962 lines
45 KiB
HTML
962 lines
45 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
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<head>
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<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
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<title>The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ - Choosing a Debian distribution</title>
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<link href="index.en.html" rel="start">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html" rel="prev">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html" rel="next">
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<link href="index.en.html#contents" rel="contents">
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<link href="index.en.html#copyright" rel="copyright">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html" rel="chapter" title="1 Definitions and overview">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html" rel="chapter" title="2 Getting and installing Debian GNU/Linux">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="3 Choosing a Debian distribution">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html" rel="chapter" title="4 Compatibility issues">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html" rel="chapter" title="5 Software available in the Debian system">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html" rel="chapter" title="6 The Debian FTP archives">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html" rel="chapter" title="7 Basics of the Debian package management system">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html" rel="chapter" title="8 The Debian package management tools">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html" rel="chapter" title="9 Keeping your Debian system up-to-date">
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<link href="ch-kernel.en.html" rel="chapter" title="10 Debian and the kernel">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="11 Customizing your installation of Debian GNU/Linux">
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<link href="ch-support.en.html" rel="chapter" title="12 Getting support for Debian GNU/Linux">
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<link href="ch-contributing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="13 Contributing to the Debian Project">
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<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html" rel="chapter" title="14 Redistributing Debian GNU/Linux in a commercial product">
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<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html" rel="chapter" title="15 Changes expected in the next major release of Debian">
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<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html" rel="chapter" title="16 General information about the FAQ">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisfaq" rel="section" title="1.1 What is this FAQ?">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisdebian" rel="section" title="1.2 What is Debian GNU/Linux?">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-linux" rel="section" title="1.3 OK, now I know what Debian is... what is Linux?!">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-non-linux" rel="section" title="1.4 Does Debian just do GNU/Linux?">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-difference" rel="section" title="1.5 What is the difference between Debian GNU/Linux and other Linux distributions? Why should I choose Debian over some other distribution?">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-gnu" rel="section" title="1.6 How does the Debian project fit in or compare with the Free Software Foundation's GNU project?">
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<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-pronunciation" rel="section" title="1.7 How does one pronounce Debian and what does this word mean?">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-version" rel="section" title="2.1 What is the latest version of Debian?">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-updatestable" rel="section" title="2.2 Are there package upgrades in `stable'?">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-boot-floppies" rel="section" title="2.3 Where/how can I get the Debian installation disks?">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdrom" rel="section" title="2.4 How do I install the Debian from CD-ROMs?">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdimage-symlinks" rel="section" title="2.5 Why does the official stable released CD-ROM contain symlinks for `frozen' and `unstable'? I thought this CD contains just `stable'!">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-remoteinstall" rel="section" title="2.6 Can I get and install Debian directly from a remote Internet site?">
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<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-alternativebootinstaller" rel="section" title="2.7 Are there any alternative strategies for booting the system installer?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1" rel="section" title="3.1 Which Debian distribution (stable/testing/unstable) is better for me?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2" rel="section" title="3.2 But what about Knoppix, Linex, Ubuntu, and others?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches" rel="section" title="4.1 On what hardware architectures/systems does Debian GNU/Linux run?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherdistribs" rel="section" title="4.2 How compatible is Debian with other distributions of Linux?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherunices" rel="section" title="4.3 How source code compatible is Debian with other Unix systems?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherpackages" rel="section" title="4.4 Can I use Debian packages (".deb" files) on my Red Hat/Slackware/... Linux system? Can I use Red Hat packages (".rpm" files) on my Debian GNU/Linux system?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-non-debian-programs" rel="section" title="4.5 How should I install a non-Debian program?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-termcap" rel="section" title="4.6 Why can't I compile programs that require libtermcap?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-accelx" rel="section" title="4.7 Why can't I install AccelX?">
