Debian Testing Wheezy (Very Stable so far on my computer, default desktop Gnome 3)

[ballreward]

Wheezy the next Debian stable is out and there is an net installer called Debian testing. l like Debian but Squeeze is just a bit behind in software updates for me. Testing I found to be stable enough for my main computer. No broken programs so far. I am a intermediate Linux user, I can do some command line and can work command line on apt-get and aptitude.

If your new to Linux and don't want to fuss with command line use Ubuntu or others like it. But if your want to learn how to mix the use of command line and a GUI package manager Debian is a good start.

Debian stable (Squeeze) is extremely stable, few update mostly security but if you don't want to fuss with your OS or for a server Debian Squeeze is great.

Testing (Wheezy) is the Debian that will succeed Squeeze and is being worked on. so it is getting fixes and updated constantly until they decide its ready for release and it will freeze to fix any problems before release. At release it will become the new stable release.

There is one other that is experimental (SID) is very close to cutting edge, but to run it you better know how to fix minor breakage in programs, those who are experienced in Linux and Unix no problem. A newbie will be frustrated because it will break at some time. The reward is to work with cutting edge programs

I have to agree those use Debian OS's a lot it is not for someone who is not willing to learn command line. You will need to use it at sometime. Debian holds fast on not including non-free software programs like Flash, they use the free type that on some computers works very well and others it is choppy. If your computer does not like it, Debian is not like Ubuntu it does not help you to get those programs you now will have to learn how to adjust your Software Sources to include non-free software. you will have to do some research to find out how to find and add these sources to your Debian package system. You will find that using apt-get or aptitude on command line is easier and quicker at times, than the package manager. Command line will find programs that the GUI package manager may not.

This thread is not to turn off any newbie from trying Debian just trying to let them know that they will be getting into so they do not judge all Linux OS's by their experience with Debian. Just as they say Linux is not Windows!

I like Debian it is extremely stable for a main computer, having testing keeps my computer software quite up to date and the software is quite stable. Debian is a good OS to start out to learn how to use command line.
For those who don't like Gnome 3, Wheezy's default desktop is Gnome 3, it does offer KDE on install at least my installer did. But of course if you know Debian, you can put any desktop you want on it, so that should be no problem.

The more I am using Debian the more I like it. As for Gnome 3, I find I can get use to using Gnome 3 rather than Unity. I am not against Unity but find it a pain for me on a desktop computer.

[ballreward]

1. Update Software center does not work

I did find the Software center that might have been a big help for a newbie except it opens to a blank screen. I removed it and reinstalled it still the same result so either its a bug or a dependency is missing. I will kept working on it. No problem for me except that it was nice easy program to check what could be installed. But wheezy is still a work in progress. Any one else have this problem?

[dkofos]

2. I mostly agree with what you have said.

I have been a Debian user since the days of Woody (2002). Debian is what I learned Linux and the CLI on. In the early days, I found myself spending a lot of time here http://forums.debian.net/index.php, asking questions and searching for solutions. The Mods there are Debian experts and will always have an answer even for the most noobish questions.

I still wouldn't call myself an expert in Linux though, because, as distro's go, Debian has been so stable over the years I haven’t had the opportunity or need, to fix many problems. Like you, I would rate myself an intermediate user. I have been using Testing on my laptop for the last 2.5 years and have no problems since I loaded it. Haven’t tried Gnome 3 yet so I really can't give an opinion on that yet. Need to repartition the hard drive to give more space to root and less to windows so I can try out the new versions of Gnome, KDE, and XFCE. I never should have gone with the defaults when I first partitioned the drive, but I was in a hurry at the time.

I run Squeeze on my old desktop since I repartitioned, reloaded and added a wifi card last year. That was probably the fastest and most painless install I have ever done. It helps to keep notes on past problems and a copy of your sources.list to make getting back to where you were easier.

My Grand daughter would rather use the Linux machine over the XP machine even though it has a slower processor and less memory because it runs faster.
It might be time to dump XP and install Debian on that old Dell system.

I would recommend Debian to new Linux users simply because of it's stability and the amount of information available in the forums and at Debian.org regarding installation, operation and tweaking the system to suit your taste. The learning curve may seem steep at first but with a little reading it flattens out pretty quick.