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Considering switch to Debian

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Tribulation
Posts: 23
Joined: 2008-11-13 01:15

Re: Considering switch to Debian

#16 Post by Tribulation »

Oh why thank you very much, I must be blind as I was in there a few times.

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bugsbunny
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#17 Post by bugsbunny »

A few points that haven't been covered (and repeating one that has).

First, in your shoes I would probably recommend you start with lenny, then after your more comfortable with things consider upgrading to squeeze. If you do decide to run squeeze I also recommend you setup for a mixed squeeze/sid setup - even if you plan to run mostly testing. There are times when it's advantageous to pull packages from unstable, even if you're running a mostly testing distro. (Testing and unstable are designed to work together so mixing them is OK, as opposed to mixing stable with either of them (with the exception of a very few packages, in specific circumstances). If you do decide to go that route read this thread: Debian User Forums • View topic - Howto: Set up and Maintain a Mixed Testing/Unstable System

64 bit is fine - you shouldn't have any problems with it. flashplugin-nonfree pulls the 64 bit version from Adobe.

Drivers - it depends on what drivers. Restricted drivers are not as automated as in Ubuntu, but many (most?) are available in the non-free section. For wireless (and some other items) you may well also have to install non-free firmware before it will work. Any problems/questions ask while mentioning the specific hardware. The Debian wiki has instructions for a lot of hardware.

Last, but not least, multi-media codecs. A lot of these will not be found in Debian proper for one reason or another. You should consider adding debian-multimedia to your sources.list. It's an unofficial repository of high quality (it's run by a Debian Developer).

Tribulation
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Joined: 2008-11-13 01:15

Re: Considering switch to Debian

#18 Post by Tribulation »

First off, I must express my gratitude to those that are helping me out and giving me tips.

Second: I ran into a problem. I installed Lenny but decided that I'd much prefer Squeeze. So I went to my sources.list file and changed all instances of lenny (except those in the first two lines) to squeeze. Next I updated my system and then installed apt dpkg aptitude. Finally, I performed a full-upgrade. I write these steps out in case I made any mistakes. It seemed to update well enough (I did see something about some IP addresses not being found when updating my packages though). Anyway, after that I tried to run aptitude upgrade but there was a problem with the hal package, apparently it was missing a dependency. I wish I could give the exact error message but I'm not in Debian at the moment, if need be I can post it later. Anyway I'm not sure what to do. I tried to upgrade hal, I tried to completely remove it and then re-install it, but those didn't work. When I restarted I was informed that xorg broke. I couldn't figure out what to do or find anything that helped me with this problem so I just re-installed Debian. When trying to upgrade all my packages after upgrading to Squeeze I had the same problem, except another package was having a dependency issue as well (can't remember what it was). I really didn't do much with them this time and just restarted to see if xorg would be broken again. Sure enough, it was.

I know that I may not be able to get much help without the error message, but I was hoping someone would have an idea of what was wrong and how it could be fixed.

milomak
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#19 Post by milomak »

probably best to post the exact error message.
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Tribulation
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#20 Post by Tribulation »

When I boot up Debian I get the message "Failed to start the X server. It is likely that it is not set up correctly. Would you like to view the X server output to diagnose the problem?"

The output is:

Code: Select all

X.Org X Server 1.6.5
Release Date: 2009-10-11
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux debian 2.6.30.8-dsa-ia32 i686 Debian
Current Operating System: Linux debian 2.6.26-2-686 #1 SMP Wed Nov 4
20:45:37 UTC 2009 i686
Build date: 13 October 2009  11:25:51 AM
xorg-server 2:1.6.5-1 (buildd@murphy.debian.org)
      Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
      to make sure that you have the latest version.
Markers:  (--) probed,  (**)  from config file,  (==)  default setting,
              (++)  from command line,  (!!) notice,  (II)  informational,
              (WW) warning, (EE) error,  (NI)  not implemented,  (??)  unknown.
( == )  Log file:  "/var/log/Xorg.0.log",  Time:  Sun Jan 24 09:51:30 2010
( == )  Using config file:  "etc/X11/xorg.conf"
( EE )  module ABI major version  (2)  doesn't match the sever's version
( 5 )
( EE ) Failed to load module "ati" (module requirement mismatch, 0)
( EE ) No drivers available.

