Debian is the only distribution that just works. Even the 'testing' branch is more stable than anything else out there. I have never had problems with Debian, but I've had problems with the rest of them. And I've used Slackware, arch, Fedora, red hat, ubuntu, gentoo, centos...
Sure, it's all about free software (which is cool) but if you want to use non-free software all you have to do is add a word to your /etc/apt/sources.list and do apt-get update.
That's why when I go adventuring into other distros, get frustrated cause it takes hours to fix the sound, or get wireless working, or adjust the resolution (looking at you Slackware 9), I know I can always come back home to Debian. And she's always there with a knowing look in her eyes "I knew you'd be back".
So, /g/, why don't you delete all the other garbage distros and just choose Debian?
For all you minimalists out there you can use the netinstall disc/USB and install only what you want/need.
This doesn't need a general, use the Linux general
>>54319950
I'm happy with Mint.
That said, I'm glad you found something that you like.
Also, it's the only distros developed by people who had the foresight and ability to form into a "company" with team leaders and quality control, rather than rely on a programming shitshow in hopes that it works.
>>54319976
Mint, Ubuntu, and the like are just Debian derivatives.
What does Mint offer that you like? (Actually curious because I've heard that it's easier for beginners to Linux to start with Mint and I want to introduce some people to Linux).
>>54320006
It's pretty much a no-brainer to go from Windows 7 to mint.
The most difficult thing to do is to figure out how to update Thunderbird once (after that, the installer takes care of it). Files are as easy to find as they are on windows, the layout is very similar to windows. Everything about Mint just werks.
I can't lay out the differences between debian and mint, but I can say that literally anyone who knows how to navigate Windows XP or Windows 7 will feel right at home on Mint.
just about to go back to debian on my desktop. any tips for a fresh install?
>>54320112
After you're done installing, change your repos to testing and then dist-upgrade.
>>54319990
This thread is about Debian, not Red Hat.
i left debian after the systemd integration and i will never use it again unless its removed completely
>>54320043
Cinnamon or MATE?
>>54320199
https://www.debian.org/intro/organization
Inform yourself before you start making smart-ass remarks.
>>54320200
https://devuan.org/
>>54320209
Cinnamon. Was planning on giving MATE a go, and stick with whichever I preferred, but Cinnamon was just too perfect, especially after the headache that was ubuntu that I tried in 2007. I couldn't find anything I saved back then.
I'm sure I'll get flack for that, being so stupid as to be unable to find shit I literally saved on ubuntu, but that's how little I know about shit outside of Windows. I also have no fucking clue about how macs work, and finding their files (at least, not as of 2010, the last time I tried using it).
But if a retard like me can figure out mint, pretty much anybody should be able to.
>>54320251
i know of that but last i checked (weeks ago) files.devuan.org was down and there was a lot of old stuff
Debian Stable here, it has been on this machine for two years now.
It was originally Debian 7 but got upgrade to 8 last year.
>>54320303
It's up now, and that was probably because of the heavy load (so the website says). They recommend you use torrents.
>>54320251
Although I welcome this, how long do you think it'll remain supported?
>>54319950
>So, /g/, why don't you delete all the other garbage distros and just choose Debian?
Because software that obsolete is a no-go.
>>54320659
How can something that's still supported be obsolete?
>yfw Debian is good you have to off yourself
>>54320728
Ahah so funny xdddd
apt-get is shit
xbps, pacman, and portage are all proper package managers.
They're all so much faster, easier, and more featureful.
>>54320697
It's unsupported. Hoping that they may or may not patch some only security flaws in an appropriate way is no support.
>>54321386
So all software is unsupported by that logic since you are hoping for things to get patched.
>>54320361
> that disgusting font rendering.
Maybe I'll give it a try, cause Ubuntu is a nightmare.
>>54320361
Good to see people here smart enough to not fall for the "Debian stable is not good for desktops" meme.
>>54321444
I'm not autistic enough to care about that.
>>54321448
Thank you, finally somebody on /g/ who won't say "hurr durr more like debian old :^)"
How bloated is the minimal install?
>>54321420
Actually I'm hoping to get a new minor version by the developer, not some shitty patched together version by the linux distributor who don't have a clue about what they do.
>>54319950
>apt
thanks, but no thanks
>>54321557
what's wrong with apt?
>>54321459
> Works with text.
> Doesn't care if it looks like eye-burning shit.