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<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-motifnls" rel="section" title="4.8 Why do my old XFree 2.1 Motif applications crash?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-apps" rel="section" title="5.1 What types of applications and development software are available for Debian GNU/Linux?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-softwareauthors" rel="section" title="5.2 Who wrote all that software?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pkglist" rel="section" title="5.3 How can I get a current list of programs that have been packaged for Debian?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-buildenv" rel="section" title="5.4 How can I install a developer's environment to build packages?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-missing" rel="section" title="5.5 What is missing from Debian GNU/Linux?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-no-devs" rel="section" title="5.6 Why do I get "ld: cannot find -lfoo" messages when compiling programs? Why aren't there any libfoo.so files in Debian library packages?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-java" rel="section" title="5.7 (How) Does Debian support Java?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-isitdebian" rel="section" title="5.8 How can I check that I am using a Debian system, and what version is it?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonenglish" rel="section" title="5.9 How does Debian support non-English languages?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pine" rel="section" title="5.10 Where is pine?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-qmail" rel="section" title="5.11 Where is qmail/ezmlm/djbdns?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-flash" rel="section" title="5.12 Where is a player for Flash (SWF)?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-googleearth" rel="section" title="5.13 Where is Google Earth?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-voip" rel="section" title="5.14 Where is VoIP software?">
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<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonfreewireless" rel="section" title="5.15 I have a wireless network card which doesn't work with Linux. What should I do?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dists" rel="section" title="6.1 How many Debian distributions are there?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-codenames" rel="section" title="6.2 What are all those names like etch, lenny, etc.?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sid" rel="section" title="6.3 What about "sid"?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-stable" rel="section" title="6.4 What does the stable directory contain?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-testing" rel="section" title="6.5 What does the testing distribution contain?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-unstable" rel="section" title="6.6 What does the unstable distribution contain?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dirtree" rel="section" title="6.7 What are all those directories at the Debian FTP archives?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-archsections" rel="section" title="6.8 What are all those directories inside dists/stable/main?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-source" rel="section" title="6.9 Where is the source code?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-pools" rel="section" title="6.10 What's in the pool directory?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-incoming" rel="section" title="6.11 What is "incoming"?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-ownrepository" rel="section" title="6.12 How do I set up my own apt-able repository?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-package" rel="section" title="7.1 What is a Debian package?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-deb-format" rel="section" title="7.2 What is the format of a Debian binary package?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgname" rel="section" title="7.3 Why are Debian package file names so long?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-controlfile" rel="section" title="7.4 What is a Debian control file?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-conffile" rel="section" title="7.5 What is a Debian conffile?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-maintscripts" rel="section" title="7.6 What is a Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm script?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-priority" rel="section" title="7.7 What is an Essential, Required, Important, Standard, Optional, or Extra package?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-virtual" rel="section" title="7.8 What is a Virtual Package?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-depends" rel="section" title="7.9 What is meant by saying that a package Depends, Recommends, Suggests, Conflicts, Replaces, Breaks or Provides another package?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pre-depends" rel="section" title="7.10 What is meant by Pre-Depends?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgstatus" rel="section" title="7.11 What is meant by unknown, install, remove, purge and hold in the package status?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-puttingonhold" rel="section" title="7.12 How do I put a package on hold?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcepkgs" rel="section" title="7.13 How do I install a source package?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcebuild" rel="section" title="7.14 How do I build binary packages from a source package?">
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<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-creatingdebs" rel="section" title="7.15 How do I create Debian packages myself?">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-pkgprogs" rel="section" title="8.1 What programs does Debian provide for managing its packages?">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-updaterunning" rel="section" title="8.2 Debian claims to be able to update a running program; how is this accomplished?">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-whatpackages" rel="section" title="8.3 How can I tell what packages are already installed on a Debian system?">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-listfiles" rel="section" title="8.4 How to display the files of a package installed?">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-filesearch" rel="section" title="8.5 How can I find out what package produced a particular file?">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-datapackages" rel="section" title="8.6 Why doesn't get `foo-data' removed when I uninstall `foo'? How do I make sure old unused library-packages get purged?">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-howtocurrent" rel="section" title="9.1 How can I keep my Debian system current?">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-upgradesingle" rel="section" title="9.2 Must I go into single user mode in order to upgrade a package?">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-savedebs" rel="section" title="9.3 Do I have to keep all those .deb archive files on my disk?">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-keepingalog" rel="section" title="9.4 How can I keep a log of the packages I added to the system? I'd like to know when which package upgrades and removals have occured!">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-autoupdate" rel="section" title="9.5 Can I automatically update the system?">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptproxy" rel="section" title="9.6 I have several machines how can I download the updates only one time?">
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<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-non-debian-kernel" rel="section" title="10.1 Can I install and compile a kernel without some Debian-specific tweaking?">
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<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-customkernel" rel="section" title="10.2 What tools does Debian provide to build custom kernels?">
