Oh - you will if you really try that

Don't forget to have enough disc space - last time I checked OO needed about 2 - 3 gig temp space to compile.

Debian's installer provides all sorts of warnings and asks for confirmation before deleting any partitions or data. I find it hard to imagine circumstances where someone could accidentally wipe out a partition he wanted to keep.

Umm...don't. What version of Debian are you using, anyway? If you're using Debian Stable, then nothing should have changed between yesterday and today. But in any case you should NOT install ANYTHING from source, unless you have a specific reason to do so. It seems to me that you just want versions that work, in which case installing things from source is going to overall cause more problems than they solve.

It seems like you've seriously screwed up your Debian install. Since it's only been a few days, I suggest you start over and use this utility to install the non-free stuff:

http://www.howtoforge.com/the_perfec...debian_etch_p5

That web page describes using a utility called "Automatix2". It's basically a collection of various install scripts with a graphical interface. I think it was originally developed for Ubuntu, and is an example of how improvements in Ubuntu or Debian filter to the other. In any case, it's an example of how you can take advantage of someone else figuring out how to get all the stuff you want installed installed.

For me, Automatix is a waste of time, and definitely reflects a non-Debian attitude. You wanted to move from Ubuntu to Debian to learn, so learn. You will not regret it in the end, but I sympathize with the frustrations you are experiencing right now.

Are you running pure Etch? You should be right now until you get the system stabilized. Then if you want to move to Testing or a mixed system of some sort, you can do it from a solid base. Attempting to compile something as complicated as OpenOffice is certain to only increase your frustration.

Thanks for your support, guys. Well, I took a deep breath and re-installed. This time it was a breeze - including the partitioner. I don't know what I did last time: I don't know how I lost that partition. I think I was too tired, I shouldn't have started out that day - I knew I was exhausted. However, I'm not going back on what I said earlier. A bit more help for the newbies would be appreciated I think.
This time, the configuration process took around an hour. Seems I have learned, after all! Thanks for the link IsaadKuo - very useful. I avoided using Automatix, as I agree with what you say, rickh. But it did give me that little push in the right direction to help me through the pain barrier. Now all I have to do is the graphics card and I should be away. Oh, and if anyone knows how I can get Xsane to work as a normal user rather than root, that would be great.

OK - that's it. Everything's working properly. I've now got a fully operational Debian. Thanks once again for all your help.

I figure that if you're installing non-Free stuff, you're already going with a "non-Debian attitude". Might as well do it the quick and easy way.

I've never actually used Automatix on any of my own systems. Generally, I feel that if it isn't Free, then I don't need it. Ironically, I use mostly Ati cards rather than nVidia cards because the open source ati drivers are so much more functional than the open source nv drivers.

For my friends and family, it's different. They don't want to ask why <insert X> doesn't work, and I prefer to avoid it in the first place.

You are about to make the right jump from , you learned enough with Ubuntu to become a Pro : hence,
Install Debian and with years, you will discover daily it was the high time to install the legend, Debian !

Please forget about Automatix, it's not Debian. It'll damage more than helping you.

(And Ubuntu is the same story, you should favour Debian)

debian is not the only system out there, just because you are not familiar or comfortable with them does not mean others should forget them.
using debian over ubuntu in no way defines anybody a 'pro'... believing on is a pro just because of the fact that one is using debian only proves the opposite!

perhaps read this post, it's in the same thread http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...61#post2770861
particularly the part that said
'You should probably choose something else if:'
'You want to run Debian because "it is cool."'


the only thing that is damaging is

how about letting others decide what they want to favour?

i bet there are enough systems that will bust your mind just by installing :-)

BSD, Gentoo, and Slackware all busted my mind the first few times after using Debian for 3 years! lol!

Yes, I agree with this. I think that one of the advantages that Linux has over other operating systems, especially Windows, is the massive choice it presents. Linux has something for everyone. Some people, indeed most of them, just want their computer to work. They use it to send emails, store their photos and music, perhaps play games and so on. Linux must cater for these people and, thanks to distributions like Ubuntu and Mandriva, it does. I simply don't think that it's useful to critise the decision to use these, "easier", choices. My decision to move to Debian wasn't brought about through a superiority complex, but because I wanted to learn more about Linux and to take my final decision about which flavour I wanted after having tried several of them. However, I also wanted to support Debian because the developers go to a hell of a lot of work to create a stable, secure system, and I wanted to use the product that they created rather than a derived one such as Ubuntu. But Ubuntu is great. It never went wrong while I was using it, and it was so easy to configure and actually get working. It may not be as powerful as Debian, but thanks to distributions like this, Linux, as well as other *nix distributions like BSD, might well be the future of computing. When you see the power that computers have over our lives these days, this can only be a very good thing, and a big victory for democracy all over the world.

I have read all the pros and cons of a Debian installation and I have been convinced that I would like to give it a go, but my concern is that the mirrors all show that there are 4 DVD's, without listing the contents of each, or can an installation be done by downloading only the first DVD iso. Comments would be appreciated.

Where I live downloading 4 DVD's would be practically impossible and would take days.

Thanks

Most of us who use Debian don't download any of the DVDs, but instead use a "netinstall" that downloads packages during the installation.

The Debian DVDs are a set of ALL software packages. Debian's software repository is more comprehensive than any other, so naturally it's huge. But you'll only actually use a tiny fraction of those software packages, which is why the netinstall option is by far the most popular.

If your internet connection speed is only so-so, then you might want to download the first DVD iso. Probably everything you'll want is in the first disc. If not, then the other packages (if any) will be downloaded over the internet.

Thats a relief . Thanks

Don't forget to take the DVDs off your installation media list, though (Desktop, Administration, Software Properties).