Fatal server error:
no screens found

Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
              at http://wiki.x.org
  for help.
Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.
When I try to upgrade my packages I get:
open: 2395; closed: 4934; defer: 4457; conflict: 17
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
hal: Depends: udev (>= 143) but 0.125-7+lenny3 is installed and it is kept back.
totem-mozilla: Depends: totem (= 2.28.5-1) but it is not installable.

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AdrianTM
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#21 Post by AdrianTM »

I installed Lenny but decided that I'd much prefer Squeeze
The error above is the sign that you have to stick with Lenny.
Ubuntu hate is a mental derangement.

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nadir
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#22 Post by nadir »

AdrianTM wrote:
I installed Lenny but decided that I'd much prefer Squeeze
The error above is the sign that you have to stick with Lenny.
i agree. but he now has got squeeze, so before re-installing he might have got a bit of fun. yes? i am not sure, its a question.

the error-message says udev is getting hold, i think you may install it by telling aptitude or apt-get to do so. say:
apt-get install udev
make sure you got a squeeze kernel installed (30 and above).

this is just an idea, without further reading/thinking. wait what the others say.
"I am not fine with it, so there is nothing for me to do but stand aside." M.D.

fsmithred
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#23 Post by fsmithred »

Tribulation wrote: So I went to my sources.list file and changed all instances of lenny (except those in the first two lines) to squeeze. ...(I did see something about some IP addresses not being found when updating my packages though).
Which first two lines? Post your sources.list file.

You might just need to get that right and do:
aptitude update
aptitude safe-upgrade
aptitude full-upgrade

...and then get xorg working if it's still broken.

Tribulation
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#24 Post by Tribulation »

My sources.list is as follows:

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# deb cdrom: [Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.1 _Lenny_ - Official i386 NETINST Binary-1 20090413-22:27]/  lenny main

#deb cdrom: [Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.1 _Lenny_ - Official i386 NETINST Binary-1 20090413-22:27]/  lenny main

deb http://debian.uchicago.edu/debian/ squeeze main
deb-src http://debian.uchicago.edu/debian/ squeeze main

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

deb http://volatile.debian.org/debian-volatile squeeze/volatile main
deb-src http://volatile.debian.org/debian-volatile squeeze/volatile main
I didn't change lenny to squeeze in the very first two lines because I didn't think it'd matter.

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Absent Minded
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#25 Post by Absent Minded »

It won't matter for the CD-ROM entries. In fact you may want to remove them all togeather.
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Coco
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#26 Post by Coco »

Also if you want a true rolling release change "squeeze" to "testing" at some point in your sources.list.
Last edited by Coco on 2010-01-25 23:03, edited 1 time in total.
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Tribulation
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Joined: 2008-11-13 01:15

Re: Considering switch to Debian

#27 Post by Tribulation »

Well my current kernel is 2.6.26-2-686, so I need to install a new kernel. I've never done such a thing manually before so I used this site http://www.howtoforge.com/kernel_compil ... ebian_etch to help. I attempted to install kernel 2.6.32.5, but ran into a problem due to lack of experience. The guide instructs me to use these commands to unpack the kernel sources and create a symlink

Code: Select all

tar xjf linux-2.6.21.3.tar.bz2
ln -s linux-2.6.21.3 linux
cd /usr/src/linux
I'm a bit puzzled about this command. It seems that I have to enter those three commands on separate lines, and I haven't been able to figure out how to do that.

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hazel
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#28 Post by hazel »

Tribulation wrote:The guide instructs me to use these commands to unpack the kernel sources and create a symlink

Code: Select all

tar xjf linux-2.6.21.3.tar.bz2
ln -s linux-2.6.21.3 linux
cd /usr/src/linux
I'm a bit puzzled about this command. It seems that I have to enter those three commands on separate lines, and I haven't been able to figure out how to do that.
You can't in a run-box. You could put them all on one line, using semicolons to separate them, but I'd recommend opening a proper terminal. You should find one somewhere on your applications menu.