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<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-custombootdisk" rel="section" title="10.3 How can I make a custom boot floppy?">
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<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-modules" rel="section" title="10.4 What special provisions does Debian provide to deal with modules?">
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<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-removeoldkernel" rel="section" title="10.5 Can I safely de-install an old kernel package, and if so, how?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-papersize" rel="section" title="11.1 How can I ensure that all programs use the same paper size?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-hardwareaccess" rel="section" title="11.2 How can I provide access to hardware peripherals, without compromising security?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-consolefont" rel="section" title="11.3 How do I load a console font on startup the Debian way?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-appdefaults" rel="section" title="11.4 How can I configure an X11 program's application defaults?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-booting" rel="section" title="11.5 Every distribution seems to have a different boot-up method. Tell me about Debian's.">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-custombootscripts" rel="section" title="11.6 It looks as if Debian does not use rc.local to customize the boot process; what facilities are provided?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-interconffiles" rel="section" title="11.7 How does the package management system deal with packages that contain configuration files for other packages?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-divert" rel="section" title="11.8 How do I override a file installed by a package, so that a different version can be used instead?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-localpackages" rel="section" title="11.9 How can I have my locally-built package included in the list of available packages that the package management system knows about?">
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<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-diverse" rel="section" title="11.10 Some users like mawk, others like gawk; some like vim, others like elvis; some like trn, others like tin; how does Debian support diversity?">
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<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-debiandocs" rel="section" title="12.1 What other documentation exists on and for a Debian system?">
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<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-onlineresources" rel="section" title="12.2 Are there any on-line resources for discussing Debian?">
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<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-searchtools" rel="section" title="12.3 Is there a quick way to search for information on Debian GNU/Linux?">
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<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-buglogs" rel="section" title="12.4 Are there logs of known bugs?">
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<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-bugreport" rel="section" title="12.5 How do I report a bug in Debian?">
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<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contrib" rel="section" title="13.1 How can I become a Debian software developer?">
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<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contribresources" rel="section" title="13.2 How can I contribute resources to the Debian project?">
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<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-supportingorganizations" rel="section" title="13.3 How can I contribute financially to the Debian project?">
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<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-sellcds" rel="section" title="14.1 Can I make and sell Debian CDs?">
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<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-packagednonfree" rel="section" title="14.2 Can Debian be packaged with non-free software?">
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<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-childistro" rel="section" title="14.3 I am making a special Linux distribution for a "vertical market". Can I use Debian GNU/Linux for the guts of a Linux system and add my own applications on top of it?">
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<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-commercialdebs" rel="section" title="14.4 Can I put my commercial program in a Debian "package" so that it installs effortlessly on any Debian system?">
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<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-i18n" rel="section" title="15.1 Extended support for non-English users">
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<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-dependencybasedboot" rel="section" title="15.2 Faster booting: Dependency based boot sequence">
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<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-di" rel="section" title="15.3 Improvements in the Debian Installer">
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<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morearches" rel="section" title="15.4 More architectures">
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<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morekernels" rel="section" title="15.5 More kernels">
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<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors" rel="section" title="16.1 Authors">
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<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-feedback" rel="section" title="16.2 Feedback">
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<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-latest" rel="section" title="16.3 Availability">
