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Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

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keithpeter
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Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#1 Post by keithpeter »

I'm posting this from a Thinkpad X60 with a frankenwheezy install of a Mate desktop. Results appear stable and fast.

Please point out any likely problems you can see down the road, I'd be grateful for any observations about use of backported major components over the life of a stable release.

This is likely to become my 'production' system when gNewSense makes it to version 4 (based on Wheezy).

Installed from the netinstall iso using the default text mode 'Install' choice, with only 'standard' and 'laptop' package groups selected at tasksel stage.

Current /etc/apt/sources.list

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    #deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7.5.0 _Wheezy_ - Official i386 NETINST Binary-1 20140426-12:25]/ wheezy main

    deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main
    deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main

    deb http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main
    deb-src http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main

    # wheezy-updates, previously known as 'volatile'
    deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ wheezy-updates main
    deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ wheezy-updates main

    # adding backports for mate
    deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian wheezy-backports main
Below command lines used from tty with wired connection...

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    aptitude install xorg lightdm
    aptitude -t wheezy-backports install mate-desktop-environment
    aptitude install network-manager network-manager-gnome
Rebooted into graphical session at this point and admired the lack of any major application software! Then proceeded to add my usual applications...

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    aptitude install iceweasel
    aptitude -t wheezy-backports install pulseaudio
    aptitude -t wheezy-backports install pavucontrol
    aptitude install iceweasel synaptic
    aptitude install hugin gimp inkscape audacity lftp curl rsync rdesktop brasero  cups-pdf pdftk leafpad vlc ffmpeg guayadeque
Note that I had to add pulseaudio from backports because the Mate desktop packages included libraries with dependencies on the pulseaudio version in backports. It is the extend of this dependency creep once you use something major from backports that I'm trying to scope out.

I've added OpenOffice 3.4.1 from the deb pack downloaded from OpenOffice.org as a personal quirk (don't ask, it is complicated). I'll also add Oracle Java 1.7SE from the Oracle site and Eclipse from Wheezy repos along with R, pyxplot, gnuplot from the Wheezy repo and RStudio as a deb download. Just installed the laptop-mode-tools package to get battery use sensible. The Thinkpad Intel wifi card won't accept power management as usual.

GUI wars disclaimer: I rather like Gnome 3, but composited desktops (Unity, G3, KDE) stutter rather than fly on this 2007 laptop. My students find a single bottom panel with applications available on a menu on the left hand side easy to grok in lessons when I hand this laptop around for asking google things.

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stevepusser
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Re: Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#2 Post by stevepusser »

It should be stable. I'm running desktops with much more monstrous sets of backports than what you've set up, and they are very stable.
MX Linux packager and developer

emariz
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Re: Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#3 Post by emariz »

I had been using Testing since Etch was the stable release, but the arrival of Gnome 3 in Testing 'forced' me to use Squeeze Stable, around mid 2011.

During these years, I have been tracking these repositories
· Squeeze (main, contrib, non-free)
· Squeeze Updates (main, contrib, non-free)
· Squeeze Proposed Updates (main, contrib, non-free) [1]
· Backports (main, contrib, non-free) [2]
· Deb-Multimedia (main, non-free)
· Deb-Multimedia Backports (main, non-free)
· Debian Mozilla [3]
· Virtualbox (squeeze, contrib, non-free)
· Squeeze LTS (main, contrib, non-free) [4]

I am telling you all of this because, like yours, this laptop is my primary system, for both work and personal use. My installation was more complex and 'bolder' than yours, and has been rock solid. In fact, I am still using the same installation.
I am sure that your system will also run smoothly, even if you did a more complex installation.


[1] Updates for the next 'point-release', which also include all security updates.

[2] I enabled all Backports using APT Preferences: http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=62647
I only faced four minor issues during all these years, and the last one was in 2012.

[3] It provided new Iceweasel releases up to version 24.

[4] Implemented this month, and supported until February 2016.

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keithpeter
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Re: Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#4 Post by keithpeter »

Thanks for the reassurance.

Turns out OpenOffice 3.4.1 is in the Wheezy main repository. :oops:

Just uninstalled the directly installed oOo.

kmathern
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Re: Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#5 Post by kmathern »

keithpeter wrote:Thanks for the reassurance.

Turns out OpenOffice 3.4.1 is in the Wheezy main repository. :oops:

Just uninstalled the directly installed oOo.
OpenOffice in the Wheezy repos (https://packages.debian.org/wheezy/openoffice.org) is a "transitional package", you'll actually end up with LibreOffice.

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keithpeter
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Re: Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#6 Post by keithpeter »

kmathern wrote:
keithpeter wrote:Thanks for the reassurance.

Turns out OpenOffice 3.4.1 is in the Wheezy main repository. :oops:

Just uninstalled the directly installed oOo.
OpenOffice in the Wheezy repos (https://packages.debian.org/wheezy/openoffice.org) is a "transitional package", you'll actually end up with LibreOffice.
Yup, I just found out. However, I need a [Libre | Open] Office version equal to or higher than 3.5 next week because it is Pivot Table Time (annual course statistics crunching) :twisted: .

The actual system itself does seem very stable despite my attempts to spanner it.

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Re: Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#7 Post by kedaha »

I installed Mate desktop from wheezy-backports yesterday; I've still got to polish it a little but first impressions are good. It's a welcome addition to the backports repository for me and I'm going to try and make it as similar as possible to the environment I had with squeeze - my ideal distribution - with OSS4 instead of alsa and pulseaudio. I hope I can now say goodbye to the new-fangled Gnome3. The appearance of mate packages in the repo will help offset the Worrying Trend! :wink:
DebianStable

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$ vrms

No non-free or contrib packages installed on debian!  rms would be proud.

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robert3242
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Re: Frankenwheezy with Mate desktop from backports: stable?

#8 Post by robert3242 »

I just felt compelled to note here that I chuckle every time I see this "Frankenwheezy" post. I hope the OP's Mate DE works well for him.
Debian 7.7 (amd64)/Xfce 4.8

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