Fresh Debian 10: /bin and /usr/bin are the same

[LiamF]

Two days ago, I installed a "simple" Debian 10 system. I chose to use the "entire disk" without separate partitions for /home, etc. I also chose not to use LVM. It's taken me two days, but I just realized: /bin is a symbolic link to /usr/bin

I've never seen this before! This is not my first Debian install; it's not even my first buster install. However, this is my first "simple" install.
Is this "/bin as a symbolic link" thing ... normal? Should I trash it all and re-install Debian?

[roseway]

As far as I know, Buster has always been that way. I installed it on the day it was released, and that symlink is present on my system.

[LiamF]

I must be blind that I've never noticed that before. My first few Deb10/buster installs were done as upgrades from 9/stretch. All of these systems still retain separate and different /bin and /usr/bin directories. ATM, I only have access to one "fresh" buster and it's the /bin-as-symlink system. So you're saying that - at least for a fresh buster - a symlink'd /bin to /usr/bin is ... normal?

[ecp18]

https://wiki.debian.org/UsrMerge

[CwF]

.This has been on my radar for awhile now and I kinda ignore it. I'm an upgrader and have been since I figured out 'buntu's are not very good at it. Starting at Debian 8.0 (This one typing now at 10.x), 8.5, 9.0, and 9.2 I have installed that many times, 4. I've mentioned imaging a zillion times, and all of these have been upgraded and morphed into many systems.

So I've wondered. Only since Buster has there been an option for the one way operation (surgery?). I can and will answer the questions of usrmerge, but not today. Many here reinstall on a whim, but I've seen evidence of upgraders lurking here! Any comments on o-o-o-o-o-stables upgraded and merged in busters or bullseyes?

At this point I have bullseyes built from that 8.5 vm install that are not yet merged. One hat of mine thinks it won't matter for 5 or more years. Another hat thinks a merge may change the size of my image in a significant way? Lots of linkage adding minor space? A massive consolidation? That would be nice since the OS seems to grow by a few hundred MB every release. My current 2 flavors of bullseye are both 1.5 GiB, so hundreds one way or the other don't really matter...

okidoki then...tested, no real change in size, lots of link junk in the way, took a few seconds, everything seems toworks, so no, I'll pass. Un-merged seems cleaner, like the uncola cheetah.
amd64_xfce_2049_bullseye_.qcow2 100% 1491MB
amd64_xfce_2050_bullseye_merged.qcow2 100% 1492MB, I'll keep it around...