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<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-docformat" rel="section" title="16.4 Document format">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.1" rel="subsection" title="3.1.1 You asked me to install stable, but in stable so and so hardware is not detected/working. What should I do?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.2" rel="subsection" title="3.1.2 Will there be different versions of packages in different distributions?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.3" rel="subsection" title="3.1.3 The stable distributions really contains outdated packages. Just look at Kde, Gnome, Xorg or even the kernel. They are very old. Why is it so?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.4" rel="subsection" title="3.1.4 If I were to decide to change to another distribution, Can I do that?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.5" rel="subsection" title="3.1.5 Could you tell me whether to install testing or unstable?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.6" rel="subsection" title="3.1.6 You are talking about testing being broken. What do you mean by that?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.7" rel="subsection" title="3.1.7 Why is it that testing could be broken for months? Wont the fixes introduced in unstable flow directly down into testing?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.8" rel="subsection" title="3.1.8 From an administrator's point of view, Which distribution requires more attention?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.9" rel="subsection" title="3.1.9 What happens when a new release is made?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.10" rel="subsection" title="3.1.10 I have a working Desktop/cluster with Debian installed. How do I know which distribution I am running?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.11" rel="subsection" title="3.1.11 I am currently tracking stable. Can I change to testing or unstable? If so, How?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.12" rel="subsection" title="3.1.12 I am currently tracking testing (wheezy). What will happen when a release is made? Will I still be tracking testing or will my machine be running the new stable distribution?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.13" rel="subsection" title="3.1.13 I am still confused. What did you say I should install?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.1" rel="subsection" title="3.2.1 I know that Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... is Debian-based. So after installing it on the hard disk, can I use 'apt' package tools on it?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.2" rel="subsection" title="3.2.2 I installed Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... on my hard disk. Now I have a problem. What should I do?">
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<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.3" rel="subsection" title="3.2.3 I'm using Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... and now I want to use Debian. How do I migrate?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-oldcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.1 Which other codenames have been used in the past?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sourceforcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.2 Where do these codenames come from?">
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<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-frozen" rel="subsection" title="6.5.1 What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg" rel="subsection" title="8.1.1 dpkg">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-apt-get" rel="subsection" title="8.1.2 APT">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-aptitude" rel="subsection" title="8.1.3 aptitude">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-synaptic" rel="subsection" title="8.1.4 synaptic">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-tasksel" rel="subsection" title="8.1.5 tasksel">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-extra" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6 Other package management tools">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dselect" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.1 dselect">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-deb" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.2 dpkg-deb">
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<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-split" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.3 dpkg-split">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptitude-upgrade" rel="subsection" title="9.1.1 aptitude">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-apt" rel="subsection" title="9.1.2 apt-get, dselect and apt-cdrom">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-update_aptitude" rel="subsection" title="9.1.3 aptitude">
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<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-mirror" rel="subsection" title="9.1.4 mirror">
|
|
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-dpkg-mountable" rel="subsection" title="9.1.5 dpkg-mountable">
|
|
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.1" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1 Mailing lists">
|
|
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-mailinglistconduct" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1.1 What is the code of conduct for the mailing lists?">
|
|
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.2" rel="subsection" title="12.2.2 Web forums">
|
|
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.3" rel="subsection" title="12.2.3 Wiki">
|
|
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.4" rel="subsection" title="12.2.4 Maintainers">
|
|
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.5" rel="subsection" title="12.2.5 Usenet newsgroups">
|
|
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-SPI" rel="subsection" title="13.3.1 Software in the Public Interest">
|
|
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-FSF" rel="subsection" title="13.3.2 Free Software Foundation">
|
|
|
|
</head>
|
|
|
|
<body>
|
|
|
|
<p><a name="ch-choosing"></a></p>
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">previous</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
|
|
[ 3 ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-ftparchives.en.html">6</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">next</a> ]
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h1>
|
|
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
|
|
<br>Chapter 3 - Choosing a Debian distribution
|
|
</h1>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
There are many different Debian distributions. Choosing the proper Debian
|
|
distribution is an important decision. This section covers some information
|
|
useful for users that want to make the choice best suited for their system and
|
|
also answers possible questions that might be arising during the process. It
|
|
does not deal with "why you should choose Debian" but rather
|
|
"which distribution of Debian".
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
For more information on the available distributions read <a
|
|
href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dists">How many Debian distributions are there?,
|
|
Section 6.1</a>.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="s3.1"></a>3.1 Which Debian distribution (stable/testing/unstable) is better for me?</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The answer is a bit complicated. It really depends on what you intend to do.
|
|
One solution would be to ask a friend who runs Debian. But that does not mean
|
|
that you cannot make an independent decision. In fact, you should be able to
|
|
decide once you complete reading this chapter.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If security or stability are at all important for you: install stable. period.
|
|
This is the most preferred way.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you are a new user installing to a desktop machine, start with stable. Some
|
|
of the software is quite old, but it's the least buggy environment to work in.
