🚀 go-pugleaf

Tiny Human Ferret <ixnayamspay_klaatu@earthops.net> wrote:

> Um, I installed "Woody" and it was an extremely hellish task and I've 
> been doing Linux for Ages And Ages.

It's not a pointy-clicky install, like RedHat/Fedora, but it's not that
bad either if you're familiar with Unix/Linux.  It's my understanding
a new installer is in the works though, and will be used with the next
stable release of Debian.  For the novice, Debian should probably not
be one's first exposure to Linux.  Fedora is probably a better choice
for the novice.

> Only about 1 CD is the OS.

Essentially.  If a broadband connection is available, only the first CD is
really needed, and any remaining packages can be acquired over the net.
There's also a streamlined net install[1] ISO available that's even
smaller than the first CD ISO image.

> Why was the installation so hellish? Well, aside from <trade secrets 
> redacted>, the package-selector installation tool is _emacs_.

I was never able to figure out dselect either.  There are some better
package managers available including aptitude[2] and synaptic[3].
Aptitude is a curses based tool and synaptic is a GUI based one.  Either
of which can be had by just doing:

	apt-get install aptitude
	apt-get install synaptic

> Debian "Woody" does have an excellent if somewhat weird tool called 
> "apt-get", also in Gentoo, IIRC. It's sort of a super-enhanced RPM with 
> lots of error prevention.

It sounds like you're mostly familiar with RPM type tools.  APT isn't
weird, it's just not RPM. :)

[1]: http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/
[2]: http://packages.debian.org/stable/admin/aptitude
[3]: http://packages.debian.org/stable/admin/synaptic