Re: Newbie need help on upgrading/installing "current weekly snapshot CDs"
> On Wed, Nov 29, 2006 at 08:13:54PM -0800, aquamarine wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I am a pure newbie on Linux/Debian coming from Windows world!
>> I downloaded just 3 of the 21 CDs from
>> http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/weekly-builds/i386/iso-cd/ website,
>> booted the 1st CD and install testing Debian successfully.
>>
>> The main point is that I found no way to install my other 2 CDs. By
>> the way, I cannot find: (1) Software Sources settings (2) Synaptic
>> Package Manager to update my system.
You sound a bit lost. I assume you have a working base system with a
command line and perhaps no X-windows system (GUI)? I also do not know
which country you are in, but it looks as though you have some usable
sources in your /etc/apt/sources.list. You could try to edit this file,
which tells the package managers where to get files from, or you could try
to download more of the system from the sources already listed. I assume
in the following that you also have a fast internet connection. If not,
then ignore this reply.
to edit the sources.list:
I guess you have no experience of working from the command line or
using simple line editors. You may have already an editor called nano
which is easier for a newbie than vi. Try 'which nano' and if it says
'/bin/nano', then you do have it. (If you do not then use
'apt-get nano') Use a computer with a browser working and go to
http://www.debian.org/mirror/list. Choose the nearest mirror to you,
and note carefully the URL. For example, if you chose this one:
ftp.uni-koeln.de /debian/ /debian/ alpha amd64 i386 powerpc sparc
then the second column is the directory to add to the entry in
/etc/apt/sources.list for ftp download (the third, in this case the
same, is for http). So you would write an entry in the sources.list
file like this:
deb ftp://ftp.uni-koeln.de/debian/ etch main non-free contrib
deb-src ftp://ftp.uni-koeln.de/debian/ etch main non-free contrib
That is two lines, one for binary packages and one for source packages.
You will see there are spaces dividing the lines into parts, in effect
columns. The first has 'deb' or 'deb-src'. The second has the URL,
beginning http:// or ftp://, and ending in the directory you added from
the entry in in the mirror list. the third is the release, in this case
'etch'. After that are the sections of the repository that will be
accessed, also space-separated.
When you have put in the source you want to use, you can insert a hash
(#) before all the lines you think are unneeded. Then save the file.
In nano that is ctl-o. You will see a list of commands at the bottom.
Exit the editor and issue the command 'apt-get update'. This
synchronises your computer's list with the repository/ies in your
sources.list. Then do 'apt-get install aptitude' as below...
to carry on with the sources already set up in your sources.list
You have already given the command 'apt-get update', but if it was not
today, do it again. Then 'apt-get install aptitude'. Then run
'aptitude'.
This is a slightly less intimidating front-end to the package management
system. '?' gives you a list of commands. search for '^kde$'. This
should find you a package called just 'kde'. Select it ('+') then install
it and everything that aptitude adds in with it ('g', and then again 'g').
After that, you should have a working GUI which looks reasonably familiar
to a windoze user. Then you can play around, use the internet to search
for answers, install more stuff, either with aptitude again or the gui
application synaptic, which probably comes with kde, but install it
separately if not. It will magically appear in the KDE menu system when
installed. After a few weeks, you may like to try different window
managers, and even uninstall kde, but it is far and away the easiest way
in coming from windows.
Oh yes, your other two CDs: use them as coasters. They will be out of
date soon enough.
--
richard
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