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Using Debian

Should I be running Testing/Unstable(Sid) instead of Stable/Testing?

This is something that you as a user and administrator of your system have to decide for yourself. Basically each Debian distribution has its pros and cons. Here are some:

Stable

• released aprox. every 1.5 years
• has security support and occasional bug-fixes (point releases)
• very stable, thoroughly tested, recommended for environments where frequent changes are not desired and high uptimes are required
• can have oldish software and lack support for new hardware

Testing

• testing ground for the new release
• packages have already received some testing in unstable
• security support
• bug fixes have to go through unstable first (min. 10 days)
• because of this any breakage will take at least 10 days to be fixed
• requires some skill to maintain

Unstable (a.k.a. Sid)

• contains packages uploaded by the developers for the next release, but will never be released. Instead, packages will migrate to testing if no bugs are found in 10 days (and there are no dependency problems)
• usually has quite new software
• no security support similar to stable or testing, but updated packages usually also incorporate security fixes
• changes happen even daily
• serius breakages can (and will) occur, requires good skills to maintain, but good for learning if you don't mind the downtimes

Experimental

This is not a regular distribution (you cannot run on experimental), but it is mentioned here for completeness

• a place for maintainers to upload packages which are not suitable for unstable, but still need a wider audience for testing
• no security support and some packages can stay here for long times without any updates

• usage is not recommended unless you really know what you are doing

If you just need a few newer packages try www.backports.org before considering an upgrade. If you have Debian on a desktop machine testing might be an option, but it's not really recommended for production machines. If you want all the newest software Debian can provide and don't mind/can handle breakage than you could try unstable.

Which is the best package manager?

While "the best" package manager is a matter of personal oppinion, the Debian project and many Debian users recommend aptitude. See [http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2004/04/msg03138.html here] for more details.

Does Debian have Firefox (what is Iceweasel)?

Debian ships with Iceweasel, basically a rebranded Firefox (reference needed).

Posting on debian-user

What is top-posting (and why shouldn't I do it)?

Both questions can be answered with this example (seen in some sig):

• A: Because it messes up the way you read Q: Why is top-posting bad? A: Writing your answer before the question Q: What is top-posting?

How should I post/reply to debian-user?

Please see the [http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct Code of conduct] for Debian mailing lists. It is also helpful if you ask your questions in a [http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html smart way] and answer by [http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html quoting] properly.

Why doesn't this list facilitate easy replies to the list (a.k.a. reply-to-munging)?

See [http://www.unicom.com/pw/reply-to-harmful.html this] document for a thorough explanation. In case your e-mail client doesn't support List-reply (for Icedove/Thunderbird there is an extension) then please use Reply-to-all and leave just the list address.