I use Debian sid with KDE and have very few problems. sid seems better than Lenny for me since it gets fixes for bugs faster. If you're using netinst, there is a boot option to automatically install KDE in place of gnome.

er lol

If you don't want to read that's your prerogative.

that's prolly so

Will aptitude install kde 3.9 work? Or something similar? I'm not too keen on trying 4 yet. I've had some issues with what's been ported into OpenSuSE, and I'd prefer to avoid it for a few more months.

KDE 4 has not made it to Lenny yet. A few weeks ago, the KDE team released the stable version of KDE 4. It entered Debian in Experimental. That says someting about Debian policy considering something stable. The latest version in Sid seems to be 3.5

jlinkels

Oops. I meant 3.5.9. So they are at 3.5.0?

I only know it accurately down to the first decimal position. But you can check at debian.org

Re-reading your original post:
Debian has aptitude, it originates from Debian, not from Ubuntu

Like I said, what others consider stable is considered experimental in Debian, not even unstable. Therefor I don't understand why you are interested in getting the latest KDE version from Sid. Debian Testing is generaly considered as very stable and that includes the KDE environment. If you want to have a stable system, don't go hunting for the latest features and the highest version number.

jlinkels

definitely. Sometimes I find that a particular application isn't working for eg a recently issued peripheral- like a mobile phone- and after research it emerges that there's a version in unstable designed to accommodate that hardware. That's a good reason to get the latest version, and one of the advantages of apt/synaptic is that it's easy to remove the app. if it doesn't work.

I like Debian Sid, too, but I have an even more effective way that allows me to have my "cake" of Sid and eat it too - without any indigestion! :-)

The sidux distribution was created with the specific intention of tracking and fully utilizing Debian Sid packages as is, as long as they are working, but using sidux fixes - which they generally send to the Debian Sid team, plus their own tools and utilities, which make installing, configuring, and managing the system a very easy task. For users wanting a cutting edge experience which truly tracks Sid activity, I highly recommend sidux. Just as with Debian Sid, sidux is a true rolling upgrade release. Install it once, then use the tools.

If you just cannot handle a cutting edge system and you want a stable system, but for some reason Debian Stable isn't doing it for you, also consider SimplyMEPIS 7.0, which you can download at no cost. The hardware support in this system, which is once again based on Debian Stable, is excellent, and the packages included add a few from Debian Volatile, giving you a somewhat newer system than plain Debian.

Frankly, from my perspective, you cannot go wrong with Debian Stable, SimplyMEPIS 7.0 on the stable end, or Debian Sid or sidux on the cutting edge. It all depends on what your interests and tolerance is. All four are excellent.

Yes, I run Debian Lenny KDE on several machines. This laptop I'm typing on was originally Etch, and did an upgrade which went smooth enough. No problems since I upgraded in November. This is my primary machine, I use it heavily every day.

I also bought a new laptop last month, installed Debian Lenny KDE on it. Had to fetch the nvidia drivers and install those. Keep in mind, Debian doesn't have proprietary drivers in the installer, so you might have to install them yourself.

If you are relatively new to linux, and expect your linux distribution to find and support all of your hardware automatically for you, I suggest you might want to consider staying with opensuse. More experienced linux users don't mind installing drivers, and don't judge a distro by it's installer.

btw I ran suse for years, since 9.3, switched to debian last year. Debian is WAY faster than opensuse. Huge difference. Worth a look.

If you want KDE 4.x, word is it will be in Lenny, before Lenny shifts to the stable archive in September (tentatively).

I'm using Lenny on HP Pavilion dv5000 using the wireless Broadcom card. The only problem I've had was trying to integrate a Gnome applet while running KDE as default, just screwing around. I've almost always used KDE with Debian distros, and personally prefer it over Gnome. If you want to take a test drive with KDE Debian, try out Mepis 7.0 which uses the Debian repositories, as long as you don't mind using the proprietary drivers which come with Mepis out-of-the-box working. As far as stability, Lenny is great using the 1/28/2008 dvds.

I use debian lenny with KDE works like a charm.