Us cavewomen take to Linux like ducks to water. OK I'm lying. It takes time. :) But it's worth it. Investing the same time and energy on windoze doesn't mean you learn more or can make it better- it's still a steaming pile. |
| jimf Dec 09, 2006 4:56 PM EDT |
> Mepis was the first distro that I felt comfortable with Me too, and, Mepis allowed me to move on to Debian. Unfortunately, Mepis is no longer a good way to do that. > It takes time. You should be saying 'it's about time' to be moving to Debian :D. |
| rijelkentaurus Dec 09, 2006 5:01 PM EDT |
>You should be saying 'it's about time' to be moving to Debian :D. I like Debian, but you ain't getting me away from PCLOS. It's called the Distro Hopper Stopper for a very good reason. I MUCH prefer Debian to Ubuntu. Once you learn a little Linux and some CLI stuff, Ubuntu (IMO) becomes pointless and has needless overhead that Debian doesn't. Debian is substantially faster on my boxen than *buntu is. I haven't tried Debian on a laptop, but Ubuntu worked well on my Thinkpad, I assume Debian (with a little more tweaking, perhaps) would work just as well with the wireless. All in all, Debian is the most important Linux project out there. Everything that depends on Ubuntu, depends on Debian. Its health and popularity are vital. |
| dcparris Dec 09, 2006 8:07 PM EDT |
As a matter of fact, it's so easy, even LXer's Editor-in-Chief (pre-caveman species) can do it. I know the pain of Debian Woody. I did just fine up until I got to the package selection phase. I found myself in package selection hell! It was like I couldn't get out of it to finish the installation. But I tried Morphix and later, Ubuntu. I guess I can confess my secret urge to try Debian again, namely because of Debian's roots. Debian Etch is more like Ubuntu Hoary or Warty, as far as the installer goes. I can definitely handle it. Shhh... Don't tell anyone, but jimf talked me into giving it another go-round, and I'm using it to setup an OpenVPN/Web server. In fact, if you visit http://matheteuo.homelinux.net/ you'll see I'm having much greater success with the webserver than with the OpenVPN server. :-( Actually, I just haven't put any content on the webserver. Anyway, back to Etch - I quite like it. I even put it on my laptop. It's a bit rash, and maybe it's partly just because I can, but I have enjoyed the latest Debian. I also got my Linksys BCM4318 wi-fi card working again - it broke with my Ubuntu update, and I never got it fixed. This greatly improves my chances of taking my laptop back on the road. :-) Many thanks to jimf for encouraging me to give Etch a shot! I am soooo giddy! |
| jimf Dec 09, 2006 8:33 PM EDT |
Glad it's working for you Don... I was pretty sure you'd like it :D |
| tuxchick Dec 09, 2006 9:01 PM EDT |
"So easy a pig-lovin' publisher can do it" |
| rijelkentaurus Dec 09, 2006 10:28 PM EDT |
"So easy a Windows user can do it. No, really. Honest. I mean it. Okay, not the dumb ones." |
| jimf Dec 09, 2006 10:36 PM EDT |
> Okay, not the dumb ones. Unfortunately, the ones still eating rocks are condemned to run Windows. |
| dinotrac Dec 10, 2006 12:43 AM EDT |
>Unfortunately, the ones still eating rocks are condemned to run Windows. C'mon, now. Everybody needs a target market. |
| bigg Dec 10, 2006 6:00 AM EDT |
> So easy a Windows user can do it. If you're a Windows user, then presumably you know how to dig into your registry to remove viruses and spyware and keystroke loggers. Gentoo is pretty easy compared to that. |
| jdixon Dec 10, 2006 7:35 AM EDT |
> If you're a Windows user, then presumably you know how to dig into your registry to remove viruses and spyware and keystroke loggers. Most Windows users have no idea. They just wonder why their system is running so slowly on their new fancy 3GB Roadrunner setup, and why it seems to reboot of it's own accord every so often. Trying to explain virus scanning and spyware scanning to them is like talking quantum physics. At least now that AVG offers both free virus and spyware scanners which autoupdate, there's some hope. Running Spybot and Adaware weekly seems to be beyond most of them. |
| dcparris Dec 10, 2006 10:56 AM EDT |
You know, I would have to learn how to run virus and spyware scanners in Windows. I could do it, but I would have to do some reading up. Of course, I'm too lazy to bother. I'll just stick with my shiny new Debian systems. TC: It's so easy, a pig-lovin' editor can get wi-fi working again on his laptop! Oh yeah! |
| jimf Dec 10, 2006 11:35 AM EDT |
> Trying to explain virus scanning and spyware scanning to them is like talking quantum physics. At least now that AVG offers both free virus and spyware scanners which autoupdate, there's some hope. Running Spybot and Adaware weekly seems to be beyond most of them. You left out a good firewall and a registry editor ;-). Some hope for the average user is a pipe dream. Windows is an insecure system by design. While an experienced user 'can' make it secure, I've long since decided that it just isn't worth the effort. I have one w2k reference system that I use for support. It's not even allowed on the Internet. I increasingly think I should just convert it to Debian and be done with it... |
| Sander_Marechal Dec 10, 2006 1:08 PM EDT |
In my experience Windows users can be taught to run AV and a spyware scanner. The problem is explaining *why* they need to. They can't understand the differences between spyware and virusses and they don't understand why their $50 a year virus scanner won't stop spyware and adware. |
| tuxchick Dec 10, 2006 2:28 PM EDT |
sander, and just try to explain to them how "legitimate" spyware gets a pass from the products that are supposed to protect them. |
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