|
|
You can easily switch to the more modern unstable once you are a little more
|
|
confident.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you are a desktop user with some experience in Linux and does not mind
|
|
facing the odd bug now and then, use unstable. It has all the latest and
|
|
greatest software, and bugs are usually fixed swiftly.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you are running a server, especially one that has strong stability
|
|
requirements or is exposed to the Internet, install stable. This is by far the
|
|
strongest and safest choice.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The following questions (hopefully) provide more detail on these choices.
|
|
After reading this whole FAQ, if you still could not make a decision, stick
|
|
with the stable distribution.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.1"></a>3.1.1 You asked me to install stable, but in stable so and so hardware is not detected/working. What should I do?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Try to search the web using a search engine and see if someone else is able to
|
|
get it working in stable. Most of the hardware should work fine with stable.
|
|
But if you have some state-of-the-art, cutting edge hardware, it might not work
|
|
with stable. If this is the case, you might want to install/upgrade to
|
|
unstable.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
For laptops, <code><a
|
|
href="http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/">http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/</a></code>
|
|
is a very good website to see if someone else is able to get it to work under
|
|
Linux. The website is not specific to Debian, but is nevertheless a tremendous
|
|
resource. I am not aware of any such website for desktops.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Another option would be to ask in the debian-user mailing list by sending an
|
|
email to debian-user@lists.debian.org . Messages can be posted to the list
|
|
even without subscribing. The archives can be read through <code><a
|
|
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/">http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/</a></code>
|
|
Information regarding subscribing to the list can be found at the location of
|
|
archives. You are strongly encourage to post your questions on the
|
|
mailing-list than on <code><a
|
|
href="http://www.debian.org/support">irc</a></code>. The mailing-list messages
|
|
are archived, so solution to your problem can help others with the same issue.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.2"></a>3.1.2 Will there be different versions of packages in different distributions?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yes. Unstable has the most recent (latest) versions. But the packages in
|
|
unstable are not well tested and might have bugs.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
On the other hand, stable contains old versions of packages. But this package
|
|
is well tested and is less likely to have any bugs.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The packages in testing fall between these two extremes.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.3"></a>3.1.3 The stable distributions really contains outdated packages. Just look at Kde, Gnome, Xorg or even the kernel. They are very old. Why is it so?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Well, you might be correct. The age of the packages at stable depends on when
|
|
the last release was made. Since there is typically over 1 year between
|
|
releases you might find that stable contains old versions of packages.
|
|
However, they have been tested in and out. One can confidently say that the
|
|
packages do not have any known severe bugs, security holes etc., in them. The
|
|
packages in stable integrate seamlessly with other stable packages. These
|
|
characteristics are very important for production servers which have to work 24
|
|
hours a day, 7 days a week.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
On the other hand, packages in testing or unstable can have hidden bugs,
|
|
security holes etc., Moreover, some packages in testing and unstable might not
|
|
be working as intended. Usually people working on a single desktop prefer
|
|
having the latest and most modern set of packages. Unstable is the solution
|
|
for this group of people.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
As you can see, stability and novelty are two opposing ends of the spectrum.
|
|
If stability is required: install stable distribution. If you want to work
|
|
with the latest packages, then install unstable.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.4"></a>3.1.4 If I were to decide to change to another distribution, Can I do that?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yes, but it is a one way process. You can go from stable --> testing -->
|
|
unstable. But the reverse direction is not "possible". So better be
|
|
sure if you are planning to install/upgrade to unstable.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Actually, if you are an expert and if you are willing to spend some time and if
|
|
you are real careful and if you know what you are doing, then it might be
|
|
possible to go from unstable to testing and then to stable. The installer
|
|
scripts are not designed to do that. So in the process, your configuration
|
|
files might be lost and....
