Debian 6.0.4 @#$!!!!

[Myself]

I installed Debian 6, with Gnome, due to having problem getting kdenlive to work without crashing on LMDE Xfce 64bit.

Kdenlive works fine in Debian but after the 1st update Debian is broken due to 'lxappearance,' (I tried uninstalling it and reinstalling - even tired a .deb version from Ubuntu's site), and not recognising root password, issues, so I cannot update further, or install any more programs. Very annoying and disappointing as it's supposed to be the 'stable' version.
Reading on-line advise seems the only solution is to upgrade to Sid version.

Now that I know kdenlive works on Debian with Gnome I think I'll replace Debain with LMDE Gnome. Just hope LMDE Gnome recognises I have other OSs installed and doesn't wipe-out Grub as Debian did.

Linux Mint team have done an amazing job with making LMDE as good as it is.

Anyone else been disappointed by Debian 6.0.4?

[Aethyr]

I completely fail to see how "lxappearance" affects your root password. Sorry, but if you don't know what you're doing, it's not Debian's fault. No offence. But Linux is not Windows. If something is wrong, it means YOU did something that shouldn't have been done, be it installing broken packages (since when is installing a .deb meant for Ubuntu a valid solution to a problem with Debian Stable?), or altering config files or whatnot.

Geez... You can try to shift the blame all you want...

[Myself]

Yes! Very helpful reply!

How can I have done something when all I installed was kdenlive and then accepted the one update available from Debian.

I searched the Internet for a solution to the two separate errors created by the Debian update and found many others who have had the same problem. It's not just me. Linux users and developers wishing to get more Windows users converting to Linux do not help by suggesting that it's all the users fault when something goes wrong! Very off putting!

[craigevil]

Where did you get the kdenlive package? and how did you install it? Debian stable is just that stable it doesn't break unless you do something insane like installing a package from Ubuntu. If you use the debian-mutimedia.org repo it should install and work just fine.

Sent from my MOTWX435KT using Tapatalk

[TBABill]

I too would have to wonder where kdenlive came from. I was running Debian 6 and still am since it released on an old laptop. I've tried to break the OS a few times because it got boring by never having issues. I've added a lot of software, but all from the repos (multimedia and standard) and haven't had any update breakages. Not saying it can't happen, just wondering how it broke following installing one package and then updating, unless the update downloaded file(s) got corrupted by errors during transmission. That'll bork any system.

[MALsPa]

Anyone else been disappointed by Debian 6.0.4?

Not me. I've been running Squeeze (GNOME) since July 2010, well before it went to "Stable," and have had no problems keeping it fully updated, so of course I'm at 6.0.4 now. Completely solid.

Just hope LMDE Gnome recognises I have other OSs installed and doesn't wipe-out Grub as Debian did.

Huh? That didn't happen here -- not with Squeeze, and not with any earlier Debian version. Sure you didn't do something wrong?

[vrkalak]

I have been using, the same Debian OS, on my main PC, built from a net.install for a few years now.
I keep it set to 'stable' plus 'backports' ... as I need stability for my work.

Same OS install has worked great since, the day Lenny (Debian 5) was released and through Debian 6 Squeeze.
And I didn't know anything about Debian, when I installed it. (I had only used Fedora before this)

Debian OS is well-known for being rock solid stable - always.

Debian stable is just that stable it doesn't break unless you do something insane like installing a .deb package from Ubuntu.

I have never had an OS b0rk on me that was not self-inflicted.

[Myself]

I did nothing wrong as is confirmed by the vast number of issues reported on the Internet.

I have said before all I did was a basic install, with connection to Internet, and then installed kdenlive using Debian's Synaptic. After that I checked for Updates and there was just one so I installed it, or tried to, but it gave an error relating to lxappearance. I tried to use Terminal but found that it refused the root password ... ...which I now know is an issue with Debian 6.

I only tried installing the lxappearance deb file from Ubuntu after having tried everything else I had read on fixing the issues. Most of the info I got was from Debian's site and one serriously has to search to find it among the clutter of the site. The info on using the Ubuntu came from a Debian SID user.

Those of you posting that Debian 6 is rock solid have been extremely lucky, or downloaded a special version of the iso, as many others have not been so lucky, including experts who have given-up on it.

I'm posting just a tiny sample of Debian 6 issue links from the Internet below. There are far, far, too many to post all the ones I have read and believe me I have not read them all as I certainly won't live that long.

" Negative review of Debian 6 Squeeze, focusing on the large number of problems during the installation and initial setup
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/debian-6.html
http://www.osnews.com/story/24535/Debian_6_Squeeze_Not_Good
About the author:
Igor Ljubuncic aka Dedoimedo is the guy behind dedoimedo.com. He makes a living out of his very hobby - Linux, and holds a bunch of certifications that make a nice pile in the bottom drawer. "

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2142632

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=65968

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/lxappearance

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=59198&p=344330&hilit=lxappearance

http://packages.debian.org/sid/lxde

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic/10734/solved-murrinegit-and-lxappearancegit/

http://us.generation-nt.com/answer/bug-654968-lxappearance-program-does-not-start-help-205982432.html

http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.linux.debian.devel.bugs.general

http://help.lockergnome.com/linux/Bug-654968-lxappearance-program-start--ftopict548365.html

http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2011/06/msg00403.html

http://www.debian.org/security/2012/dsa-2443

http://stolowski.blogspot.com/2011/05/fixing-usb-drives-automount-issue-in.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRHsmlRaC30

http://www.debian.org/releases/squeeze/debian-installer/

http://us.generation-nt.com/answer/problem-debian-6-help-202472012.html

http://linux.derkeiler.com/Mailing-Lists/Debian/2011-11/msg01199.html

" The Debian project is pleased to announce the third update of its stable distribution Debian 6.0 (codename squeeze). This update mainly adds corrections for security problems to the stable release, along with a few adjustments to serious problems." http://www.debian.org/News/2011/20111008

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Debian-6-0-1-Fixes-Several-Security-and-Stability-Issues-190703.shtml

http://support.rstudio.org/help/discussions/questions/194-problems-with-login-on-debian-6-and-ubuntu

[Aethyr]

Linux users and developers wishing to get more Windows users converting to Linux do not help by suggesting that it's all the users fault when something goes wrong! Very off putting!

