I am wanting to switch my Linux distro from Fedora 3 to Debian but have been told I should try Ubuntu as it is based from debian and is really great. My question is, should I install Debian itself or Ubunto?

Debian has so many options like:

Stable (out of date)
Testing (kind of new)
Unstable (?)

I was wondering what I should do? Should I install Ubunto or Debian? I don't want to try Ubuntu and then see if I like it because I am the kind of user that will stick with a distro and work through each issue.

The main thing I want to do in Linux is:

Have the latest software, use is as a web server via Apache, play UT2K4/5, burn music, watch media (videos/music), & browse the web.

I always wanted to get away from the Redhat/Fedora distro but don't want to be frustrated to my eye balls in Linux either (gentoo).

Thanks for letting me know which is better suited for me based on above.

errr...pick one, latest software (for whatever reason) or run a streamlined server

I don't understand why I can't have the latest software on a server? Could you errr please explain?

ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu ubuntu

lol

- Debian stable ('woody') 3.0 [latest released version]: It is almost three years old now. Not exactly very thrilling to deal with - it just can't provide an enjoyable desktop/workstation experience. And one can have some issues getting it installed on recent hardware.

- Debian testing ('sarge'): Up to date or nearly up to date, and generally in a pretty good condition but not still quite ready for mission-critical servers exactly as it still has some occasional quirks. But for desktop/workstation usage it is fine.
Download installation images for 'sarge' from here: http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/

- Debian unstable ('sid'): Very much up to date, but things tend to break there sooner or later, which will require some skills of apt/dpkg to fix. Not recommended for server use really.


I haven't used Ubuntu myself, but from what I have gathered:
- Ubuntu 4.10 ('Warty Warthog') [latest released version]: Fairly up to date, but not quite as up to date as Debian testing ('sarge'), as Ubuntu 4.10 was released in October.

- Ubuntu ('Hoary Hedgehog'): Pretty much the same applies for this as for Debian unstable.




By estimating from your intended usages, I'd recommend either Debian testing ('sarge') or Ubuntu 4.10.

Thanks for that info! I think I will install "testing". Is there a complete ISO for testing or can I burn a net installer for testing and download what I need from the net?

Also if there is a manual that will walk me through something like net download as I have never done this before? I am looking at this website http://www.debian.org/releases/testing/i386/
Is this what I should be looking at or can you point me in the right direction if not.

Thanks again.

good choice IMHO.......

why not run the original....once you get it installed it is super....

If you have a decent Internet connection (that is: not a dial-up connection), I recommend the netinstall image.
This is the one linked under i386 under the netinst CD image from that page: http://cdimage.debian.org/pub/cdimag...86-netinst.iso

Regarding documentation, it is also linked from that above Debian-Installer page
Sarge installation manual: http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/en.i386/apa.html
The full installation guide: http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/en.i386/index.html

So I would really just burn this ISO image to disk
http://cdimage.debian.org/pub/cdimag...86-netinst.iso
Then I can boot from disk and follow the install instructions, right?

Yes.

And as always, remember to burn it as an image. In other words: not placing the .iso file onto the disk as "normal" files.

Right, I think in k3b it is just under "tools > burn CD image".

Is the net install hard? I was reading the step by step and it says stuff like "enabling ethernet", that sounds hard since I have no idea how to do that.

Is grabbing stuff like Gnome, Firefox, Thunderbird, and other apps via net install hard?

Is there a list of things I will need to get via the net install since I have never done this before? To me it seems like I should get the bare minimum to get me going in Debian, then once I am in a GUI (Gnome), install things I want.

I don't know since this is all new to me. I am just scared I wont know what to get via netinstall and or how to give the commands to get them.

The net install is easy. You might want to check into macondo's guide.

The Debian Installer automatically setup my Dell's connection. Hopefully you will have the same success as myself.

Installing software is easy with apt. Once you're done installing Debian, you can grab your applications by using apt-get install <packagename>. For example, if i wanted to install gnome, firefox, and thunderbird, I would use apt like so:

apt-get install gnome mozilla-firefox mozilla-thunderbird

At the end of installation you'll be offered to install some software e.g. desktop environment (which I think will give you KDE and Gnome).
I'd say no to that, and do it manually:
apt-get update
apt-get install x-window-system
apt-get install gnome

Check (print) out this thread before you install :
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=261506

btw consider all above only if you are going to use the net installer...

Debian = Debian
Ununtu = Debian

Dif? preconfigured so if u want something easy use Ubuntu and if you want somethin customizeable from the start use Debian.

also Ubuntu is a singal user system.

I've tried both. I have to say that I appreciate what ubuntu is doing. I just received a package from Switzerland containing about a dozen ubuntu discs I ordered a month ago. For free (including shipping)! Pretty cool. But, there are a few differences:
-Ubuntu does not create a 'root' user in the literal sense. It uses sudo to enable absolute privelages for one normal user. I'm not sure if this is as secure as a traditional root setup.
-Ubuntu correctly configured my nvidia geforce 2 card WITH 3D graphics acceleration...this is truly amazing (I can't get it to work with anything else)
-Debian is much more mature and I have found the knowledge base to be more broad.
-For those of us with dial-up internet, the package selection in the Debian 14-disc Sarge collection is vastly superior (obviously) to Ubuntu's single disc.
-When I was in Ubuntu and trying to configure things, I found that Ubuntu uses a lot of Debian's tools, but with minor tweaks.

Ultimately, I chose Debian because it seems like Ubuntu is a subset of Debian and my philosophy is - if you're going to develop some distro-specific knowledge, why not learn about the most general case. By learning Debian, you'll be able to work with Ubuntu, and Knoppix, and Damn Small Linux, and all the other distros based on Debian. AND...don't forget Debian is totally open, totally non-corporate, totally not-for-profit. Redhat can't say that, neither can SuSE, Mandrake, Xandros, Lindows/Linspire, or any other distro from a company or corporation.
I'm a little suspicious of Ubuntu. It seems too good to be true. How is it that they are able to ship me as many cds as I want for free (from Switzerland to US)? I can't imagine what it is costing them! There is a company called Canonical that is sponsoring Ubuntu, but I can't figure out how they plan on making money. Maybe I'm just jaded from my MS and Apple experiences, but this does smell a little fishy...