* ZephyrQ ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) [021118 19:48]: > I've pretty much decided to take the Debian plunge, but now I need some > direction.
Congratulations! =) > Is it better to wipe my partition clean (it has SuSE 8 right now) and > then install? My /home partition is on another physical drive (for now) Yeah, I'd say wipe it. Back up anything valuable. It's good that you have a separate /home; you can use it straightaway during the installation. The only thing to watch out for are config files under your home directory that may be for incompatible versions of programs installed from woody (Debian stable). For example, if you have a .mozilla from a different version and it chokes -- just be aware that it's a potential source for "why does <foo> seg fault?" after installing. > so it will be fine, but what about other packages I have installed? > Save the tarballs and burn a CD? If they're valuable to you, and download time is expensive to you, it doesn't sound like a bad idea. You might also want to look individually at the sources you'd be saving and see if those programs are already available packaged for Debian (they probably are). If they'll all fit on one CD anyway, you might as well just save them anyway. > Also, who should I get the distribution from? I have a slow dial-up > connection, so downloading a whole system (with OOffice) is a bit > unweildy. try here: http://bradmont.net/index.cgi?cds.html Also note that OO.o is not available in the stable distribution, so if you want it, you will end up downloading it (or at least getting someone to mail you a custom CD separately). > I would also like a *little* dead-tree documentation to help > me through the install as I have heard it is a bear to accomplish. It's not quite as bad as its reputation. Most people think that because it's console-based instead of X11-based, that scores it twice as many difficulty points from the get-go. Especially if you've installed and run a GNU/Linux system before, it's manageable. > Along those lines, should I perhaps get Libranet? Or is the basic > install intuitive enough for me to walk through (4+ years with linux, > never re-compiled a kernal but did most everything else)? Yes; you'll be fine. > Finally, what problems should I expect and what is the best way to > correct (if possible)? The best way to prevent problems is to read the installation manual. Go ahead and print it out and keep it by your side; it won't hurt (except the trees). Then, if you have problems, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] =) good times, Vineet -- http://www.doorstop.net/ -- http://www.eff.org/
msg14069/pgp00000.pgp
Description: PGP signature
