[TriLUG] Tony's attempt to install Debian Linux on his computer--from Lockergnome's Penguin Shell newsletter

[al johson]

  11.20.2001 GnomeREPORT


The Great Distro Review hiccupped today. It actually came to a grinding halt
early this morning after two nights of Debian installs. Let me recap the
events of the past few evenings for you.

As I noted yesterday, I did manage to find and burn isos for the Debian
install. In reality, the download took closer to 4 hours than 3, but that
proved insignificant in the big picture. My 12x Philips burner did the trick
just fine to burn all 3 cds in something close to 18 minutes. So far, so
good. I dropped out of Mandrake, slid the first boot CD into the CDROM drive
and restarted the machine.

I knew that Debian had no graphical interface for the install. No big deal.
They're nice but not necessary, as long as the text-based install is laid
out in a logical fashion. Debian was. But as I started to work my way
through the process, I knew I was in trouble.

When I began the process of installing device drivers, I realized there was
very little, if any support for the devices on my Frankenbox. Further
complicating the matter is the fact that, as I've said, the machine has two
video cards and two sound cards - one each on the mobo and pci upgrades.
This has caused confusion in the past with other installs.

I found no driver support for the network card (a Realtek 8029), the
SoundBlaster Live! sound card, or the Voodoo 3 video card. Kernel-loading
drivers for the CDROM also failed several times despite my best attempts.
There were no useful lp (printer) drivers. The descriptions of the drivers
were bare-bones. It was 5:15 a.m. yesterday when, after repeated attempts to
get to a minimal working system, I pulled the plug and re-installed
Mandrake.

I really was kind of bummed. I've heard great things about the stability and
power of Debian and was looking forward to putting it through the paces for
a few days, anyway. About mid-morning I received an email from Steve
Waterman (in fact, today's GnomeVOICE) with a precise description of his
approach to the Debian install. It was the first clear and concise guide I'd
seen. And, it was based on firsthand experience. So, after taking the
afternoon off and finally getting some sleep (I'd been up close to 30
hours), I started back in with the install, instructions in hand.

This time, with Steve's instructions, I did get through most of the install.
Still no obvious driver support for the Voodoo 3 or the SoundBlaster, but I
did, by pure trial and error, get the network card working. Using apt-get, I
upgraded the distribution from Potato to Woody, and found the process
marvelous. Thinking I'd finally made the grade, I rebooted to a new Debian
install ...

... a new Debian install without XWindow. As hard as I tried, as many
avenues as I pursued, I simply could not get XWindow to load. The first
problem was the Microsoft USB optical mouse. No problem. I pushed the
adapter on and slotted it as PS/2. Then the X server refused to start based
on the monitor settings. I tried virtually everything I knew to resolve the
error but, after 6 more hours, was still console based. I'm actually fine
with a console, but I don't think it will serve the full purpose of the
review or do full justice to the distribution. Once again, Mandrake is my
temporary Linux OS.

Given the short period of time for these reviews, I've decided to move on
for now. Slackware is next on the docket, and I'll have it installed and
working for next week. I'm not actually feeling defeated by Debian - just
pressed for time by an install process I hadn't anticipated. I'm going to
push Debian back to the end of the Great Distro Review and take the time to
do what I should have done to start with - research driver support and
solutions. There's still a mystique about the distro that's got me a bit
intrigued. I also refuse to walk away defeated!

The lesson? Why, I'd be glad to share it with you! Preparation, especially
when venturing off into uncharted waters, is paramount. I'll be better
prepared for a thorough Debian review in a few weeks. That's a promise.


Tony Steidler-Dennison