Debian: Try It; You’ll Like It (Part 1)

(The updated version of this series can be found here (gone).)

Lots of folks offer various kinds of guides to installing Debian. This is just one more. Why Debian? It’s easily the single best escape from MS Windows for most computers.

If you are already using Linux, stick with what you know best. To be honest, I used to really love SuSE, but they abandoned long ago everything that serves my needs. I have a strong personal affinity for Red Hat derivatives, but they won’t work properly on my hardware and don’t really do what I want to do. I agree that’s in part because the larger Open Source community tends to be pissy with Red Hat and friends, but I can’t do anything about that. I love Red Hat, but I use Debian because it’s more sane. The point is I want to help you consider sanely whether Debian will serve your purposes.

I’m going to explain what I do to make Debian on my laptop act the way I want. Your wants may well be quite different, but this description may indicate your options are bigger than you thought.

Caveats: As part of this image I’m painting, I make no apology for insisting XFCE is the only desktop worth considering. I’ve written plenty about my disappointment with GNOME and KDE. LXDE isn’t ready for prime time, but might be okay for older and slower machines. You can explore whatever other kinds of GUI you like later on, but I’m not going to lead you there. We will start with the assumption you will find XFCE useable. Further, unless you are running an awful lot of RAM, or you are running heavy server operations we won’t discuss here, there is nothing at all to gain from choosing a 64-bit version. There are also plenty of reasons to prefer 32-bit, most having to do with how so many software projects you are likely to use don’t compile well in 64-bit. Some software won’t even be available for some years to come. Please don’t be misled by all the hype; 32-bit Linux runs fine on machines up to 64GB or RAM and Debian’s installer will choose the right version of the kernel automatically.

That said, go here and click on debian-7.2.0-i386-xfce-CD-1.iso to download what I recommend*. You will need your computer plugged in and connected to the Internet, preferably via an ethernet cable. You may also need access to another computer for downloading special packages, usually what is called “firmware” — special drivers not included by default for things like network hardware.

*If you are reading this sometime after I post it, the version numbers for the latest will be higher, obviously. Start here and navigate through the links on the page, selecting CD, i386 and something that looks similar to what I show above.

Once it boots, you’ll run through the normal settings that almost any OS will ask about: language, keyboard, etc. At some point you’ll be offered a menu. I recommend you choose the graphical install routine because these days it works on most systems and is easier for newbies. If it fails, you can start over and try the non-graphical install, which is almost the same routine but not such a pretty face. It’s still not that difficult in “text mode.” Most of it is self-explanatory to anyone who’s messed with computers at all. If you know you don’t have a clue, you really should read the installation guide in detail. While you’re at it, there are several YouTube videos that might help, but you have to be aware they usually default to the GNOME desktop, which is simply not good on newbies.

Note: Choose your “location” based on time zone; don’t try to find your exact geographical location.

At some point you’ll be presented with a list of “tasks” that will include desktop, base system, etc. Typically it will pre-select “printer server” — don’t be confused; this is necessary if you intend to connect any kind of printer to your system, either by cable or by wireless. I don’t use my laptop that way, so I de-selected that by clicking and removing the checkmark. I did make sure that the laptop item was chosen because Debian keeps that sort of stuff in a separate install and detection routing.

For the rest of the options, I offer some general advice. If you see an option to update packages from the Net as you go, select that. You’ll be asked to select a “mirror” as your primary source of packages and updates. Normally the list will start with something close to your geographical location, something pretty fast and reliable. There’s seldom anything wrong with taking the first one on the list, unless you already know the right answer. We can adjust this later using a special tool Debian provides, but right now we just need to let Debian have a chance to add packages not already on the CD, extra packages that will make your life easier.

You’ll need two good passwords, one for the administrator account (root) and one for the user account from which you’ll routinely operate in Linux (keep it simple when choosing a user name; mine is simply “ed”). I recommend a minimum of 9 characters, and you should combine the advice found here and here. These ideas still work as well as anything will. Don’t get lost on the partition business. I’m going to assume a computer devoted to Debian alone as the only OS, so choose to replace whatever else is on there, and accept the default partition scheme of putting everything in all one partition. You can decide whether you want to participate in the popularity contest for package selection, but I recommend you select to let GRUB install as your boot manager.

During installation you may be advised to get hold of some special firmware (drivers). The installer will pause while you decide and select to proceed or skip it. For example, my laptop required something for RealTek networking, and I did a quick search for “Debian realtek firmware”. I was led to a page where I could download the package individually, making sure I was on the page for the version of Debian I was installing (Wheezy; look in the upper right hand corner of the page below the banner and make sure you are in the right version). Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a list of architectures you can download; we are using “i386”. Click on that and pick a mirror in your geographical vicinity. Once you have the package, copy it to the top directory of any USB memory stick. Insert, then select to proceed with loading the firmware. The installer should have no trouble finding the package if it’s not hidden in any folders on the memory stick. It will load and proceed with the installation.

At some point the installer will tell you it’s all done and ask you to be ready for the reboot. It should kick out the CD and wait for you to select going farther. The system will reboot and should do some finish-up work, then drop you onto the login screen. Make sure you select your user account name, then type in the password you chose for that account.

Before the desktop fully displays, you will probably be asked to select whether you want the default toolbar, or an empty one that you configure from scratch. We assume here that you need the first option because you don’t have any idea what to do with the second. Once you choose, you’ll be presented with a default desktop that shows a toolbar across the top and maybe one at the bottom that tends to hide until you point your mouse at it. Explore; the main menu button is upper left with the XFCE mouse logo. There are other icons along the same toolbar indicating different system functions. Take a look around and change some of the settings to your taste. Most of it will make sense if you take time to think it over.

That’s all for this time.