I don't blame you, though. I recently spent 4 days tweaking infinality, fonts.conf and .Xresources, trying to make font rendering on Debian testing half decent. 4 days later I still couldn't make QT, GTK2 and GTK3 render the same way, and the motherfucking Firefox *always* had its own idea on how it should be done on top of that. That's why it's never going to be the year of Linux on the desktop.
>>54319950
>Plebian
Top lel just kill yourselves, Murdock did nothing wrong
>>54321322
>portage
Takes 5 minutes to calculate dependencies for a Desktop Environment
Takes 5 hours to build a Desktop Environment
>>54321522
Most distros patches their packages. You should be using Slackware if you want to use unmodified packages.
>>54321585
I think the text is alright, doesn't bother me at all.
>>54321835
>Most distros patches their packages.
Joke is on you, most bistros are shit.
>You should be using Slackware if you want to use unmodified packages.
Or I use a bistro with a tendency not to distribute packages themself but the ability to easily add third party repos. Something that will be the long term solution to the growing number of packages.
>>54321459
>Thank you, finally somebody on /g/ who won't say "hurr durr more like debian old :^)"
To me Debian stable (and similar distros) are the best way to get a good Linux experience. Maybe I'm weird or old, but I don't like that when I update my system to get security updates, I also get unsolicited new versions of my programs/DE/kernel with new bugs that could disrupt my workflow.
>>54321888
You should use Windows.
>>54321898
The exact reason that I use Debian Stable.
I've experienced problems with updates too many times on rolling release and bleeding edge distros.
I appreciate that people use bleeding edge distros though. Without them I wouldn't get my packages tested.
>>54321934
>You should use Windows.
No, I shouldn't. You stop being a sperg and start realizing that the Debian maintainers - although they like to pretend - don't have the manpower or the competence to package and maintain the evergrowing mass of software.
Maybe I am the retard, but why haven't they fixed apt-get yet?
The output is really bad.
Apt has a progress bar, which is nice, but the rest is still really bad.
Compared to yum,pacman and yast, apt-get is downright gibberish.
Does nobody care?
I had so many things break simply because the package manager output doesn't inform you what is going on. (like suddenly a package gets updated to an empty package or the update is actually a downgrade because you didn't see that the repository renamed the up to date version.
aptitude is slightly better, but it isn't the default.
shouldn't this be a priority to fix simple things like that? Or is there a technical reason that it shouldn't be fixed?
>>54321934
>Without them I wouldn't get my packages tested.
You don't get that anyway. Debian maintainers are the very definition of "works on my machine" and that is usually the case once you use software that isn't among the 3000 most used packages.
>>54321934
>You should use Windows
You just summed up this entire thread.
>>54319950
>And I've used Slackware, arch, Fedora, red hat, ubuntu, gentoo, centos...
No you havent.
Being 'stable' or not rarely have anything to do with distro specific features either, so you are blaming kernel version or compiler version on distro. In other words, you dont know what you're writing about and thus you should probably not use PC clones at all.
>>54319950
Uptime: 182 days.
>>54322091
>Being 'stable' or not rarely have anything to do with distro specific features either, so you are blaming kernel version or compiler version on distro
Yes, the distro maintainers are the ones responsible for choosing and shipping one or another version of the packages and making sure they work well together. So you're wrong.
>>54321735
That part doesn't count, because you're compiling from source, duh. Otherwise portage is very fast.
Also 5 hours? seriously? It took me about 45 minutes to compile xorg and XFCE. Set your USE flags right and the whole gentoo takes days thing basically just becomes a meme.
>download jessie "stable"
>missing cgroups for cpu limits
>google this bug
>reported 2014
No love in here.
>>54322128
>cgroups for cpu limits
A quick googling shows me cgroups for cpu limits work perfectly in Jessie for most people.
>>54321995
They seem to do fine desu. I don''t care what you use but I disagree with the notion that Debian Stable is obsolete software.
You might have another opinion so be it. I accept we have different opinions.
>>54322170
And from my experience they aren't enabled in kernel, my miss-informed friend.
>>54319950
OP is the voice of reason. He knows his shit. I recently switch back to Debian from slackware. Slackware has gone downhill. Debian just fuvking works. And comfy.
I've had problems with it. Trisquel has newer software, but I did switch from the default kernel in the repos to a newer linux-libre version.
It still will lock up for some reason when at idle. I'm not sure why but I don't mind because it happens so rarely.
>>54322216
And how's that an impediment? You know the kernel is open source and you can re-compile it, right?
>>54322261
If I wanted to compile my kernel I would install gentoo. By the way do you know where did the cgred daemon went? It's not like it's in repo. Some distros like centos got both things working by default. I am disappointed with debian.
