Tag Archives: debian

Debian 64 Bit Linux Overview

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I wanted to see Linux in action in 64 bits. It seems there are only a few choices, Ubuntu and Debian were the only distributions I found using 64 bit software. I thought I would give Debian a go first planning on installing Ubuntu afterwards. Ubuntu is/was derived from Debian, and many programs could be interchanged between repositories without issue.

Debian Linux is unique in Debian only uses software that meets certain licensing requirements. In general this is software that is not proprietary, or restricted. If you are curious you go to the Debian website, as the explanation tends to get a little convoluted and I do not wish to give the wrong explanation.

Going to Debian’s home page is always an experience. Debian home page is no frills, and makes no claim to being simple to use, with hordes of people ready to help you if you have problems. Debian’s web site tells you about Debian and directs you to options you may choose concerning Debian.

Selecting ‘Getting Debian’ brought me to a page of download and installation options. I chose to download the small image file and copy it off to cd. This option downloads and installs most needed programs via internet connection. One caveat about this install, it does not support a wireless connection for the install.

The installation other than being hard wired to the net is about the same as any other installation. You need to have free space on your hard drive if you are going to dual boot. You need to create partitions. I use three partitions, Root, Home, and Swap. Debian installed painlessly, taking about twenty minutes or so, which is about average for an install.

Debian 64I now had a usable Debian install with a basic Gnome desktop. I could not see or hear an online video, listen to an mp3, or watch some other videos. I did not yet have a wireless connection according to the installation documentation I read.

This brought me to the interesting part of using Debian. Using Debian as general users use computers, you need to hunt down what you need, and sometimes it is not apparent what you need, or where to find it. While Debian’s website has excellent documentation, it assumes that the reader knows what they are looking for.

My wireless connection is a good example. To get the drivers and programs needed to set up my wireless card, I needed to know exactly what my laptop wireless card is. Knowing what connection types it supports, or who makes it is not enough, an exact model number is required.

Finding this information means going to the manufacturer website and searching for my a parts list. I was fortunate in I found my wireless card listed, some computers are not that simple because the manufacturer uses whatever works for that day, and may not be consistent week to week with parts it uses.

I had my wireless card information. Now I had to locate new repositories to download drivers and programs from to enable my wireless. The documentation I found directed me to specific Ubuntu repositories. I added the repositories (another few steps using a root terminal or Synaptic), and installed the programs. A quick reboot and I had a wireless connection.

What I know as Windows codecs is about the same process. My web cam was another trip into the documentation and guessing what kind of camera it was. My laptop manufacturer was in a cost savings mode for web cams, and only admitted to using a usb web cam. I located and installed more drivers and programs. Using a program named Cheese, it works. For other uses, I do not not know yet.

Debian 64 bit appears to boot and shutdown faster than what I have experienced with 32 bit versions. All the software I need or want is available. After a number of shutdowns and reboots, everything works as advertised.

Debian has always been a rock solid Linux. Two of Debian’s ongoing criticisms are lack of friendliness for new users, and the difficulty of finding what you need for general computer use that does not fit Debian’s licensing requirements. These two criticisms deserved or not, have not changed for the 64 bit version of Debian.

If you want a Linux Distribution where you pop in the CD and sit back, Debian is not for you. If you want a solid system having some control over what is on it, and you don’t mind doing a little searching, Debian is a good choice. Debian gives you freedom to tweak, change, add and subtract as much or as little as you choose. With thousands of packages in the repositories, your options are endless.

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Linux Testing Crashing and Burning

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I decided it was time to play around with newly released Linux distros the other night night. I know it is not the greatest decision as far as computers go, to play with the operating system when it is late. Getting to bed at four in the morning reinforced that thought.

It started out simply enough, I thought I would check out the new Linux listings at Distrowatch
and see what distributions are popular. There has not been a lot of movement in ratings of different distributions but there were some new releases. I broke out some blank cd’s and off I went.

I started out innocently enough thinking about a recent conversation I had at a local netboook show and tell. One of the people there also uses Linux and we talked about our choices. One distro we both had used in the past was PCLinuxOS and we both agreed PCLinuxOS is a solid distribution. I had moved on to Minime which became obsolete, and he has moved on to Tinyme for his netbook which he runs off a xd card and does not use his hard drive.

He mentioned a recent release of Minime was out. That was my starting point. I found the updated Minme torrent download, downloaded the iso and copied it to cd. Minime said it could not run as a live cd. Oh well, that was fun, not.

Mepis released a new beta iso, and I thought it may run well on my netbook. I downloaded the iso, copied it and started it up. It ran fine as a live cd, so I installed Mepis to my hard drive. mepis installed quickly, and ran okay except it would not shutdown properly. That should have been a hint to stop for the night.

I thought, well maybe Debian would now work with my netbook wireless. Repeat, to install. Debian made it to the wireless configuration but does not support my wireless card. In the past Debian made no changes to my hard drive, but this time that was not the case. Grub was gone and Windows was in jeopardy.

This is where the fun began as midnight came and went. As Zenwalk worked before, except for my wireless card, the new beta may have caught up. Repeat download install sequence. Being a beta, or more likely my Debian almost install and abort, Zenwalk loaded and ran, but Windows was still missing.

fouramOne o’clock in the morning was now in the past. I got on the net and looked for an easy was to fix the MBR so Windows could load. That was a wasted forty minutes except I read a method to use Ubuntu to rewrite the Windows loader. Three o’clock in the morning was now history. I had downloaded Ubuntu and repeated the install.

Ubuntu not only loaded painlessly, it found Windows and added it to Grub! The world or at least my netbook was safe once again. It was now almost 3:45 am. The Ubuntu file update notification showed up and I decided I may as well spend a few minutes updating Ubuntu. Wrong thought, thinking it would be a few minutes. The update was quick and painless, but not fast.

Mepis works on my Asus netbook. Debian’s install, and also tells so you before you start. Ubuntu saved the day for me. It may be Ubuntu loads and runs faster than previous releases. Ubuntu is well polished and stable.

In wrapping up, do not seriously think about toying with your computer’s operating system when it is late, or you are tired. Linux Beta’s are not really ready for prime time, or at least dual booting. They make it clear in their release announcement, and they mean it. Staying up later to fix earlier mistakes is not really a good solution.

Linux is a great OS, and the problems were all my doing. Towards the end, I thought perhaps I should download a server version which is pretty stripped down, and add programs I want. After seeing four in the morning, I decided enough was enough for one night.

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