Re: [SLUG] Debian newbie guide for existing linux users
Jeff Waugh wrote: quote who="Doug Stalker" If there a guide anywhere titled "Debian for people who have had a lot of experience using Redhat and redhat like linux distributions like Mandrake who now wish to change to Debian"? Yes snip But, I have to admit, the best way of learning all the intricacies and cool tools is to have a rabid Debian user to refer to. Gus, Conrad and Anand have been my (very well qualified) converters. :) Who'll probably tell you to RTFM Just ask around, and see if there's a special way of doing things before you try doing them the way you're used to. Debian has a special (read obscure) way of doing EVERYTHING. Even trying to set up X you're apt to get quite anXious whereas, to pull another Distribution out of my Red Hat, say SuSE it's as easy as SaX (or is that the Kiwi way?). Stay well and happy Heracles -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- http://linux.conf.au/ -- "The ability to procrastinate is what separates us from the machines." - Chris Gregory, Desktop Magazine -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Debian newbie guide for existing linux users
quote who="Heracles" Who'll probably tell you to RTFM Not a chance - why is Debian special? Because it's a community as well as an operating system. The more manpower the better, and that's why you'll find that Debian people are amongst the most helpful you can find. Without any profits or shareholders to-- wait a moment, there are. The profits are better systems (and more time on our hands), and the shareholders are fellow users. Debian has a special (read obscure) way of doing EVERYTHING. ...and how those special and obscure ways add up to a wonderfully predictable and sensible whole. I find out amazingly cool new things every day. Sure, you aren't given a GUI method of doing everything under the sun, but you aren't given the run around either... How many times can I say it? Packages *just work*. Maintainers care. Everybody benefits. It's way cool. I'm not sure I can imagine running a Linux server with anything else but Debian. It seems to suit me in most situations I can throw at it. *shrug* :) - Jeff -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- http://linux.conf.au/ -- "Life is short. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly." - Robert Doisneau -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Debian newbie guide for existing linux users
Steven downing wrote: I've only been a Linux user for a few months now, and decided to go Debian last week. Inside one week I've got more set up and working correctly than I did in x months of RedHat. X worked out of the box, (almost, bad hardware cursor), XMMS and all those sound things needed a bit of chmod /dev/ (mixer..dsp...audio), but all is great now. I also decided to give debian a proper try this weekend. Issues: The system currently has no network connection. (new house, no phone-line yet) I have ISOs of teh three debian 2.2 CDs I burnt in August, and I figured they should be enough to get it going. If really needed I can carry the computer to work (I'm living 2 minutes walk from where I work - very convinent) and plug it into a high-speed net connection. My video card is a Riva TNT 2. It won't detect automatically, but I know how to set it up using XConfigurator under other linux distros. Except not only do I not have XConfigurator, I don't even appear to have any X Servers installed (running X gives a message about failing to execute XFree86_NONE) I have no idea how this apt thing works. It sounds good though. If there a guide anywhere titled "Debian for people who have had a lot of experience using Redhat and redhat like linux distributions like Mandrake who now wish to change to Debian"? - Doug -- _ Network Operations Engineer - Big Pond Advance Satellite Ericsson Australia - Level 5, 184 The Broadway, Sydney 2000 Ph: +61-416-085-390 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Debian newbie guide for existing linux users
quote who="Doug Stalker" If there a guide anywhere titled "Debian for people who have had a lot of experience using Redhat and redhat like linux distributions like Mandrake who now wish to change to Debian"? Yep. It's: man everything apt-cache search blah (to find cool packages) apt-cache show blah (to read more about those packages) But, I have to admit, the best way of learning all the intricacies and cool tools is to have a rabid Debian user to refer to. Gus, Conrad and Anand have been my (very well qualified) converters. :) Just ask around, and see if there's a special way of doing things before you try doing them the way you're used to. - Jeff -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- http://linux.conf.au/ -- "The ability to procrastinate is what separates us from the machines." - Chris Gregory, Desktop Magazine -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Debian newbie guide for existing linux users
On Mon, Oct 30, 2000 at 11:37:28AM +1100, Jeff Waugh wrote: quote who="Doug Stalker" If there a guide anywhere titled "Debian for people who have had a lot of experience using Redhat and redhat like linux distributions like Mandrake who now wish to change to Debian"? Yep. It's: man everything just to expand on this a bit -- EVERYTHING in Debian has a man page. Well, some things have a default man page which tells you other places to find info, but most things have actual manpages. It's a common thing for the person making Debian packages to go and write a manpage for a package if it doesn't already have one. To prove how anal Debian people are about this, I've received manpages for things as simple as Tractorgen (http://www.vergenet.net/~conrad/software/tractorgen/) from various people bent enough to package them. They (Debian developers) are also anal about making sure that packages have explicit licensing and contain README files and so on to put in /usr/doc. This all comes out of Debian being a huge community process (hence having enough resources to go through with all this) and that it has strict policy guidelines. apt-cache search blah (to find cool packages) apt-cache show blah (to read more about those packages) apt-cache is cool, it knows about all the packages that exist. It's very much like having a local mirror of Freshmeat's software index on your own box, and once you find something you want you just go apt-get install gfoo or whatever rather than screwing around with finding the latest version and downloading it by hand. But, I have to admit, the best way of learning all the intricacies and cool tools is to have a rabid Debian user to refer to. Gus, Conrad and Anand have been my (very well qualified) converters. :) bah, Gus and Anand got me using it, I trust their judgement because they're kickass sysadmins and can explain why everything works the way it does, and it gives them real power for adminning systems and networks. I use it for quite the opposite reason -- I'm a lazy sysadmin, and I like all that to get out of my face so I can spend my time coding and so on (yes, even doing stuff that doesn't involve sitting in front of a computer!). that said, I'm writing this from a RedHat box. It's all good. Conrad. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Debian newbie guide for existing linux users
On Mon, Oct 30, 2000 at 02:33:37PM +1100, Jeff Waugh wrote: Read the above stuff on X, and look through "apt-cache search"... Lotsa cool stuff. "Just add water." ^ Don't do this. It's silly and you would just be disappointed with the flash-bang-smoke effect it had. :-) Malcolm -- Malcolm Tredinnickemail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CommSecure Pty Ltd PGP signature
Re: [SLUG] Debian newbie guide for existing linux users
Malcolm Tredinnick wrote: On Mon, Oct 30, 2000 at 02:33:37PM +1100, Jeff Waugh wrote: Read the above stuff on X, and look through "apt-cache search"... Lotsa cool stuff. "Just add water." ^ Don't do this. It's silly and you would just be disappointed with the flash-bang-smoke effect it had. :-) My monitor documentation explicitly states 'do not operate when immersed in any liquid' I'd love to know what tech-support call prompted them to add that to the list of warnings. -- _ Network Operations Engineer - Big Pond Advance Satellite Ericsson Australia - Level 5, 184 The Broadway, Sydney 2000 Ph: +61-416-085-390 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