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.5"></a>3.1.5 Could you tell me whether to install testing or unstable?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
This is a rather subjective issue. There is no perfect answer but only a
|
|
"wise guess" could be made while deciding between unstable and
|
|
testing. My personal order of preference is Stable, Unstable and Testing. The
|
|
issue is like this:
|
|
</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Stable is rock solid. It does not break.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Testing breaks less often than Unstable. But when it breaks, it takes a long
|
|
time for things to get rectified. Sometimes this could be days and it could be
|
|
months at times.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Unstable changes a lot, and it can break at any point. However, fixes get
|
|
rectified in many occasions in a couple of days and it always has the latest
|
|
releases of software packaged for Debian.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
But there are times when tracking testing would be beneficial as opposed to
|
|
unstable. The author such situation due to the gcc transition from gcc3 to
|
|
gcc4. He was trying to install the <code>labplot</code> package on a machine
|
|
tracking unstable and it could not be installed in unstable as some of its
|
|
dependencies have undergone gcc4 transition and some have not. But the package
|
|
in testing was installable on a testing machine as the gcc4 transitioned
|
|
packages had not "trickled down" to testing.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.6"></a>3.1.6 You are talking about testing being broken. What do you mean by that?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Sometimes, a package might not be installable through package management tools.
|
|
Sometimes, a package might not be available at all, maybe it was (temporarily)
|
|
removed due to bugs or unmet dependencies. Sometimes, a package installs but
|
|
does not behave in the proper way.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
When these things happen, the distribution is said to be broken (at least for
|
|
this package).
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.7"></a>3.1.7 Why is it that testing could be broken for months? Wont the fixes introduced in unstable flow directly down into testing?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The bug fixes and improvements introduced in the unstable distribution trickle
|
|
down to testing after a certain number of days. Let's say this threshold is 10
|
|
days. The packages in unstable go into testing only when there are no RC-bugs
|
|
reported against them. If there is a RC-bug filed against a package in
|
|
unstable, it will not go into testing after the 10 days.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The idea is that, if the package has any problems, it would be discovered by
|
|
people using unstable and will be fixed before it enters testing. This keeps
|
|
the testing in an usable state for most period of the time. Overall a
|
|
brilliant concept, if you ask me. But things are alwasy not so simple.
|
|
Consider the following situation:
|
|
</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Imagine you are interested in package XYZ.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Let's assume that on June 10, the version in testing is XYZ-3.6 and in unstable
|
|
it is XYZ-3.7
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
After 10 days, XYZ-3.7 from unstable migrates into testing.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
So on June 20, both testing and unstable have XYZ-3.7 in their repositories.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Let's say, The user of testing distribution sees that a new XYZ package is
|
|
available and updates his XYZ-3.6 to XYZ-3.7
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Now on June 25, someone using testing or unstable discovers an RC bug in
|
|
XYZ-3.7 and files it in the BTS.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The maintainer of XYZ fixes this bug and uploads it to unstable say on June 30.
|
|
Here it is assumed that it takes 5 days for the maintainer to fix the bug and
|
|
upload the new version. The number 5 should not be taken literally. It could
|
|
be less or more, depending upon the severity of the RC-bug at hand.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
This new version in unstable, XYZ-3.8 is scheduled to enter testing on July
|
|
10th.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
But on July 5th some other person, discovers another RC-bug in XYZ-3.8
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Let's say the maintainer of XYZ fixes this new RC-bug and uploads new version
|
|
of XYZ after 5 days.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
So on July 10, testing has XYZ-3.7 while unstable has XYZ-3.9
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
This new version XYZ-3.9 is now rescheduled to enter testing on July 20th.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Now since you are running testing, and since XYZ-3.7 is buggy, you could
|
|
probably use XYZ only after July 20th. That is you essentially ended up with a
|
|
broken XYZ for about one month.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The situation can get much more complicated, if say, XYZ depends on 4 other
|
|
packages. This could in turn lead to unusable testing distribution for months.
|
|
The above scenario which is artificially created by me, can occur in the real
|
|
life. But such occurrences are rare.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.8"></a>3.1.8 From an administrator's point of view, Which distribution requires more attention?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
One of the main reasons many people chose Debian over other Linux distributions
|
|
is that it requires very little administration. People want a system that just
|
|
works. In general one can say that, stable requires very little maintenance
|
|
while testing and unstable require constant maintenance from the administrator.
|
|
If you are running stable, all you need to worry about is, keeping track of
|
|
security updates. If you are running either testing or unstable it is a good
|
|
idea to be aware of the new bugs discovered in the installed packages, new
|
|
bugfixes/features introduced etc.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.9"></a>3.1.9 What happens when a new release is made?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
This question will not help you in choosing a Debian distribution. But sooner
|
|
or later you will face this question.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The stable distribution is currently squeeze; The next stable distribution will
|
|
be called as wheezy. Let's consider the particular case as to what happens
|
|
when wheezy is released as the new stable version.
