I am wanting to try Debian-Sid, (I have heard that it is the best option for a home desktop computer, is that true?) but could only find install files for the stable and testing versions of debian. How can i install the unstable version?

Ok, I want to try debian. I would like to have the newest packages available, and thought that sid would be my best option. I have read from other posts that even though it is labled unstable, it is quite stable when compared to other distros. But what i just read on the deabian web site makes it sound like your computer is likley to crash at any moment when using sid... What are the experiences of those that have used debian sed? Should i go with the testing version instead?

You typically install testing, and then upgrade.

I tried debian unstable for a while, but was not happy. Way too many updates, package dependencies not always correct, sometimes causing problems on my system.

So now I'm still using woody. For desktop use, I recommend ubuntu. It is roughly debian unstable, except that it is a stable release and has a installer :-)

Groetjes,

Kees-Jan

How to install Debian Unstable:

1) Install Debian Testing then upgrade.
2) Use Ubuntu it is basically Debian Unstable that is a little more stable
3) Installing either Knoppix or Kanotix using the Debian choice will give you a working Debian Sid system with lots of software.

Unless you are comfortable fixing this when they go bad, I would suggest using Testing.

I am very happy with unstable but I would not recommend it to you if you are new to debian. Advises to use stuff like unbutu seem good to me but I would rather recommend you to stick with stable or testing. well if you choose to go with debian don't go to unstable or testing now, it is still the after-release period" and some people seem to have problems. If i were you I will go for stable (sarge) now that is not that old because it just got released, then in some months I 'ld upgrade to testing (because it's much more adpated to a desktop use) and if you feel after all that that you know debian and want something newer go for unstable...
Good luck!

I don't think that using Debian unstable will make your computer crash but it is possible, even likely, that there are sometimes dependency problems in unstable that will make Debian's package management tool, called apt, to get stuck. When this happens, you won't be able to install any new packages with apt-get. There are ways to fix apt problems but to do this you will first need a good understanding about how apt works. If you don't yet have this understanding, I'd recommend using stable (sarge) or testing (etch) instead.

Also, you should install the apt-listbugs utility that will warn you before you install any packages that have bug reports filed against them. When apt-listbugs says that the bug state is <done>, this bug has already been fixed and the package is safe to install. But when the bug report state is <open>, you need to consider if this bug will affect your system (some bugs only appear when using some specific hardware). But if you don't install any packages that apt-listbugs warns about, you should have a pretty stable system even when using Debian testing.

I think you should consider why you want to use GNU/Linux in the first place. If you don't use GNU/Linux for anything important and reinstalling the whole system doesn't bother you a bit, then I'd say you can go for the "latest and greatest". However, if you want to use GNU/Linux for something other than just playing with a new toy, then you should avoid the "latest and greatest" and prefer security and stability instead. IMO, Debian testing (with apt-listbugs) is a very good compromise between stability and new features.

I hope this helps you to make a better informed decision.

Stable/unstable refers to package versions, not machine stability. While that's a common misunderstanding, unstable referring to the machine is more of a windows-world thing. ;o)
Sid being unstable just means that package versions are likely to change constantly, which isn't the case with the Stable release.

I would wait several weeks before attmpting to go for Sid or the new Testing (aka etch). There are quite a few massive changes occuring/about to occur now that Sarge has just been released as the new stable. There are also several issues with Gnome at the moment in Sid that folks are having a bit of trouble with. See the Debian mailing lists for more info.

While Sid will get you a damn fine setup, you should be prepared for things to break from time to time, because they will. Unless you're willing to do some grunt work, you most likely will not enjoy using Sid.

That said, I've been happily, for the most part, running Sid for my desktops for about 2 years now.