LMDS

[jamvaru]

Linux Mint Debian Stable

I am making this thread so as not to clutter the other thread with a silly question ; perhaps this thread could be for silly questions

so,

1. how bout an .iso image for installing LMDS, rather than LMDE?
- - you take the info from the LMDS thread, which is a great tutorial, btw... and make a 'spin' for us newbs who want to be stable and try debian/mint style (i didnt read all 7 pages of posts, btw, so ... maybe there is a iso?)

2. can you just install LMDE and then eliminate the 'testing' repositories
- - eventually the stable repositories would catch up to your 'testing' versions and overtake them, right?

3. can you point us to a source for the older LMDE isos?
- - I would like to try the stable cycle, starting with an older version, so as to not have to wait for the repositories to catch up, right?

4. why are you talking about giving up on squeeze for wheezy?
- - i thought LMDE was rolling release, so you don't need to do a new install. but, that is if you use only testing repos? so, ideally we would want a wheezy .iso for LMDS, yes?

5. I have a debian 6 install in one of my testing partitions... would be neat if it could update itself to 7...
- - is that possible using the testing repos?

thanks...

any other questions... i will add them to the list, and post some answers, in the first thread, here

[cwsnyder]

Linux Mint Debian can point to any of the Debian repositories, as well as the Mint repositories. Simply change the /etc/apt/sources.list file.

My present sources.list file for mint is

Code: Select all

cws@cwshome:~$ cat /etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ debian main upstream import backport romeo
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest testing main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/security testing/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/multimedia testing main non-free
cws@cwshome:~$

to change it to a stable list would be to change it to something like:

Code: Select all

cws@cwshome:~$ cat /etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ debian main upstream import backport romeo
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest stable main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/security stable/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/multimedia stable main non-free
cws@cwshome:~$

But if you want the 'stable' branch for Debian, then the Debian 6.0.3 install would be better. It would not have the Minty goodness, but it would be supported and tested to work together.

As far as your request for 'older LMDE isos', all of the existing LMDE ISO files are based off Debian Wheezy (testing). There are no existing Debian Squeeze (stable) ISOs. If you just keep your shirt on, when Debian releases Debian Wheezy 7.0 in early 2013, simply point to wheezy instead of testing and you will have your Debian stable packages. Be aware that there will be no new package updates, only security updates, from that point on, period. If you want the latest Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or whatever, or the latest LibreOffice offering, it will not show up in the repositories without an update to the sources.list file pointing to other repositories.

Debian 6 will not automatically update to Debian 7. Any installation from a Debian disk points to a particular version with the sources.list file. The upgrade process involves an edit of the /etc/apt/sources.list, then going through an update/upgrade. If you have the sources pointing to 'stable' instead of a particular version (squeeze, wheezy), then the update will be mostly automatic for the Debian repositories, only. Many of the third party repositories do not have a Debian 'stable' listing, only a version listing. The same will happen to 'testing'. If you point to testing only, Debian repositories will update automatically, most third-party repos won't.

[KBD47]

I'm also a Debian Stable fan, but at this point Wheezy is in freeze, I'm running two installs of Wheezy that are rock solid, they are still squashing bugs, but I'm not having any issues. In probably less than six months Wheezy will be the new Stable, so you could use it and just follow it into the new Stable, LMDE can get you there, and there are some things to consider in that larger thread for Stable.
If you insist on using Squeeze, it can be done. Do some googling and you can find the older iso's for LMDE, I found them a few months ago. I'm thinking 201009, 201104, don't quote me though You will need to change to Squeeze sources, and you might lose some Mintiness, or all Mintiness. Honestly the only reason to use LMDE for Squeeze at this point is Mint's nicer/easier installer, and somewhat fresher software. But if you can handle the Debian installer, that and backports will get you into Stable.
Again, been running Wheezy for months and it's solid, newer software, and it's headed for the new Stable just months from now

[zerozero]

cwsnyder,
that second block of sources.list can't be right; mint doesn't mirror stable, only latest and incoming; so anyone trying to use those repos would get a lot of 404;

jamvaru,
as in all the topics requesting a stable lmde i have to ask: have you tried lmde? the default lmde with repos pointing at latest? and what issues you found (don't remember you posted any) so that you have to have a lmde-stable?
lmde is stable

[cwsnyder]

@zerozero: You are correct, I haven't tried the second block, that was just a wild stab, and I would probably have to do a lot of fine tuning to get anything working. At present, with testing frozen before the release of Wheezy, as you say LMDE is stable, or as near as you can get. After Wheezy is released, then LMDE would follow the testing repository, which is still less volatile than Ubuntu/Linux Mint regular.

Which is one of the major reasons I run LMDE as my base system.

Since LMDE was created after the release of Squeeze to track testing, there never has been a release tracking Squeeze, though, or at least not officially of which I know.

[jamvaru]

ok, i think i understand what i did not before

stable means, sort of like horse stable... these are the programs and versions that work together in xyz version
each of the programs is updated only for that version, like 15.01, etc.

there ARE ways to upgrade to newer versions by manipulating your repos (where it gets tricky) but it is dangerous to the stability of the system ;]

as far as LMDE... I figured it was just unstable, as stable is stable and not stable is ... what, if not unstable?
testing is an inbetween period where things are in the process of becoming stable, so beta, rather than alpha
I disliked that I couldn't install wine with ease in LMDE... i don't recall any other reason for dropping it, other thay why use it if it is going to be a pain to install some thing, like wine... reading the install instructions gave me a headache, lol

I may try lmde again

here's a bit of a tricky question: can I take my Deb 6 install and turn it into an LMDE install, or partly so?
mintmenu, etc.?

what proper steps would need to be taken to 'upgrade' it to 'testing' with 'mintiness'?
and in what proper order should they be taken, so as to be able to stop along the way and enjoy the view, so to speak?

is this odd or am I making some sense?

[cwsnyder]

There is more information in the thread viewtopic.php?f=197&t=91405 about this topic.

LMDE & Wine at viewtopic.php?f=197&t=112746 and other threads in the LMDE HowTo threads.

viewtopic.php?f=197&t=101438 contains instructions on changing Debian Wheezy Xfce to LMDE Xfce.