I am a user of Windows 7. I also have been using Mint for sometime now but I didn't find Mint as smooth as Windows. So I wish to swith to Debian as this is the base distribution on which Mint is based. After watching some installation guide on the web and youtube I think Debian is for advanced users but I am determined to switch to Debian and to experience it myself how smooth this distribution is, as I have read some good reviews about Debian. So since a few weeks I am gathering information about this distribution and how to install and run it and I understand that with the help of the installation guides I would be able to install it. But also since I began searching for information on Debian, there have been discoveries on me which make me feel that it is more difficult to install it than I think. For example, today I have come across this:


http://raphaelhertzog.com/2011/03/14/mi ... e-problem/


That says that the Debian DVDs don't have the firmware. This also shows the complicated way on how to add firmwares. But until I get Debian installed how can I add the firmware. Also I don't know what firmware is. Is it Codecs, plugins, drivers or something else? Until today I had made up my mind to install Debian like this:


Since I have a limited and slow internet connection at home, I would have to download and burn the installation DVD at my office which has a very good internet connection. Also I would take out the printouts of the installation guides. After getting the DVD I would install Debian according to the installation guides. But the firmware problem has disturbed my mindset and looks very difficult. Could I install Debian with the DVD without adding firmwares? Kindly inform. Also kindly inform me what other steps are involved until I completely install Debian and just start using it. I need your help and I request you all to kindly throw some light on as many aspects and steps involved in complete Debian insallation as possible. Best regards

Debian is easy. My recommendation is that you burn a "Live CD" of Debian and take it for a test-drive today.

http://live.debian.net/

Firmware is only an issue if you specifically have hardware that requires it. Do you have any hardware that requires "non free" firmware? If you aren't sure, then running a Live CD (as I recommended above) will identify it. Even so, in most cases, all you need to do is read the Debian Wiki page for your hardware, and follow the steps exactly.

Did all of your hardware work OK with Mint?

The most likely things you will come across where not having firmware available are wireless cards. If you rely on wireless to access the internet then you could well have problems getting on the internet with Debian. However, if you are willing to spend a little time finding out which card you use then it's likely you can download the firmware somewhere else.
For non-free codecs I have only ever obtained these by adding the Debian multimedia repository and downloading them once Debian is installed. But you could probably make a note of what you need and download them separately if your internet connection is really not up to it.
As I think snowpine was hinting at -- if your hardware works OK with Mint then it should be fine with Debian.

As a long time Debian user I can assure you Debian is the easiest distro to install, especially when you have 5 years experience with Debian.

Which means: Debian is not the easiest to install, but it is very transparent, there is a lot of help available on Internet, it has a great package manager and the system is utterly Stable. If you came so far that you understand what firmware is, you are likely to be succesful in installing.

A few hints:
- Firmware is mostly for network, both wired and wireless. Check your hardware and download all the firmware you can find on a separate USB stick so you have it at hand.
- I would recommend that you install the Stable version of Debian, currently Squeeze. Because you don't have a decent internet connection at home and Testing would require regular upgrades.
- An internet connection while installing Debian is almost a requirement so you can look up instructions as you proceed. Doesn't need to be fast, probably you don't have to download but you certainly want to browse.
- While installing you get messages about firmware which has to be installed. Just make sure you have those files available on external media. If not, take a note of the missing files and download them in your office. Be sure to continue the installation anyway as far as possible as the installer does not warn you at once about all missing firmware. Proceed and accept failures so you get all the missing filenames. Once you have these files simply restart installation.
- Some installer versions ignore a USB stick plugged in during installation, especially the stick containing the drivers. It will tell you that you don't have the correct drivers and drive you insane. (pun intended). Plug in your stick before booting and be sure to boot from the correct media.
- Apart from having the firmware files you don't have to worry about installation. The installer does that for you.

jlinkels

You could install the system without difficulty using the DVD. If you want a wireless connection, but require firmware, either down-load it with your slow home connection and install or down-load it at the office and transfer it to your home computer.
If you need to install firmware, craigevil provided you with links to the necessary documentation on the Debian forum.

As already stated, Debian isn't as easy to install as Mint (but still pretty straightforward). I suggest using a Debian Live 6.0.4 (or 6.0.5 when available) DVD as this is probably the easiest route. Personally, I would go for XFCE version of Debian - Gnome 2.x is sadly dead in the water now. There is also LXDE and KDE flavours too.

Debian, or better: the Linux kernel, comes standard with a whole lot of drivers included. As mentioned before, only exotic stuff (like bluetooth, obscure wireless chipsets et all) require additional drivers to be installed separately. My advise would be to proceed as you planned and have the installer do the work for you. No need to worry, unless you have some very exotic essential stuff in your machine, any missing drivers are no showstoppers at all. You didn't mention what hardware you use, but as it's a Win-7 machine it'll be pretty modern. I doubt you'd find anything essential missing that would cause the installation to abort or bork your system.

Tip: after you installed Debian from the first DVD, bring your machine into the office and connect it to the network (ask permission if you value your job!) then update the entire system via the faster network. The first update is the biggest, after that, run the update tool daily, to keep yout data allowance in check...

Best of luck! (and you know where to get answers if something goes wrong )

Martial,

You might give SolusOs a look. It really is a nicely done distro and the install is straightforward. There is an install video on youtube along with reviews if you are interested


http://solusos.com/

Good morning,


Debian was my second distro after Ubuntu and although nowadays I use Slackware, Debian is still my second distro. It is very easy to install and use. Even the configuration file for the repositories is very easy to configure. There is a vast online repository, with more than 20 thousand stable softwares. It's very, very nice and friendly. You'll like it.

Download a LiveCD as recommended above and test it. In the official website there is a lot of information and tutorial. Go ahead! :-)


[]'s!

snowpine, 273, jlinkels, Randicus Draco Albus, nixblog, Dutch Master, z06gal, Luccas: I thank all of you very much for your kind replies to me full of guidance and support. Kindly accept my apologies for not replying you in time as because of some reason I was not unable to access the internet. Anyway, I feel http://www.linuxquestions.org has some best people as its members and it is the best place indeed to ask questions about Linux, and in some cases its an even better place to ask questions than the distro's own forums!

Downloading and burning CDs/DVDs is no problem for me as at my office has a very fast internet connection. So I would download and burn the Live CD of Debian and test it on my PC. For your information, I have Core 2 Duo PC with Asus motherboard and ATI graphic card. This is a desktop and I have a Philips CRT monitor. Nothing else. I have a dial up internet connection. And yes, Mint work fine on my PC.

So is it possible to install the OS first and thereafter install the firmware and non-free codecs from Debian Multimedia?

I would run the installation and note down all the missing file names. Can you inform me where can I find and download all the firmware? Also I would go with Debian stable. My internet connection is fine for browsing but slow for downloading. Regarding the USB stick I would plug in my stick before booting and make it sure to boot from the correct media.

Thanks for the information. But I could not understand the links craigevil provided on debian forums. Could you explain me in easy terms?

If I install Xfce and not Gnome 2, would I be able to run Grome applications? Is that possible? Also is it possible to keep 3 desktop environments at a time like Gnome, Kde and Xfce?