On 9/23/14, Andrei POPESCU <andreimpopescu@gmail.com> wrote:
On Sb, 20 sep 14, 11:53:04, Gary Dale wrote:
I recommend Debian/Testing (Jessie) which has been quite stable in
use and is more up to date than Debian/Stable (Wheezy). You can also
try the latest Linux Mint distribution, which is Debian-based and
quite popular.
Are you sure it's a good idea to recommend testing to someone new to
Debian? Stable is probably a much better entry point.
Ditto.. Stable. I resemble Andrei's observation.. I've made comments
before that I've been playing with computers 20 years now, BUT my
cognition is notably degenerating to where I have many a day that I'm
approaching computers with the mental grasp of a newbie..
I'm working a security issue right now that is the second time the
exact same issue has come up in less than a month. Only thing I did
this time was the same thing any newbie would potentially do at some
point: use their fave package manager to download APT........
Seconds before I read your comment, Andrei, I was sitting here
thinking I cannot imagine someone's grandparents trying to work
through this issue I'm having FOR A SECOND TIME in the same
month......
A person truly new to computers in general, if not just Debian, using
testing, a release where it is widely advocated it IS going to #FAIL
at some point and should NOT be used on do-or-die machines, even by
the more tech savvy? *hm* :)
That warning found across the Net poses a question: Does the user have
a dependable Internet connected fallback machine sitting right there
within reach? A secondary question comes to mind: Being honest with
oneself, what's the intended user's patience, tolerance, stress level
like? :)
*I guess*...... a new user could try downloading testing first... If
it works, cool beans. If it doesn't work, format and install
stable............. *I guess* :)
BUT AGAIN... Just like what's happened to me here, first time a new
user answers the call to upgrade anything on a functioning testing
install, that necessary, often security-minded task could potentially
cause the user's machine to immediately become frozen in time, if not
completely inoperable, THAT second.
As always, "YMMV"......... :)