This page is meant to collect frequently asked questions from the [http://lists.debian.org/debian-user debian-user] mailing list. The contents are licenced under the terms of GPLv2 or, in the event a DFSG compatible licences is applied to [http://wiki.debian.org wiki.debian.org] at large, then under that licence. Posting material to this page is an acceptance of this.
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. If you just need a few newer packages try http://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 then you could try unstable. Each Debian distribution has its pros and cons. Here are some:
Stable
- released approx. 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 next Stable 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 can even happen daily.
- serious breakage can (and likely will) occur; requires good skills to maintain, but good for learning if you don't mind the downtime.
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.
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, 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 delete all but the list address.
-- SalokineTerata ?DateTime(2007-11-09T22:28:54Z)
Hi AndreiPopescu. What do you think about to merge your page to DebianReleases, AptTools, ["Firefox"] and DebianMailingLists ? All this Wiki is a user FAQ
Thanks.
-- In my very humble oppinion (just because I initiated this page doesn't mean it belongs to me) I think the page should keep the answers as short as possible with lots of references to more thorough explanations. For example, if you don't mind, the explanations for various releases from "Should I run Sid/Testing" could be moved to DebianReleases (by the way, I will post some comments to that page). -- AndreiPopescu