Tribulation
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Joined: 2008-11-13 01:15

Re: Considering switch to Debian

#29 Post by Tribulation »

Unfortunately xorg is broken so I'm forced to use the command line. I tried your suggestion and separated the commands with semicolons but all that does is move my cursor down to a blank line. I can type all I want but I've never understood what to do with it... I have to use ctrl+C to get back into a normal command line in which I can actually use commands again.

oOarthurOo
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Location: Canada

Re: Considering switch to Debian

#30 Post by oOarthurOo »

>>Post removed by Absent Minded.
>>You can still read it though, because others quoted it.
Last edited by oOarthurOo on 2010-01-26 04:26, edited 1 time in total.

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aicardi
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#31 Post by aicardi »

oOarthurOo wrote:This thread is a gong show. Here's the hilarious summary:
1. Hi, I'm thinking about switching from Ubuntu to Debian. Will it be hard?
2. I should be quite happy with Lenny (Stable). Will I have problems with 64 bit flash?
3. I've got Debian installed. How do I get the sidebar in Nautilus?
4. I've decided to run Testing and xorg is now broken, I can't start gnome! Can you help me fix it if I don't post any error messages / logs?
5. I've decided to compile my own kernel to fix the issues I'm having, but I can't extract the tarball. Any help please?
6. I'm not sure how to use the console (except for ctrl+c), can you tell me how?
Entertaining at best
Jessie/Xfce

Tribulation
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Joined: 2008-11-13 01:15

Re: Considering switch to Debian

#32 Post by Tribulation »

oOarthurOo wrote:This thread is a gong show. Here's the hilarious summary:
1. Hi, I'm thinking about switching from Ubuntu to Debian. Will it be hard?
2. I should be quite happy with Lenny (Stable). Will I have problems with 64 bit flash?
3. I've got Debian installed. How do I get the sidebar in Nautilus?
4. I've decided to run Testing and xorg is now broken, I can't start gnome! Can you help me fix it if I don't post any error messages / logs?
5. I've decided to compile my own kernel to fix the issues I'm having, but I can't extract the tarball. Any help please?
6. I'm not sure how to use the console (except for ctrl+c), can you tell me how?
http://bandcamp.tv/linux-demotivators/debian.jpg

Why is it that some people think that everyone should automatically know everything there is to know about any given thing? I come from Ubuntu, I already told you that. Obviously, things will be harder for me. I'm trying not to ask "Hey guys, how to I do everything?" If I'd done that this thread would be a lot bigger, I'm only asking when I get stuck and can't find the answers myself. As for your ridiculous points:

1. I never asked if it would be hard, I just asked for any tips that people wanted to share because I knew it'd be different from Ubuntu, I like to go in somewhat prepared.
2. What's wrong with asking if 64 bit Flash sucks or not?
3. Because when you can't figure something out you simply give up.
4. That was a long shot, I decided to see if I could get some answers while away so I could work on the problem when I got back home. Maybe it was a common problem, maybe, just maybe, someone knew what I was talking about. In all honesty I didn't expect it to work.
5. Again, why is asking questions when I run into a problem that I've tried to fix but failed so bad?
6. I'm very interested in where you got this from.

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nadir
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#33 Post by nadir »

Tribulation, why don't you use the repo-30-kernel from squeeze. is it that it doesnt work?
if thats the case check on the first page of the how-to for RollingStones how-to compile kernel for newbies.

type one command (hit enter) after the other. that might be the easiest method for now.

i don't think upgrades lenny to higher is big fun atm. might be just me. i for one like lenny.
"I am not fine with it, so there is nothing for me to do but stand aside." M.D.

fsmithred
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Re: Considering switch to Debian

#34 Post by fsmithred »

You're still using the lenny kernel. To get the squeeze kernel, do

Code: Select all

aptitude install linux-image-2.6.30-2-686
then reboot into that kernel. It'll be the first one on the boot list.

oOarthurOo
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Location: Canada

Re: Considering switch to Debian

#35 Post by oOarthurOo »

These threads will make your time here more profitable and enjoyable:

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=47258

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=47078

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