>>54321386
https://www.debian.org/security/
>>54322320
Don't bother. He'll just discredit them as retards without proof.
>>54321509
Not bloated at all. It's literally the bare minimum you need to start the OS up and install whatever you want. Doesn't even come with X. It's somewhere between 300 and 600mb when installed. It has been a while since I've done it.
I just got this glorious bastard working again.
nvram battery finally took a shit after 22 years.
Etch was like NOPE I AIN'T BOOTING until I fixed the IDPROM invalidity crap.
GOOD THING I ALREADY DID TWO OF THESE BATTERIES LAST YEAR
THANKS SUN
I sure hope I win some sort of prize for this.
>>54323176
What is that screenfetch like script if i may ask?
>>54323252
an old copy of linuxlogo, looks like
>>54323176
The universal operating system for real.
I justed installed Debian stable xfce for the first time, and I'm really enjoying how smooth everything is running compared to Xubuntu. However, there are some programs that I would like to have more recent versions of; namely mpv. What would be the better option: building it from source, or installing it through backports?
Currently on Mint, debating on moving to Debian or Arch. What are the pro's, con's and differences of each?
Please don't meme.
>>54323176
>109 Bogomips total
>>54325090
Arch
PROS:
Several ways to install packages: pacman, yaourt, AUR
Good documentation/wiki
Quite stable for a bleeding-edge distro (Syu rarely breaks the system)
CONS:
"Manual" install (follow a guide that holds your hand while you manually setup the system, completely unnecessary)
The community can be toxic
A lot of applications need tweaks to work (hence the extensive wiki)
Debian
PROS:
Largest selection of pre-compiled packages
Great package manager
Just works
Easy to install
Stable as a rock
CONS:
???
>>54325049
What's the latest version of mpv?
The one in testing is 0.14.0
>>54323340
Thanks a bunch anon!
>>54325264
Latest is 0.17. I'd like to have 0.14 as opposed to the version in stable, which I believe is something like 0.6.
>>54325325
Change your repositories in /etc/apt/sources.list to 'testing'. apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade
then apt-get install mpv
OR
echo 'APT::Default-Release "stable";'
Add testing repositories to your /etc/apt/sources.list
apt-get -t testing install mpv
>>54325325
>>54325405
Or just download the .deb package from mpv.io
>>54325196
not him but what else has openbox? i like the appearance and tiny memory usage. is there a debian with openbox window manager?
>I've had problems with[...]ubuntu
What problems have you encountered with Ubuntu that weren't present in Debian?
>>54325641
What exactly are you implying?
>>54325529
>is there a debian with openbox window manager?
Yeah, Debian.
Don't choose a DE during installation then install openbox after the install is done.
>>54325727
that's it? thanks
>>54325700
I'm implying that I want to know what problems lie in Ubuntu but not in Debian.
With Debian I never know which installer to use.
For example: when I use an old laptop the documation talks about installing an old version of Debian. Does that mean installer a newer version would result in missing drivers?
Plus I dont know which chipset to pick. I assume most pcs are amd64?
>>54325996
Most computers newer than 2007 are 64bit, so you use the amd64 release. Also, there shouldn't be any issues installing a newer version of debian even if the documentation about the installation procedure is outdated. Most of the driver work comes from the kernel, which you want a newer version of anyway.
>>54324295
yee
>>54325149
funny too, it's a MicroSPARC II 110MHz.
here's the inside of the thing. doublestacked CPU heatsinks, sink'd network card because first-gen 10/100 SBUS crap, HDD has a ricer LED drive cooler underneath, and that old 8800GTS fan blowing air everywhere off the 12v rail. actually does a decent job.
>>54326304
Alright, sounds good. I'll give it a go then.
>>54326308
and the other always-on Sun box...
Ultra10 Creator3D, UltraSPARC II 440MHz
512MB RAM, 250GB+250GB+500GB HDDs
Intel GigE PCI, USB2, XVR-100 (Radeon 7000 64M), SiI3112 SATA (PPC Mac Flashed), and a replaced row of really shitty capacitors by the CPU socket. going on 15 years old in July.
>>54326460
Wheezy is the last version I'm using and moving away from Debian once it phases out from oldstable on all instances
It's been a fun long ride but I have no interest in following the way the community is going
>>54320251
this isn't going anywhere is it?
>>54325831
So, none then. Cool.
>>54319950
Is it easy for a Linux Mint user to switch to Debian? Never ventured outside Linux Mint so far.
