Well, well, just when you start to think you know it all, or most of it, along comes some young buck that leads you to a new discovery. For me, it is Debian. I've known of the variants for Linux for years, and due to this hodgepodge, is one of the reasons I think folks shy away from Linux.

For the uninformed, why do there have to be so many? Windows makes it easy, generally, you MUST buy or take what is given you, the newest cream of it's crop. They'll even update it for you.

So, along comes this behemoth Linux, with so may variants it could scare you. Do I need Fedora, or Red Hat, or Debian, or Ubuntu? And what's with all this crazy, not just one Ubuntu, there's the desktop to chose?? Kubuntu, XUbuntu, more??? I just want my corn flakes...

So, I wander over to debiantutorials.org the other day, get to "meet" machiner, and next thing I know, I'm taking the old desktop that has been sitting near my desk for about 4 months, and shooting on a copy of KDE-Debian from the ISO (This link is right on the home page). There's plenty on here about just what is an iso, so I will tell you this, with the correct programs, one ISO download will build a great boot disk. Even in Windows, there are plenty of free-ware programs that can burn an image disk into a bootable live CD. A word of caution - an iso will never likely complete on dial-up, so if this is your only Internet available, read on...

If you are intimidated what-so-ever with an iso download and burn, just hobble on down to your local bookstore (heck - they even sell them in Walmart), and pony up the $10 to $15 dollars for a decent Linux whatever magazine, just get one that comes with a bootable CD or DVD. Cheapest Operating System (OS) you will have ever gotten, and you can keep the magazine.

So, now I have my new bootable CD (in this case, yes, the system is still contained on a CD, at least a working system). I start the old, and I do mean old HP 7935 PC, and with it's massive 40 GB hard drive - I told you it was old - and go about allowing the Debian install.

This computer won't even run the originally supplied XP Home disks anymore. For whatever reason, it just crashes it. Last time it ran, it would take MINUTES to load a page from the Internet - I'm talking >1 mbps Internet taking over a minute to process and present a page.

I did have an old Ubuntu loaded, but when I attempted to upgrade it on the PC, it would crash. I suspect the 40 GB wall was a bit small for state of the art Ubuntu. Worked just fine on a couple versions back, but still was not stable with the newest version. But the PC has a 1.8 Ghz clock if I remember correctly, and it was a 512 MB memory machine, and I had faith from the older Ubuntu loads, this PC was not really dead.

The initial boot from the ISO let me select some very simple standard items. Nothing hard here. Still, if you are mouse centric, as most are, if you can't click it the PC must be broken attitude might just fool some. Here's the smallest big hint I get to in this writing, arrow keys normally work, hit "return/enter" key to make your choice. That's it!

So it asks some stuff that most won't understand, such as "How would you like your partition table?" "I would like a table facing the lake, preferably out of the wind." Seriously, almost every prompt you can safely take the default and you will be very happy with the result. Oh, and the mouse will return, after the desktop is properly loaded. My mouse-less install adventure was likely due to using a MS wireless USB mouse.

I didn't mention, but I should, because this plays out in my install, I was hard wired on the ethernet port to the Internet for my install. Both Windows and Linux usually fare far better on an install of an OS if they have an internet connection to retrieve the newest updates and sometimes driver files.

The really strange questions regarded mirror selection. Another real geek-ism, and since we're all about demystifying the landscape, mirrors are merely vaults of files on the Internet. They agree to allow folks to access their file storage to retrieve the files they are looking for. Some allow very fast access, and some restrict the access. Additionally, mirrors sometimes stop supplying some of the files, I guess this would be the reason to have a selection. I just picked the first thing on the list or the default every time, just to make it easy for others to follow the same path.

In comparison, the install for Debian is much more "talkative" than it's Ubuntu derivative (Ubuntu grew from Debian). I was given a much larger idea of what is installing and going on throughout the installation. Just different strokes, but both work for me. Since most of it is definitely gibberish to non-geeks, I guess I prefer the lesser information.

I did get an interactive request to utilize the repositories (or mirrors, if you will) to update programs, and it identified 818 files. It also easily identified that, depending on my Internet connection, agreeing to the update could take considerable time. My connection is rather smoking, so I said sure. What surprised me is what I wanted to share with others. There was no going back. Once I agreed to this, the download had to occur. There was no cancel, or discontinue allowed. Still, this only took maybe 5 minutes to complete, which was highly reasonable given a new load from a live CD, and a final fresh system.

Twice, during the printer setup portion of the install, it tried to find a printer. I didn't have one plugged in, and when I didn't give it anything but the default twice, it continued on its' way.

I was feeling a finish in the air. The downloads said they will take 2 minutes and 59 seconds to install. Then something really strange happened, and this will impress geeks more than anyone else. It took exactly 2 minutes and 59 seconds to work it's magic. The clock clicked down 1 second at a time, almost eerily, for those used to Windows "...this operation will take...", and it's either not even close high, or not even close low. Maybe, I just happened upon the exact system configuration as the developers. Nah, I am positive it was just one slick and accurate algorithm, but it was impressive to an old timer like myself.

I'm now getting a prompt to remove the CD, which is good, as the installing actions just opened the CD drawer. Out with the boot disk, and back in empty, plus a prompt and it's time to restart my new, er, old system with a fresh new OS.

From cold shutdown to startup, about 30 seconds. Highly acceptable in this day and age. I get a couple of setting selections for the desktop desires, such as "eye candy" and I dial it back a little. It defaulted to an 8, but based upon my dislike for lots of action and little desktop response, I chose a 6 for eye candy, and moved along.

The entire "services" setup took about 30 seconds, and the system did tell me it's a one and only time thing.

Success, a very sleek and spry Debian desktop PC, risen from its' grave. I could be wrong, but this feels faster than my Ubuntu 8.10 load. I don't care much for Konquerer, the KDE-Debian browser. On about my third page it fails to load. So I remember reading somewhere Iceweasel was interesting, and it quickly makes amends. I even take it right to the offending page to determine if it is the browser, or the page. Iceweasel (a derivative of Firefox) loads the page perfectly, and quickly. The speed of the new machine is on par with any XP machine I have ever run, and it's web browser performance is way above average.

My nits, so far, just one, but it's a big one. In Ubuntu, to add or remove a program, you merely open up the Applications prompt (similar to a Microsoft "start" button). In KDE Debian, I never did find the add or remove programs, or a Synaptics or other package Manager, but I am just sure it's there, I guess I didn't look hard enough. I ran the PC for about 20 minutes. In Ubuntu, adding and removing programs is almost silly easy, just two click stops and a password away, and you're there. I am sure Debian has this functionality, because machiner of debiantutorials.org described just such a need at the print shop.

You gotta love that, in this day and age. OpenOffice responds with a very MS Office-like time and all in all, here's a great little PC to give to the local charity, I just know someone will appreciate this computer.

All in all, two thumbs up for a very sweet running OS, and a cleaner environment due to the PC didn't run off to a landfill home...

Till my next post,