Who told you we want to get more windows users? Who told you I care?

http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm This is written for people like you

Also, your last post is... Blablablablabla, Debian 6 has a few errors, what OS doesn't. Also, self-proclaimed Linux experts = the worst source of information. You can search the internet for issues with Debian Stable all you want, and you'll come up with tons, I'm sure. It doesn't change the fact that Linux is power to the user. Which means YOU broke your system, it didn't break itself. Too bad.

[nitehawk]

Myself....
have you tried posting over on the Debian forum?
They honestly are a bit better bunch lately,...and will most likely be helpful. (I run Debian 6,...happily I must say).
..er,...why are you posting here,..if you say you installed Debian 6 ???
I know this thread is about different distros,.......but you'll get more help over on the Debian forum.

[MALsPa]

Those of you posting that Debian 6 is rock solid have been extremely lucky, or downloaded a special version of the iso, as many others have not been so lucky, including experts who have given-up on it.

I'm posting just a tiny sample of Debian 6 issue links from the Internet below. There are far, far, too many to post all the ones I have read and believe me I have not read them all as I certainly won't live that long.

Wow, extremely lucky? I guess, then, there's no point in folks who are looking for a stable distro to turn to this version of Debian Stable, right?

I can assure you that I didn't download any special .iso version, though. Here, Squeeze just works, just like Lenny and Etch just worked. I'm also running Mepis 11, based on Squeeze, and SalineOS (now at version 1.6), also based on Squeeze, and those also just work.

So, whatever, good luck with LMDE (it'll probably "just work," too).

[AlbertP]

The installer is not as easy but after install Debian 6 is a stable distro running well on an older computer. But its packages are indeed somewhat outdated, such as Linux 2.6.32 which does not yet work with many of today's wifi dongles. It also happens at times that an older version of a program isn't yet as stable.

[monkeyboy]

Yes! Very helpful reply!

How can I have done something when all I installed was kdenlive and then accepted the one update available from Debian.

I searched the Internet for a solution to the two separate errors created by the Debian update and found many others who have had the same problem. It's not just me. Linux users and developers wishing to get more Windows users converting to Linux do not help by suggesting that it's all the users fault when something goes wrong! Very off putting!

Dude you never asked for help in your original post and after reading some of your earlier posts it looks like you are the victim of many strange and unusual problems. Perhaps its hardware or the basic Linux learning curve that is giving you problems. Good Luck

[MALsPa]

Just hope LMDE Gnome recognises I have other OSs installed and doesn't wipe-out Grub as Debian did.

I kept detailed notes on each step of my Squeeze installation (as I do with every Linux installation I do) and I had no problems with installing grub. I wrote in my notes that I was asked if I wanted to install grub to the MBR, and I chose "no" and chose Squeeze's / partition for the boot loader installation, and that was that; I had no problems booting into my other distros. It sounds to me like you installed grub to the MBR, which would be your mistake. Or are you saying that the installer didn't give you this option?

No doubt everything in Squeeze is not flawless. I haven't tried to install and use kdenlive here, so I can't speak about that. But you asked if anyone else is disappointed with Debian 6.0.4. Things have been great here; I haven't run into the problems you've run into. I don't think it has anything to do with luck. Some of the issues you've written about in other posts could have been easily fixed -- for example, I can run Nautilus in Xfce just fine; are you familiar with the nautilus --no-desktop command, etc.?

No offense intended when I ask if you might have done something wrong; when I run into issues, that's the first thing I'm gonna ask myself! And I would also ask myself, "Other people are running this system and they're happy with it, so what am I not doing right? What do they know that I don't know?"

Hopefully things will work out for you.

[edziffel]

Have been trying a bunch of distros. Have installed linux on many different computers. From what I can tell, all distros act different on different hardware configurations.

Linux mint debain has been the only distro that loaded the 3.x kernel on my 2010 dell xps510 laptop correctly. It did take two tries as the initial update failed. I noted the failure point, reinstalled (maybe I didn't have to, but if you start tweaking before you even get started, that is generally a very bad sign of massive future grief to come) by reformatting all the partitions, dual boot win7/linux, use /boot , /(root) and /swap. Unchecked the failed component, did the initial update and everything else worked flawlessly.

Then did a second update and the item that originally failed worked just like it should. All is well.

When I tried

Also tried with massive failures on the same machine, same partitions, etc. Fedora 16, Let's just say for sure wait until 17 has been out for a while. Ubuntu 10.04 did not work either, but that might be all because I did not install the correct nvidia driver.

I have found doing a complete format and reload is a best option. If things get to weird, then try a different distro. Some things may not be able to be fixed, some take much longer than it is worth, and sometimes just trying a different distro is the way easy button saving hours/days of sweat.

Having run a windows computer repair shop for many years, I can say for sure Linux rules.