Re: Great Debian experience
On Wed, 19 Mar 2014, Ken Heard wrote:
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> It never ceases to amaze me that there are people can get various
> iterations of Debian "working out of the box". Ever since Sarge I
> have had no end of trouble either with new installations or upgrades,
> to the point that I dread every new iteration. I would have switched
> long ago to another operating system except for the fact that every
> other one I looked at was worse.
>
> My latest experience was a new installation of Wheezy in a new box.
> It took me the entire month of January to get the OS and essential
> applications to the point where the machine became usable. Yes it
> works, but so does a Ford model T. For example I wanted to use LVM
> but the attempt broke the installer. I still have not got sound
> working.
Did you research LVMs and how to set them up? Or did you just "tick"
LVM when the installer got to the partitioning phase?
> So what is the secret?
Knowledge. Research. Experience.
The best advice I can give to anyone considering Linux -- any distro:
At least, read and study, and I do mean study, the Install docs as well
as the Release Notes. Debian has one of the best sites for
self-education. The Arch Linux site is even better. Goes into lots of
detail, step-by-step, on just about everything. Great for
troubleshooting.
Here's some guidelines to reduce install/run problems.
1. It takes 6 months to a year for the development community to "catch
up" with new hardware. Check Linux Hardware Compatibility sites for
potential problems. I've NEVER built a system with MB hardware and
accessory cards newer than 6 months old. Most of the time, a
little older. If you go with cutting edge hardware, you're going to have
problems. At least for 6 months or so. Accept it.
2. Motherboard and graphic card chips can be a problem in general, new
or old. I try to stick with nVidia, Realtek and AMD. I avoid Intel and
Broadcom, particularly the newest chips. Older ones are less a problem.
3. Decide how you want to set up your system before you install.
Search the web for potential problems and fixes. Forearmed is
forewarned.
4. Stick with manufacturers who overtly support Linux.
B
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