Anybody here running Debian?

D

Deadjasper

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 28, 2001
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I'm currently running Linux Mint Cinnamon and was wondering what I'd be missing if I switched to Debian. Both mint and Ubuntu are based on Debian, wondering what these bring to the table that Debian lacks.

TIA :)
 
Mostly newer/updated packages. Probably best to think of Debian as a LTS release. You could move from the stable to unstable or testing tracks, but I don't think it's really worth it.

 
Just loaded it on a test system and already don't like the 2 password concept but maybe I'll get used to it. It was kinda nice that I could install it without booting into a live cd first.
 
I run Debian on my VPS. It works great for stability and security updates. if you want the latest and greatest software it isn't the best option unless you like to add third party repositories and even then there may be difficulties if the base libraries are out of date.
 
Deadjasper said:
Just loaded it on a test system and already don't like the 2 password concept but maybe I'll get used to it. It was kinda nice that I could install it without booting into a live cd first.
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I used Debian for a long time, although I now use FreeBSD for personal systems, whatever embedded Linux on access points and things, and Linux for work cause I didn't shop jobs hard enough.

Anyway... The 2 password concept is a password for the root user and a password for your user? I think there's a way to setup sudo in the installer, and not set a root password; since you didn't do that, you can still setup sudo, but it might be more adventuresome. The installer has a lot of options, including an expert mode, but you kind of need to go through it a bunch of times until you find the path you like.

If you're running aptititude for package management, search is with the / key, from what I remember; I think dselect probably uses that too, if you're using that. There's also apt-cache search from the command line.
 
I used Debian for years, then switched to Ubuntu, then switched back to Debian.
Ubuntu used to have a lot of bells and whistles. Good hardware support. Lots of small utilities. Easy customization. But now it has more and more bloatware.
Debian used to not very user friendly, but nowadays it is really simple and easy to use. Of course it is very stable.
So Debian for me. I guess you're more likely going to enjoy it.
 
I haven’t turned on my Linux workstation in over a year as I no longer have a use for it. I set up Debian for the same reason you want to: It’s what Ubuntu and Mint are based on so why use the derivative versions when I can use the whole thing?
 
I used Debian before Fedora and only switched because I bought a new system with hardware newer than Debian supported and I didn't want to go through doing the work on drivers and such. All that's in my other thread. Debian is great if you just want plain, simple, less updating unless for security, and pretty rock solid stability from it's long process of approving packages. If you like the latest and greatest versions of software Debian is not for you. If your hardware is the latest and greatest Debian is probably not for you. I think it's a great distro for what it is and why it makes a great distro for all the others to build from to try to make it what Debian is not.
 
Thanks all. I'll play around with it some more. The lack of a search box in Software Manager is disturbing because it hints at other shortcomings. I also could not install Gimp because it's Flatpack only and Debian isn't compatible with Flatpack whereas Mint is. Kinda sucks that a Linux program isn't compatible with a Linux distro because of the package manager. Compatibility is important. Of course there may be around this, I'm not done searching yet.
 
Deadjasper said:
Thanks all. I'll play around with it some more. The lack of a search box in Software Manager is disturbing because it hints at other shortcomings. I also could not install Gimp because it's Flatpack only and Debian isn't compatible with Flatpack whereas Mint is. Kinda sucks that a Linux program isn't compatible with a Linux distro because of the package manager. Compatibility is important. Of course there may be around this, I'm not done searching yet.
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That doesn't sound right.

The Gnome-Software app (icon looks like a suitcase with a few logos/shapes on it) has a magnifying-glass icon up top for search. (Though no idea why they make it an extra step instead of just showing the search box.)

Flatpak should work on any major distro, even Ubuntu (alongside snaps). https://flatpak.org/setup/Debian
 
Code: 
sudo apt install gimp
should work unless your repos are set to non-free only.
 
FSCDiablo said:
I used Debian before Fedora and only switched because I bought a new system with hardware newer than Debian supported and I didn't want to go through doing the work on drivers and such. All that's in my other thread. Debian is great if you just want plain, simple, less updating unless for security, and pretty rock solid stability from it's long process of approving packages. If you like the latest and greatest versions of software Debian is not for you. If your hardware is the latest and greatest Debian is probably not for you. I think it's a great distro for what it is and why it makes a great distro for all the others to build from to try to make it what Debian is not.
Click to expand...
Imho, it depends? Many distros use Debian as their base. I think Debian started out as being a 'server distro' - many companies used Debian on their server. I think Debian can be almost as 'up-to-date' as Fedora and if you use Testing or sid - it's very close to Ubuntu in terms of recent software. I have used Testing many years ago - but, then you have to maintain it so the 'simple, less updating' doesn't apply - unless, of course, you use Debian Stable.
I was thinking of trying Testing/sid again - I have read a lot of complaints regarding Ubuntu - so what are they doing that is annoying ppl? I have been using Windows lately but will install Linux on a ssd I bought a while ago.

