Re: New to Debian
On Thu, Dec 03, 2009 at 09:29:57AM -0700, debian@toursbymexico.com wrote:
> Hello
>
> I'm new to Debian, have used Slackware for years but latest release was a
> mess so I decided to move to Debian and give it a try, however I have some
> doubts and need to complete my configuration to keep working while
> learning to use this new distro, so these are my current doubts:
>
> 1) How can I disable the graphical login and/or avoid X11 to start
> automatically? I can't install the nVidia driver since it tells me to stop
> X11 before. And, is it possible to leave it that way, just with the simple
> text consoles, and start X11 manually when required?
>
I'd use sysv-rc-conf to disable gdm in runlevel 2 (the default runlevel)
> 2) How can I install KDE? Currently it is running with Gnome... I've just
> download all 5 DVDs plus the updates one... the gnome (un)install shows
> most KDE applications to install, but not the full window manager... and,
> once installed, is it safe to remove Gnome to free disk space? Just the
> window manager, not its libraries that should break some dependencies if
> deleted.
>
Try using the netinst CD. By hitting one of the Function keys at boot
time, you can find out how to specify KDE as your GUI environment.
Gnome is the default (as you've discovered).
> 3) There are some programs/drivers that independently of the distro, I
> prefer to install them by hand from sources. Does it affect in some way if
> I do this? The most common ones are kernel, MySQL, msn, irc, some
> multimedia stuff, etc. but at least the kernel and MySQL that I don't like
> to use packages for them...
>
You should look at backports.org and debian-multimedia.org
> 4) Is it possible to install LILO instead of GRUB? I know it is better and
> advanced, but I like LILO... would it be safe to install it without
> breaking some kind of dependence?
>
When the installer asks if you want to install GRUB, I think you can say
"no" or "cancel" and you will get an option to install LILO. If you
want to install LILO after your installation, you can do that too.
-Rob
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