I'm currently running Slackware 10 with kernel 2.6.8.1 on my laptop. I've heard good things about Debian, and I am considering trying it out. I've heard its the "hardest" distro to use, but I'm not too concerned about that. I do, however, have a few questions.

My main reason for wanting to switch is the apt-get package manager. Slackware currently has a few programs that mimic the program, swaret and slapt-get, but they don't really compare to what I've seen on Debian or even some Fedora boxes that run apt-get. I do have a couple concerns, however. I guess you could consider me to be a "neat freak" when it comes to computers. When I am installing a program, I want to make sure that there is a simple way to remove the program afterwards and "clean up" if something were to go wrong during installation, or if I just don't need the program anymore. This is sometimes a problem in Slackware, because often times there arent Slackware packages for a particular program. To get around this, there is a program called Checkinstall the you can run that makes a nice, neat slackware package out of the source files. I have noticed that Debian also has a checkinstall program, but I was wondering if it works in a similar manner. If I am trying to install a program that doesnt have a Debian package, can I run checkinstall and create a Debian package, which can later be removed easily?

Basically, to sum it all up, I'm wondering if there would ever be a time when I have to install an application from source which won't give me the option of uninstalling it later.

In fact I have just starting using Debian's net install of Sarge and it is fantastic. I have been using slackware off and on for the past year or so (whenever it was when 9 was released), and decided to try out debian on a whim. I love it so far. Apt, dpkg, synaptic, all the documentatoin on Debian itself....I'm totaly content. If you can play with Slackware, you can play with Debian and I definetly recommend checking it out. I love Slackware, in fact I cant part with it. It still runs on an old Pentium 166 that I keep around just for fun. But I am having a blast with Debian so it will be sticking around as well.

Don't know about checkinstall, but for me the options below are good enough:

*) apt-get remove (to uninstall)
*) apt-get --purge remove (uninstall and also remove configuration files)
*) apt-get autoclean (remove locale package files that can no longer be downloaded)
*) apt-get clean (remove all downloaded package files).

Good luck with Debian

You can use dpkg to remove packages installed with checkinstall. dpkg can also list all installed packages and show into which directories individual files from a certain package have gone. See "dpkg -h" and "man dpkg" for help in using dpkg.

If i were you, i would do these 3 things:

Read sections 1, 2, 3, and 7 of the APT-HOWTO

APT-HOWTO
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/ap.../index.en.html

this will take care of the packages questions.

Then i would read the post:

HOWTO to install Sarge with the net-installer-rc2
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=261506

it will explain how to install sarge or sid.

Finally, i would read the sticky at the top this page::

Debian Configuration Post-Install
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=224547

This will save you invaluable time, allowing you to be a happy Debian user.

"Basically, to sum it all up, I'm wondering if there would ever be a time when I have to install an application from source which won't give me the option of uninstalling it later."

With 8,710 packages it PROBABLY won't be a problem. ;^)
The only thing that I wanted and couldn't find an official package for was mplayer, so I decided to use VLC instead.

for mplayer & other debian video stuff:

deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat stable main
deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat testing main
deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat unstable main

not official, but good enough.