It was my impression, Ubuntu/Canonical's emphasis on snap - annoyed a lot of Linux users and many prefer flatpak? Anyway, there's also accusations of bloatware?

I think Debian or Ubuntu is a better choice than Mint - I tried Mint a long time ago - it's fine for first starting out but the software versions are often old/outdated and its base is Ubuntu so I don't see the point - it's pretty polished and when Ubuntu went to the DE Unity - Mint became way more popular for their Cinnamon/MATE desktops. I think Mint probably does a good job, still, at being polished but afaik, the software versions are often older than the latest Ubuntu and if you upgrade to Debian Testing - you'll have newer software versions there, too.
 
Deadjasper said:
Thanks all. I'll play around with it some more. The lack of a search box in Software Manager is disturbing because it hints at other shortcomings. I also could not install Gimp because it's Flatpack only and Debian isn't compatible with Flatpack whereas Mint is. Kinda sucks that a Linux program isn't compatible with a Linux distro because of the package manager. Compatibility is important. Of course there may be around this, I'm not done searching yet.
Click to expand...
Debian is more basic in appearance and features compared to other distros like Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora etc. - which have 'Software Centers' and more options - search etc. You could install Synaptic (Package Manager) and could just use it for the search function? It's been around for ages and I dunno if ppl still use it but the last time I checked - you can still install it (in Ubuntu, Debian etc.). I used it to check for version numbers and to see what is installed or if I think of a certain package I want (or may want) installed.
You can also use it to install software - GUI method - it's not as fancy looking as the others, though.
 
OK, making progress. Got GIMP installed along with Flatpak and Celluloid. Gonna look for a different software manager next. I will say one thing about Debian, it appears to be much faster than any other distro I've looked at. Especially the cli, blinding fast.
 
Deadjasper said:
Just loaded it on a test system and already don't like the 2 password concept but maybe I'll get used to it. It was kinda nice that I could install it without booting into a live cd first.
Click to expand...
Security, do you really need to be running as root all the time, not usually, you elevate when you need to, you then run in a more secure manner all the other times.
 
MrGuvernment said:
Security, do you really need to be running as root all the time, not usually, you elevate when you need to, you then run in a more secure manner all the other times.
Click to expand...

Yea, I think that's pretty much how all distro's work. But this is the first time I've run into a 2 password distro. Still haven't figured out what the first (root) password is for, I haven't needed it for anything I've needed to do so far. Just gotta find another software manager.
 
Deadjasper said:
Yea, I think that's pretty much how all distro's work. But this is the first time I've run into a 2 password distro. Still haven't figured out what the first (root) password is for, I haven't needed it for anything I've needed to do so far. Just gotta find another software manager.
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Ya, they started forcing it vs just create new account, and some distros will ask if you even want to make a root account, otherwise your user account you make on install is the "root" so to speak.
 
Also, I once installed Mint and told it to log me in automatically and I wasn't able to get local networking to work at all until I did a reinstalled and opted for password login. Dunno if that was normal or a fluke.
 

From the Debian Installation Guide​

6.3.2. Setting Up Users And Passwords​

Just before configuring the clock, the installer will allow you to set up the “root” account and/or an account for the first user. Other user accounts can be created after the installation has been completed.

6.3.2.1. Set the Root Password​

The root account is also called the super-user; it is a login that bypasses all security protection on your system. The root account should only be used to perform system administration, and only used for as short a time as possible.
Any password you create should contain at least 6 characters, and should contain both upper- and lower-case characters, as well as punctuation characters. Take extra care when setting your root password, since it is such a powerful account. Avoid dictionary words or use of any personal information which could be guessed.
If anyone ever tells you they need your root password, be extremely wary. You should normally never give your root password out, unless you are administering a machine with more than one system administrator.
In case you do not specify a password for the “root” user here, this account will be disabled but the sudo package will be installed later to enable administrative tasks to be carried out on the new system. By default, the first user created on the system will be allowed to use the sudo command to become root.

6.3.2.2. Create an Ordinary User​

The system will ask you whether you wish to create an ordinary user account at this point. This account should be your main personal log-in. You should not use the root account for daily use or as your personal login.
Why not? Well, one reason to avoid using root's privileges is that it is very easy to do irreparable damage as root. Another reason is that you might be tricked into running a Trojan-horse program — that is a program that takes advantage of your super-user powers to compromise the security of your system behind your back. Any good book on Unix system administration will cover this topic in more detail — consider reading one if it is new to you.
You will first be prompted for the user's full name. Then you'll be asked for a name for the user account; generally your first name or something similar will suffice and indeed will be the default. Finally, you will be prompted for a password for this account.
If at any point after installation you would like to create another account, use the adduser command.
 
That explains why I'm able to do everything I need to do with using the root password. Is the root user named root or is it something else?
 
It is named "root" and it's home directory is /root as a normal users home directory is /home/"user". If you want to login to a graphical UI with root you'll likely have to do some editing to files to make that possible, and it is not recommended from a security standpoint.
 
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