[CS-FSLUG] Still Flogging the Console Horse

[mash.]

Ed

I had never touched Linux before in my life and choose Debian, why
because I heard that you can tailor it to do what you want.

I have been running it on a thinkpad since that day.
and am about to install it on my newly ordered Dell Laptop next week.

The installation is very straight forward nowadays, only geek bit is
if you choose the verbose install, the rest of it is very much holding
your hand. If it asks you a question it will explain why and what to
choose if you don't know.

I always boot off a CD and choose net install. It then presents you
with the base install which takes about 15 minutes or so of going
through hardware detection, partitioning and which modules to load. It
then gives you a screen called "task select" which divides all the
packages into sections. Like Database, Desktop enviorment ect. What I
do is choose nothing and it then installs JUST the base files for
debian. I believe about 150MB but not quite sure on this. After that I
boot up, it gives me the console where I can log into my account (
setup during the install.) I then proceed to install what I want from
the command line or via aptitude which is an awesome package manager.
I normally then go through the list which has has normal headings such
as desktop environment, mail, Internet, and choose what I want via the
packages. ie. x-server-xfree86, gdm, mozilla-firefox, gaim.

Then in true debian style it finds all the dependencies I need, the
ones I wouldn't have a clue what they are called and installs them
all.

This way I have kept my system down to such a tidy state I know
exactly what I have installed at all times.

It is very easy to use, Debian was difficult before but try it and you
will be surprised. It just gives you more control and doesn't hide
everything
it does.

I love it.

'Mash


On 8/26/05, Ed Hurst <ehurst at asisaid.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Aug 2005, mash. wrote:
> 
> > Debian stock of course...
> > mc, naim, mutt, emacs, nano... ect. all a kid could want.
> 
> Mutt will never foul my computer's innards. I use Pine because there
> are no arcane keystrokes hidden within a poorly written manual. I've
> tried it, so my prejudice is at least partially justified. If I have to
> "fix" the keystrokes one at a time, it's only worse.
> 
> Emacs -- and vi -- are designed to send ordinary users into apoplectic
> fits. Both are badly broken because their use is anything but obvious.
> The designers worked hard to make them difficult, and have succeeded.
> Emacs -- I already have an OS, thank you.
> 
> Nano is at least intelligent enough to show it's primary keystrokes by
> default. However, it lacks color of any sort. At least the new Joe
> provides syntax highlighting. Mc is one of the smartest things ever
> coded for Linux and Unix.
> 
> Now, all that is merely peripheral. I've used Debian before, in several
> guises, but I don't recall an option to leave out X. Maybe it's been
> too long. My primary complaint is Debian never worked on any of my
> laptops, except in the guise of Libranet. However, Libranet offered
> almost no useful options in choosing packages. You either take it all
> or get next to nothing. That was Knoppix's main failing (along with
> some mixed and badly broken packaging; it's not designed for
> installing). Plain Debian never detected my hardware worth anything,
> and I wound up configuring everything by hand. It was always
> complicated, even when compared to FreeBSD. Shall we discuss good old
> 'dpackage' which made even coders weep?
> 
> Debian was never intended to attract the ordinary user. I'm just not
> quite geek enough, nor do I intend to become that much of a geek. I
> might just possibly be able to sell the idea of console operations to
> those new to Open Source, but I couldn't possibly sell Debian as it is.
> I'm looking for something manageable without X for older hardware,
> something that won't stick me with incredibly stupid dependencies,
> especially requiring X for something like the ghostscript printing
> engine. It also needs to be manageable by mere mortals.
> 
> Care to add some more to this, Sir?
> 
> 
> --
> Ed Hurst
> -----------
> Applied Bible -- http://users.tconline.net/~softedges/
> Plain & Simple Computer Help -- http://ed.asisaid.com/
> Plain Package blog -- http://ed.asisaid.com/blog/
> 
> 
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