|
|
</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
oldstable = lenny; stable = squeeze; testing = wheezy; unstable = sid
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Unstable is always referred to as sid irrespective of whether a release is made
|
|
or not.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
packages constantly migrate from sid to testing (i.e. wheezy). But packages
|
|
in stable (i.e. squeeze) remain the same except for security updates.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
after sometime testing becomes frozen. But it will still be called testing.
|
|
At this point no new packages from unstable can migrate to testing unless they
|
|
include release-critical (RC) bug fixes.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
When testing is frozen, all the new bugfixes introduced, have to be manualy
|
|
checked by the members of the release team. This is done to ensure that there
|
|
wont be any unknown severe problems in the frozen testing.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
RC bugs in 'frozen testing' are reduced to zero.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The 'frozen testing' with no rc-bugs will be released as the new stable
|
|
version. In our example, this new stable release will be called as wheezy.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
At this stage oldstable = squeeze, stable = wheezy. The contents of stable and
|
|
'frozen testing' are same at this point.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
A new testing is forked from the current unstable.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Packages start coming down from sid to testing and the Debian community will be
|
|
working towards making the next stable release.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.10"></a>3.1.10 I have a working Desktop/cluster with Debian installed. How do I know which distribution I am running?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
In most situations it is very easy to figure this out. Take a look at the
|
|
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file. There will be an entry similar to
|
|
this:
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<pre>
|
|
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The third field ('unstable' in the above example) indicates the Debian
|
|
distribution the system is currently tracking.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You can also use <code>lsb_release</code> (available in the
|
|
<code>lsb-release</code> package). If you run this program in an unstable
|
|
system you will get:
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<pre>
|
|
$ lsb_release -a
|
|
LSB Version: core-2.0-noarch:core-3.0-noarch:core-3.1-noarch:core-2.0-ia32:core-3.0-ia32:core-3.1-ia32
|
|
Distributor ID: Debian
|
|
Description: Debian GNU/Linux unstable (sid)
|
|
Release: unstable
|
|
Codename: sid
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
However, this is always not that easy. Some systems might have
|
|
<code>sources.list</code> files with multiple entries corresponding to
|
|
different distributions. This could happen if the administrator is tracking
|
|
different packages from different Debian distributions. This is frequently
|
|
referred to as apt-pinning. These systems might run a mixture of
|
|
distributions.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.11"></a>3.1.11 I am currently tracking stable. Can I change to testing or unstable? If so, How?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you are currently running stable, then in the
|
|
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file the third field will be either squeeze
|
|
or stable. You need to change this to the distribution you want to run. If
|
|
you want to run testing, then change the third field of
|
|
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> to testing. If you want to run unstable,
|
|
then change the third field to unstable.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Currently testing is called wheezy. So, if you change the third field of
|
|
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> to wheezy, then also you will be running
|
|
testing. But when wheezy becomes stable, you will still be tracking wheezy.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Unstable is always called Sid. So if you change the third field of
|
|
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> to sid, then you will be tracking unstable.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Currently Debian offers security updates for testing but not for unstable, as
|
|
fixes in unstable are directly made to the main archive. So if you are running
|
|
unstable make sure that you remove the lines relating to security updates in
|
|
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code>.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If there is a release notes document available for the distribution you are
|
|
upgrading to (even though it has not yet been released) it would be wise to
|
|
review it, as it might provide information on how you should upgrade to it.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Nevertheless, once you make the above changes, you can run <code>aptitude
|
|
update</code> and then install the packages that you want. Notice that
|
|
installing a package from a different distribution might automatically upgrade
|
|
half of your system. If you install individual packages you will end up with a
|
|
system running mixed distributions.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It might be best in some situations to just fully upgrade to the new
|
|
distribution running <code>apt-get dist-upgrade</code>, <code>aptitude
|
|
safe-upgrade</code> or <code>aptitude full-upgrade</code>. Read apt's and
|
|
aptitude's manual pages for more information.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.12"></a>3.1.12 I am currently tracking testing (wheezy). What will happen when a release is made? Will I still be tracking testing or will my machine be running the new stable distribution?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It depends on the entries in the <code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file. If
|
|
you are currently tracking testing, these entries are similar to either:
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<pre>
|
|
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
or
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<pre>
|
|
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If the third field in <code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> is 'testing' then you
|
|
will be tracking testing even after a release is made. So after wheezy is
|
|
released, you will be running a new Debian distribution which will have a
|
|
different codename. Changes might not be apparent at first but will be evident
|
|
as soon as new packages from unstable go over to the testing distribution.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
But if the third field contains 'wheezy' then you will be tracking stable
|
|
(since wheezy will then be the new stable distribution).
