[GLLUG] Re: cheap cd-rw drives

[Ben Pfaff]

Bruce Smith <brucesmith at chartermi.net> writes:

> I've heard good things about Debian, and I've make a few attempts to try
> Debian and never got very far.  In fact I've never got past the install.

Debian's installer has always sucked.  It has always been the
worst part of the distribution.  However, this is changing.

> It's been a little while since my last attempt, so maybe the install
> process has improved.  I heard something about a new/improved installer
> that is still in beta.  It it still in beta?  Does it work?  If so, how
> can I use it?  If I download the latest stable ISO images, will they
> contain the new installer?  I would really like to try Debian again ...

The new installer is still in beta; it is part of the "testing"
and "unstable" distributions.  If you install "testing", you can
use the new installer.  I had occasion to try it out a few weeks
ago when I bought a new machine.  It works great, especially when
you compare it to the older versions.  I described a few minor
errata in a bug report, and quite possibly these have already
been fixed.

Also: if you install a machine with Debian, you will probably
never have to use the installer again on that machine again.  On
my last three or four computers, I have installed Debian exactly
once each.  Although I've upgraded them often ("apt-get update &&
apt-get dist-upgrade), there's never any reason to re-install
from scratch.

If you wait for the new installer to be part of a released
distribution, you will be waiting a long time.  Debian might
release sometime this calendar year, but I'm not holding my
breath.
-- 
Regarding a Microsoft/Xerox agreement:
	"This is a match made in heaven.
	 Both companies excel at copying other people's work."
--douglas at min.net <URL:http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=99/05/16/2211252>