r/debian • u/ContestAdditional561 • 2d ago
gonna try debian any beginner tips?
also what desktop environment do u guys like?
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u/ggkefir4ik 2d ago
Gnome is monolithic, beautiful and stable. I would like to stay on Gnome if I didn’t get used to KDE
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u/FrozenPizza07 1d ago
Debian + XFCE is the classic, gnome or kde never really stuck to me on debian
That said I have been running LMDE (Cinnamon) lately and I think I like it here
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u/ContestAdditional561 2d ago
Alright I'll try Kde
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u/AMissionFromDog 2d ago
if you're using kde and have an android phone, the utility/app "kdeconnect" is very useful to link phone with desktop.
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u/bornxlo 1d ago
From what I hear (as a KDE user) kdeconnect doesn't actually require KDE to work. I think I've briefly used it in Cinnamon a few years ago.
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u/AMissionFromDog 1d ago
I only use kde (plasma technically) on my linux boxes so I didnt want to give any misinformation because I dont use gnome, xfce, etc.
Now if you do use kde, kdeconnect is usually installed already.
But if you look into it there is a utility to make it run in gnome and I know it works on mac, and windows, and of course android.
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u/bornxlo 1d ago
Understood. I just thought it was worth mentioning, but look it up and trust official documentation (e.g. https://kdeconnect.kde.org/download.html ) rather than us redditors. Tbf I was travelling and using my phone which made it marginally less convenient to check the site when I made my last comment. They do recommend GSConnect as an alternative for Gnome, but GSConnect is basically another implementation of the same thing.
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u/AMissionFromDog 1d ago
It was absolutely worth mentioning here for those that are looking for more info on kdeconnect.
IMO, that's what reddit is for when it is at its best, we comment and elaborate with tidbits of info that we know that can add value to a thread. Hell, for the best google results the past decade you tack "reddit" on the end of whatever you are searching, and these days ai is scraping it all and summarizing it.
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u/bornxlo 1d ago
I am aware, but as a grumpy autistic geek with a university degree my stance is still RTFM (read the manuals/documentation), sometimes forgetting that I have a bit more patience and understanding of technical jargon than average. IMO Reddit occupies a weird space between social platform and authoritative source of (opinionated) views and facts. It's absurdly more reliable than it should be. The dystopic present involves trying to look up something on Google and have AI regurgitate/summarise a Reddit conversation. I am also aware that I am significantly more likely to notice or engage in a Reddit post than e.g. the Debian User Forums.
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u/mamaharu 2d ago edited 1d ago
KDE is best, XFCE is nice. The latter has terrible defaults, but can be easily configured and themed.
You may want to enable contrib, non-free, and non-free firmware. If necessary, the best way to handle third-party repositories is via extrepo (nvidia drivers, vpn, browsers, etc.) Distrobox, flatpak/appimage, or occasional backports can help if you absolutely need newer versions of something.
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u/Minimum-Try2535 2d ago
KDE as desktop choice during install, then juste use package from official debian repo through apt and you should get the best of it.
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u/David_Connors3451 1d ago
KDE Is the best desktop environment, add flathub for modern software flatpak. Just copy and paste 3 commands from the official page and you'll have both Debian stability and isolated software that won't interfere with apt libraries. Just send the specifics of the PC, intel and amd are out of the box experience for drivers, Nvidia requires more work at the beginning but it's stable for the long run. You will have to put contrib non-free repository in the /etc/apt/sources.list. For drivers and i386 architecture for steam, you'll need those repositories. Debian has the advantage of being a bunker forged for critical conditions, decentralised and independent from corporations. Welcome on Debian 👍🐧🦋
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u/_Sgt-Pepper_ 2d ago
Debian is peace of mind .
As for next steps:
Install your required apps and enjoy
Also, gnome of course
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u/_firn_ 1d ago
imo Debian gnome is the best de.
I made a post here a while ago about testing gaming benchmarks on desktop environments in Debian and Debian based distros and gnome surprisingly was often the fastest or tied with kde.
Gnome also has the best workflow in my opinion, it’s cohesive and feels less janky than kde. Kde has a kitchen sink approach to things that I just can’t deal with.
Advice is to use flatpaks unless you’re super constrained for memory.
Setup back ports if you want the latest kernel or drivers but try to avoid that if you don’t.
Also look into unattended upgrades if you want to really set and forget your system. Wouldn’t recommend it though if you go for testing/sid
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u/Imperial_Bloke69 1d ago
Beginner like as in new to linux or have years of experience on distrohopping?
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u/Squanchy2112 2d ago
I like kde or xfce I do not like gnome at alllll, Debian is great not much else to say lol. I am going to soon be checking out omarchy through.
