LinuxQuestions.org Reviews

paperboy · 03-10-2009, 09:27 PM

This distro has made me a happy camper! I was having a problem getting a linux distro to even install properly on this laptop. (Could be just my ineptitude :-) )Seemed every distro had some glitch that just made it feel "not complete". Simple things like not shutting down properly, x-server problems, wireless and the list goes on. Even some of the "big" names like Suse and Mandriva wouldn't install. However.... "Lenny" installed without a hitch, detected all my hardware properly, and wireless just worked without any congifuration. All I had to do were a few "tweaks" to get it set up the way I wanted and added a few "non-free" packages to round it off. All in all, I am very pleased with Debian and will continue to use it on my lappy until it won't work any more! Probably will take a very long time though! Kudos to the Debian team. It's done right!

addux · 03-22-2009, 05:57 AM

Another great release, in my opinion, from Debian. Stable, fast, secure as usual. My biggest problem is with the iwl3945 driver and ucode/can't get my wireless card to work (good thing I don't use it). I've been with Debian since Etch was released and don't plan on leaving anytime soon. Free Software foundation has a plethora of apps and alternatives to just about everything.

thebusker · 03-26-2009, 10:57 AM

I am knew to Linux after being a 'power-user' in PC for a while. I am not a programmer _yet_ nor am I network or parts guy. I learned Illustrator and Photoshop and loved lurking in the darker corridors of the windows root structure. So that was me and then I decided to try Linux about four days ago.

Distro hopped from Debian/Ubuntu/Fedora/OpenSuSe/gNewSense/Debian. Each had their flavor, their strengths and their weaknesses. I chose Debian because 1) The Community, 2) The Reputation of Strength, 3) The Rigorous Principles of FOSS and 4) I liked it.

I had to hack xorg.conf to see the splash login. I still have to fix my audio and wireless. But I am really learning what Linux is, and by relying on the community for the help - I am learning what FOSS is. Good stuff. Glad I chose Linux. Glad I chose Debian.

I've installed Mint as a Live USB stick, and hi-jacked my wife's Vista box with it. It's fun and I like it too but I haven't needed to learn anything with it. So as far as 'the movement' or any sense of community - were it my only distro there wouldn't be any of it.

So I wholly recommend Debian 5 - Lenny. It has a steeper learning curve than other distro's if your new to Linux, but it pays in dividends with the energy you put into it. Good stuff. Glad I chose Debian. Glad to be here.

hasienda · 05-30-2009, 07:03 PM

Fresh Debian GNU/Linux installations are easy in these days. I started with Linux back in 1999 and did everything from the command line.

Needed to know more than average to install, even more to configure. But it pays back, when it comes to administration skills, security awareness and more. I never left my first choice - Debian.

My first Debian system is still running: While it resides now in the 2nd case, on 3rd set of hard disks and runs on 4th mainboard it was never re-installed, just upgraded to lenny (5.0). If you'd like to work and meanwhile do a full system upgrade - without rebooting, Debian is for you. I love it (again).

Olle Gladso · 06-07-2009, 11:00 AM

I have used Mepis some and Mandriva for several years.
I wanted to used Debian for a long time, mainly because of the social contract, but was never quite able to install it due to my ineptitude. Finally, with 5.0 I hit a home run. I love it and will stick with Debian. Maybe Debian can fix the auto login keyboard bug in Gnome?

ferenc · 06-16-2009, 04:58 PM

I have over a hundred machines loaded with this OPsys and have never had a problem with them. Most of the machines are used for molecular simulation so I may not be the best source for information on desktop or gaming systems. I my wife and daughter and a lot of my colleagues use it for a standard desktop without any problems however.

Absent Minded · 06-20-2009, 11:07 PM

I have been with Debian since Sarge. I normally went witht he testing string but I have loved Lenny so much that I have kpet it running on my Desktops. As always I only use stable on my server. It does a great job and I never have to do anything to it as it just keeps runing. Instead of upgrades though I always do clean installs.

mark_alfred · 06-23-2009, 09:34 PM

Fantastic. After reading the release notes, I had no problems upgrading Etch to Lenny. My only complaint is that emelfm, a favourite file manager of mine, did not make it from Etch to Lenny. Other than that, it's great.

DavidMcCann · 06-24-2009, 06:51 PM

Two weeks ago I moved to Debian from Fedora, in search of long-term support and fewer cutting-edge (i.e. inadequately-tested) items. I'm still trying to get it to work properly: Debian today is less friendly that Fedora was five years ago.

I kept my existing /home partition, with the result that I couldn't log in. The explanation was that Debian uses 1000 for the first uid, instead of 500. Easy to deal with (if you know what a uid is) once you're told: so why don't the installation instructions mention this? Handing the partitions was less intuitive than with Fedora. There was no custom install, so I ended up with a lot of stuff I didn't want. Package management is confusing and ill-documented: I'm still getting offers of updates for uninstalled items and some things won't uninstall.

