Hi Pingu
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND U TRY SIMPLYMEPIS.
It is THE BEST distro I've seen!
Its based on Debian but is far more easier than u think. For more info go to the mepis site.

Or go here for more eyecandy info:
http://plugintolinux.ca/simplymepis_review.html

http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT3135712364.html


Try it. You'll never regret it
BEST for newbies!

Take care
Cool Blue

Well, just a few things:
Installing Debian 2.2 from installCD: After choosing install media (CD) message "Insert rescue floppy"...
Next try: downloaded netinstall images + drivers, drivers on hard disk so I had all:
Drivers must be in same directory as boot/root image. WHY?
I moved them. Now they must obviously be in a specific directory below where boot/root image's are. WHY?
I create that dir and move drivers.
Now drivers are installed. Configure network: must configure drivers first. Configure drivers: no drivers loaded. Loaded drivers again, loop.
Downloaded and burned sarge net-install CD.
Installed, grub installs in /boot = hda2. hda2 is active.
Reboot: "Missing Operating System"
I reinstalled twice - I don't want to give up too soon! - and alas! the third time system booted!
Obviously installation was "complete" now?
Only text-mode, no X installed, no opportunity to install packages, hardware etc... I didn't even have a normal user account! And only installCD in sources.lst...
Of course I could manually enter some debiansites, install X, write xorg.conf, add user, configure hardware, make a list of what applications I want and put them on commandline...

Next I installed Fedora: copied kernel+initrd to /dev/hda2, added to grub.conf, started:
Choice 1: ftp-installation
Choice 2: ftp-server + directory
Installation started. A complete installation!
It takes no more than that.
The people behind Debian are obviously trying hard to make it complicated to install. Well, some people like that, maybe it gives them a feeling they really can master Linux, I don't know.
I don't like it.
So that's it, this was the last chance for Debian.
But apt is definitly better than um or urpmi, will try apt4rpm on Fedora now.
Thanks folks, for guiding me around in "the crazy world of Debian " Helped me to make my choice!
(Though I will give Mepis another try, as well as Gentoo... Things change, and
"it doesn't matter how good you are, there is always someone better." ( Slightly modified from "Oxbow incident")

Very strange. You went through all that trouble and when you were only one step away from the final victory, you turned back on your heels and said: Sorry, I changed my mind -- I don't want Debian after all.

Usually the base-config program is launched automatically when you boot into your freshly installed Debian system for the first time. For some unknown reason it didn't launch automatically for you (maybe because you had that trouble with Grub), but you could have launched it manually by typing "base-config".

Here's a screenshot of what you would have seen had you decided to take this last step of the installation:
http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/sl...e=135&slide=24

As you can see from the screenshot, all those things you complain Debian's installer lacks would have been sorted out if you wouldn't have given up at the very point when you were ALMOST there.

Hi,
Ok cool blue, I ve just download the SimplyMepis, I run it, but how to log, I need a passwd for root and for demo too.
secondly , it failed to configure the network card, probably it searched for dhcp, i am not connected, there is no static config ??

thanks a lot,
bela

Passwords are the same as usernames: demo for demo and root for root...

For network configuration, click on Mepis System Center, and then select "network interfaces". It's easy and straightforward to configure static IP there--just click on the "static IP" checkbox and fill in the blanks.

Ahaaa, "base-config" was all that was needed!
I hadn't deleted the system, so I went back. "base-config" worked pretty well, thanks for the tip! I appreciate a non-graphical installation, not only is it faster - it's also easier to read. Only didn't like the manual-package selection, not very useful. Well, doesn't really matter, I'll make detailed choices later.
Not eveything worked:
1) samba couldn't be configured and therefore not swat either.
2) Wrong keyboard for X, I had to edit XF86Config, change "se" to "sv" (Strange this, it seems all debian-based use "sv", redhat-based use "se"?)
I can definitely forgive debian for these minor issues. So I'm still testing Debian!

Maybe I could ask for a last tip:
If I'm to use Debian at work, and test it on students computers, I need to set it up so user only can login to network (Win2003 AD-domain) - no local logins are allowed.
I guess Kerberos and Winbind is needed but I'm not sure really.
Could you point me to some good documentation concerning this setup? (I could search of course - only there is so much documentation out there, finding the appropriate doc is very time-consuming.)
I configured this in Fedora, using their guide, only it doesn't work...
Will start with reading my "Complete Reference RedHat EL & Fedora", maybe it works the same on Debian.
Anyway, anybody know a good doc I'll appreciate it (and don't forget, you are not only helping me - you're also helping 700 students to get rid of Windows! )