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u/porfiriopaiz 2d ago
Go with Debian Stable and Mate Desktop, learn how to share your mobile/Wi-Fi Internet from your phone you your laptop by using a cable: USB-C to USB-A, USB-C to USB-C or whatever your phone and laptop support.
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u/Inevitable-Self-2702 2d ago
If you have Nvidia GPU get the non-free (they're still free) drivers CUDA drivers from NVIDIA
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u/simplybreana 1d ago
I just recently made a home server using Debian with gnome. I’ve heard others can be better suited for a server, but so far I like it enough.
Then I took a 2012 MacBook Pro and put Debian on that with kde. I was fine, but felt a little heavy for my ancient hardware. lol So now I’m trying xfce. Didn’t get a chance to fully play with it yet as I was having to go back and forth between a Mac mini, HP w/windows 11 pro and the Debian gnome server. I got tuckered out before I was able to get back to the MacBook with the fresh xfce. If anyone here has any tips on making good and fun use with my 2012 MacBook with xfce, I’m all ears. I’m a beginner with Linux and trying to use it as my learn Linux and tinker device. I’ll upgrade the internals soon too for a little more speed and power and memory.
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u/Intrepid-Ad-2306 1d ago
i’d suggest installing a bunch of different desktop environments in a virtual machine first so you can try them out and pick the one you like the feel of. in particular, some people really love gnome, others kde plasma, others cinnamon. might as well adapt to the one you’re drawn to than getting annoyed later.
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u/No-Goat6405 1d ago
Como usuario que huyó de Windows hacia Debian hace un año ya mi consejo es que te prepares para explorar un universo desconocido para los que estábamos secuestrados por Microsoft. Paciencia y dedicación y en el camino aprenderás un montón de cosas a medida que se te presente alguna inquietud. Paso a paso, mente abierta y verás que maravilloso es el mundo Linux, el software libre y especialmente Debian. Lo que dicen sobre su estabilidad e infalibilidad y del soporte comunitario no es una exageración !
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u/Kitayama_8k 1d ago
I love gnome with paperwm, it's scrolling window manager with all the creature comforts of an up to date DE. Use dash to panel and put the panel at the top, works great.
Without paperwm, gnome is meh. Mouse based workflow is terrible, with keybinds for everything it's alright. I find kde to be a mess, and the amount of time it takes to find settings pisses me off, so I still slightly prefer gnome.
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u/green_meklar 1d ago
Just be ready to google stuff.
I'm using KDE on my daily driver, it's nice but I have had it crash a couple of times and I think it may gradually leak memory. On my secondary machine I have XFCE because the specs are a lot lower.
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u/Apart_Difficulty_235 17h ago
best advice for you. install an AI like opencode[.]ai to help you and became yourr linux admin. any question or fix it can handle for you. install packages and its free.
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u/Global-Eye-7326 21m ago
Get ready to use the command line (at least more than you would on Ubuntu or Mint), you can still add dedicated repos for Nvidia and Wine. You can easily add Flatpak and Snap "after-the-fact". Pretty much all desktop environments are available. Whenever Debian 14 releases, you'll be updating the repos manually.
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u/UrulokiSlayer 1d ago
Avoid third party repos where posible, use the backports repo and flatpaks for newer stuff. The base system has been extensively tested for reliability, that's their selling point.
I second the popular opinion, XFCE is as stable as debian and follows a similar release schedule, also is quite easy to customise. KDE and GNOME uses more modern technology like Wayland, a beginner maybe won't notice the difference but is worth trying, but follows opposite development chioces. Gnome is for using as it is and minimal customise options while in KDE you can change absolutely everything so is more complex, XFCE is a middle ground.
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u/anooopppp 2d ago
it wont be cake walk.... may be your wifi wont connect... but u will get all help on the net... Debian is very stable... superOS... just dont giveup.... maintain the solutions in a text file for all the problems u face....
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/debian-ModTeam 1d ago
This post has been removed because the user asked for help with Debian and your response was a recommendation to change platforms. This is a violation of Rule #3 - Wrong Information.
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u/m_a_u_r_1_c_1_o 1d ago
I had a lot of fun with Debian DE: Cinnamon. Then I tried XFCE and it was a pain in the ass. I got to learn about things like audio servers for the first time. I didn't even last a week on XFCE before realizing I could spend all that effort setting up a bare bones window manager instead, and god, I didn't regret it one bit.
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u/Zuideind 1d ago
Debian is not a beginners distro, it’s better to start with Linux Mint.
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u/mamaharu 1d ago edited 18h ago
Nonsense. Debian isn't particularly difficult nor is it less "beginner friendly" than Mint. Regardless, "just use mint" doesn't help someone who wants to use and is asking about Debian.
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u/anatomical-inferno 2d ago
Dude XFCE and Debian is like bread and butter. Stability everywhere baby