Basically I can't see the point of Debian Stable. If you're a hobbyist, you presumably would prefer something more cutting-edge. If you want a SOHO system, you don't want something that needs endless tinkering: get CentOS.

EricTRA · 08-02-2009, 03:59 AM

I've been 'playing' around with various distros but one has been my favourite for almost 5 years now and that's Debian. We have about 15 servers running and only 3 of them are RHEL, the others all Debian 5.

For servers environments Debian is i.m.h.o. the best there is.

MBybee · 08-03-2009, 03:23 PM

I am a big fan of Debian, and have been for many years. It's stable, solid, and reliable. I find the performance tends to be quite acceptable, and the default installation is very trim without a lot of needless software, services, and bloat.

As someone else complained - it's not RedHat. That is very true, it's Debian. Debian goes back nearly to the beginning, and it has stayed true to the fundamental principals. It is a solid, well maintained system.

I have Lenny installed on several systems, among them multiple laptops, servers, and desktops. With the exception of some weirdness with the B43 wireless drivers, everything else has functioned quite well out of the box on Lenny.

myunique · 08-07-2009, 05:33 AM

thanks

harrygraham · 08-17-2009, 04:01 PM

I used the Debian Sarge for a year or so and always found it a bit on the sluggish side. This was with a Pentium 4 2.0Ghz and 512Mb. Anyways, finally I realized that there might be something wrong hardware-wise with the old beast and relegated it to just running XP. So I went out and snagged a refurbished HP with an Athlon 64-bit processor and put Debian 5 (Lenny) on it, and it is much, MUCH faster - faster than than anything I've owned before. It usually boots in less than 30 seconds, and closes down in 15. As well, I can run Gnome programs alongside KDE programs and it doesn't bog down at all. So I don't know what the guys at Debian did, but the Athlon 64 kernel works great!

I think the big problem with Debian is enabling repositories and then regretting it. I only allow main & contrib and install selected extra programs individually. It gets too complicated when you start enabling so many sources, and it's a bit much to ask that they all work together flawlessly. Guess I'm pretty conservative, and that's probably why I like Debian - a very conservative, yet still exciting OS.

lovelyHanibal · 08-18-2009, 01:21 AM

I always copy X config from knoppix.

robertkey · 08-18-2009, 02:15 AM

I ahve been using Debian AMD64 linux for several years now. Develop sofwtare in java , C++ and everything works well. Large repositry ensures I have everything. Using virtualbox from sun microsystems I can test networking sofware between several computers on a single computer! I use the latest weekly build and is just as stable as 502. Wonderful.
Rob Key

svalovic · 09-24-2009, 10:51 AM

I run debian lenny on a 6 years old notebook, 10 years old PC and on new Toshiba NB205 netbook (with newer kernel because of ath9k wifi driver on this netbook). Works perfectly.

khodeir · 10-07-2009, 02:34 AM

it is perfect as i said, and it works very well on my new hp laptop
i got a very good support here in Debian section , I post my problem and they reply very fast with the soltuin
I am very happy with it

in_texas_dallas · 10-07-2009, 11:13 PM

I started on Ubuntu and really liked Ubuntu. Some things I noticed was that some features were a bit buggy/unreliable. Liking to be able to adjust and tweak things is important to me, so I migrated to Debian once I got somewhat familiar with the bash shell.

My first install of Debian has been positive. In fact, I just got an old computer, P3, and installed Debian on that... Looking forward to getting some remote desktop going on in that box.

SilverBack · 10-10-2009, 09:43 AM

Well, it was what is expected out of a debian release - great operating system. The wait was long but then it was worth the wait.
I have debian on a laptop - everything worked fine apart from the wireless card. Well, since the OS told me what drivers I needed it was no paint to download the drivers and get that running too.

alleyoopster · 10-15-2009, 10:54 AM

Stable can get a little long in the tooth towards the end of it's cycle and the craving for the latest becomes unbearable for some, but it really does work well, trouble free and solid OS.

I haven't found another distribution that runs as well and requires as little attention as debian stable.

Testing can be a little bit more demanding, but can be a great compromise having a relatively stable system and a rolling release.

in_texas_dallas · 10-15-2009, 10:03 PM

Hi,

I started on Ubuntu [Jaunty Jackelope]. I really liked Ubuntu, everything was easy peasy from start to finish. I used it for a few months and then migrated to Debian as I needed more options and robustness out of certain features. I feel that because they tailor Ubuntu towards being more new-user friendly that they don't spend quite as much time to make it as stable as Debian. I really appreciate the robustness and stability of Debian.

The only thing that I have had a bad experience with is getting a graphics driver. I did inevitably find out how to do that, but it was an older driver that was in the repository [a repository ... semi-official or unofficial]... I wish they would have the non-free driver maintained more officially [and up to date] for 3d graphics. The "default" drivers that come installed are not even close for 3d... I use my computer for school and some play...

Otherwise, I have had a great experience and in fact put it on another older computer that is becoming a web server soon.