>>54325641
adware and borderline spyware installed by default
>>54320251
>https://devuan.org/
the project is dead, gone.
>>54321322
>xbps, pacman, and portage are all proper package managers.
implying apt isn't?
come back in a few years when you grow up
>>54321448
>Good to see people here smart enough to not fall for the "Debian stable is not good for desktops" meme.
some smarter people use sid too.
>>54321724
>Murdock did nothing wrong
sadly he didn't do much right at the end
>>54322078
>>You should use Windows
>You just summed up this entire thread.
you just summed up two peoples mental disorder.
>>54325325
>Latest is 0.17. I'd like to have 0.14 as opposed to the version in stable
Latest here,
http://www.deb-multimedia.org/dists/testing/main/binary-amd64/package/mpv
>try debian testing netboot
>kernel modules not found, incorrect kernel version
wat
is there another way to go extremely minimal on debian?
>>54325641
>What problems have you encountered with Ubuntu that weren't present in Debian?
renaming of interfaces via systemd in ubuntu screws some cli apps which expect eth0, eth1 etc...
sure, you can say it's the fault of the apps but then why have them in the repo?
desu, i haven't tested 16.04 release out to to if this has been fixed but it was enough to keep my servers running debian.
>>54325529
>is there a debian with openbox window manager?
crunchbang++
>>54328686
Using sid over testing if you're not a Debian developer is actually quite retarded. All of sid's "stable enough" packages make it into testing pretty quickly, but all the updates that majorly fuck shit up don't.
>>54328686
>sid
Yeah I'm a sid guy, I've been using arch for ~9 months on my desktop but I just had to switch my media center back from arch to sid because arch broke (Debian rolling is still more stable than Arch, Debian is master race)
>>54328997
>is there another way to go extremely minimal on debian?
debootstrap
>>54328997
>minimal debian
>using an installer
Debootstrap? I haven't used an installer in years, most distro's have a script to install a chroot (so all distro's i've used in ~8 years can do the same thing as arch.)
Use an ubuntu live cd so you can google packages, mount a partition and debootstrap testing into it. Then chroot and install the packages you want (you have to at least install a kernel and bootloader.)
>>54319950
Maybe in your experience it does work, but it is foolish to assume that it works for everyone.
see my current issues with debian:
>>54328727
might as well just go back to ubuntu
>>54329166
>Use an ubuntu live cd so you can google packages, mount a partition and debootstrap testing into it. Then chroot and install the packages you want (you have to at least install a kernel and bootloader.)
for someone new to debootstrap i suggest a fresh disk partitioned into three then install debian or ubuntu using partitions 2 and 3 for system/boot and swap. once done use partition one for the debootstrap install then once happy with it install grup via the debootstrapped install then (all being well) you can delete partition two and resize partition one - voila!
>>54329272
I would just install it manually with deboostrap, at the very least boot it up with a live cd and tell me if you can see it using an Ubuntu live cd and if you can mount it.
>>54329348
Yep, I just tested it, I can mount both NTFS/exFAT partitions on a live Ubuntu and Mint distro, and I can also see the free space where I wish to install Debian.
It's odd that I can list the partitions without an issue using fdisk -l during the install, but the disk #1 isn't detected during the install.
>>54328997
The netinstall is about 300mb and you get a minimal system which you can use to install the rest using apt.
>>54329419
https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/debian-26/hard-drives-not-detected-during-debian-installation-620012/
>>54326449
>replaced row of really shitty capacitors by the CPU socket. going on 15 years old in July.
so good for another 15 years then :)
>>54322374
>Doesn't even come with X
Don't mind me
>>54330181
>apt-get install xorg
so difficult
>>54330190
Proof that I'm on debian :^)
>>54322124
>It took me about 45 minutes to compile xorg and XFCE.
oh boy 45 minutes to get a working desktop environment it's like I'm really back in 1995.
>>54319950
Is it possible to get Plasma DE for Debian?. What's the experience like if you have?.
>>54330423
Yes, KDE5 is on Debian.
No, I have never used KDE.
>>54320361
Debian stable here as well. Been using it on my laptop for around a year now.
Only hiccup is dolphin cant upload remote images to 4chan, it wont take a web address for example only local files. Apart from that its been great! I tried Fedora for all of 4 hours but KDE5 crashed a lot.
Debian 8 on my home server too.
>>54330527
Dolphin is a KDE application, not a Debian-specific one.
>>54330527
>>54326308
>>54326449
pretty cool anon
