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My Debian experience so far

Posted: 2019-09-09 04:10
by DracoSentien
Before I go off into my experience I just want to mention a few things since this is my first post. I am traditionally a Slackware and OpenBSD kind of guy. I first installed Debian Slink back in 1999 and I had to compile a kernel just to get my sound card to work and the default user interface was WindowMaker if I remember correctly. I downloaded the entire Debian Slink to a Windows partition via a slow external 56k modem (had to use external so it would not be a winmodem) and then inserted the vfat module into the kernel, during install, then mounted the windows partition exactly where Debian Slink was and installed it that way. Then in 2007 I installed Debian Etch. I first started using Linux in 1997 and around 2001 switch to FreeBSD then NetBSD (which is now unofficially dead) and then OpenBSD.

Anyway, the unnofficial non-free driver version of Debian 10 buster did not support my QCA9377 driver or at least that media failed to load it. The main Debian page for installing non-free drivers by loading it from secondary media like a second usb stick was wrong on the method (or not the complete method or not exact enough) compared to another Debian webpage for a model laptop that was not mine. I followed the instructions for the laptop that was not my model and it worked but before it worked it still threw out errors to me. A less experienced user would have given up installing but I pressed next and then my wireless card was working so I did not have install Debian from my ethernet jack. All in all seemed very unprofessional compared to OpenBSD which is alsofree (non-corporate) or however you would like to phrase it.

Second thing is I don't like plymouth because going back to the oldschool linux days and my experience with the *BSDs. During bootup the kernel/systemd spits out a few errors saying certain non-free firmware failed to load then like a few seconds later it loads fine.

These are the only two things I have noticed that makes Debian 10 Buster seem a little unpolished.

Other than that I like it because through the *BSDs I have come to appreciate stability for getting real work done rather than having something bleeding edge like Arch Linux (which I have tried a few times).

So far I think I am starting to like Debian better than Slackware. I won't compare Slackware to Debian because that would be a long post and it is late now so there is some crossover between features I like here but Debian is :

1.) fast

2.) Stable

3.)reasonably secure (though security depends on the sysadmin to a large degree)

4.) I like Apt better than DNF and Zypper (OpenSUSE)

5.)lots of packages

So overall despite my first negative impressions Debian 10 Buster is a very good release from the Debian crew that just looks a little unpolished to me where I mentioned but that is because they are not a big corporation like Canonical or RedHat.

P.S. since I have a core i3 budget laptop I run MATE pimped out to look like MacOSX and it works real fast. Gnome seems bloated to me even in comparison to kde plasma, nowadays.

Re: My Debian experience so far

Posted: 2019-09-09 04:14
by DracoSentien
Oh, yeah, one more thing ! Debian Buster cured my distro hopping ! Since leaving OpenBSD I tried MXLinux, Fedora, Slackware-current, Arch Linux, Zenwalk Linux etc...etc..so t thanks a lot to all the hard work put into this release to make it good enough to solve my distro hopping ! :mrgreen:

Re: My Debian experience so far

Posted: 2019-09-09 14:47
by Head_on_a_Stick
DracoSentien wrote:the unnofficial non-free driver version of Debian 10 buster did not support my QCA9377 driver or at least that media failed to load it.
The message printed by the installer is wrong, the firmware for that device is present in the (unofficial) images and the card will work in the installer itself.
DracoSentien wrote:I don't like plymouth
+1

Purge it with fire :twisted:
DracoSentien wrote:During bootup the kernel/systemd spits out a few errors saying certain non-free firmware failed to load then like a few seconds later it loads fine.
The kernel runs through a list of firmware for any given device, it may take a few tries to load the available firmware.