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.1.13"></a>3.1.13 I am still confused. What did you say I should install?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If unsure, the best bet would be stable distribution.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="s3.2"></a>3.2 But what about Knoppix, Linex, Ubuntu, and others?</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
They are not Debian; they are <em>Debian based</em>. Though there are many
|
|
similarities and commonalities between them, there are also crucial
|
|
differences.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
All these distributions have their own merits and are suited to some specific
|
|
set of users. For more information, read the information of <code><a
|
|
href="http://www.debian.org/misc/children-distros">software distributions based
|
|
on Debian</a></code> available at the Debian website.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.2.1"></a>3.2.1 I know that Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... is Debian-based. So after installing it on the hard disk, can I use 'apt' package tools on it?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
These distributions are Debian based. But they are not Debian. You will be
|
|
still able to use apt package tools by pointing the
|
|
<code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code> file to these distributions' repositories.
|
|
But then you are not running Debian, you are running a different distribution.
|
|
They are not the same.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
In most situations if you stick with one distribution you should use that and
|
|
not mix packages from other distributions. Many common breakages arise due to
|
|
people running a distribution and trying to install Debian packages from other
|
|
distributions. The fact that they use the same formatting and name (.deb) does
|
|
not make them inmediately compatible.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
For example, Knoppix is a Linux distribution designed to be booted as a live CD
|
|
where as Debian is designed to be installed on hard-disk. Knoppix is great if
|
|
you want to know whether a particular hardware works, or if you want to
|
|
experience how a linux system 'feels' etc., Knoppix is good for demonstration
|
|
purposes while Debian is designed to run 24/7. Moreover the number of packages
|
|
available, the number of architectures supported by Debian are far more greater
|
|
than that of Knoppix.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you want Debian, it is best to install Debian from the get-go. Although it
|
|
is possible to install Debian through other distributions, such as Knoppix, the
|
|
procedure calls for expertise. If you are reading this FAQ, I would assume
|
|
that you are new to both Debian and Knoppix. In that case, save yourself a lot
|
|
of trouble later and install Debian right at the beginning.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.2.2"></a>3.2.2 I installed Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... on my hard disk. Now I have a problem. What should I do?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You are advised not to use the Debian forums (either mailing lists or IRC) for
|
|
help as people might advise you thinking that you are running a Debian system
|
|
and the "fixes" they provide might not be suited to what you are
|
|
running. They might even worsen the problem you are facing.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Use the forums of the specific distribution you are using first. If you do not
|
|
get help or the help you get does not fix your problem you might want to try
|
|
asking in Debian forums, but keep the advise of the previous paragraph in mind.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h3><a name="s3.2.3"></a>3.2.3 I'm using Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... and now I want to use Debian. How do I migrate?</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Consider the change from a Debian-based distribution to Debian just like a
|
|
change from one operating system to another one. You should make a backup of
|
|
all your data and reinstall the operating system from scratch. You should not
|
|
attempt to "upgrade" to Debian using the package management tools as
|
|
you might end up with an unusable system.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If all your user data (i.e. your <code>/home</code>) is under a separate
|
|
partition migrating to Debian is actually quite simple, you just have to tell
|
|
the installation system to mount (but not reformat) that partition when
|
|
reinstalling. Making backups of your data, as well as your previous system's
|
|
configuration (i.e. <code>/etc/</code> and, maybe, <code>/var/</code>) is
|
|
still encouraged.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">previous</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
|
|
[ 3 ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-ftparchives.en.html">6</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
|
|
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">next</a> ]
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<address>
|
|
version 5.0, 27 August 2011<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
Authors are listed at <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors">Debian FAQ Authors</a><br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
</address>
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
</body>
|
|
|
|
</html>
|
|
|