Skills required for LMDE

[Zam]

Hello,

I've been running Mint for a year and am keen to try LMDE. On the download page it says, ‘LMDE requires a deeper knowledge and experience with Linux, dpkg and APT.’

Could someone tell me specifically what skills are needed, and how one might go about learning them?

Will I be able to set up printers, wi-fi, etc. just as in Mint?

Thank-you so much for your help,

Zam

[kurotsugi]

the download page said it all

LMDE requires a deeper knowledge and experience with Linux, dpkg and APT.

Code: Select all

Will I be able to set up printers, wi-fi, etc. just as in Mint?
- yes 

[jsalpha2]

I've been running Mint for a year

You don't say if you have been using Cinnamon, Mate, KDE, or Xfce. If one of the first two then you won't see much of a difference.
Most of the differences between regular Mint and Mint Debian Edition are under the hood. Compare to driving the same car with a six cylinder or a V8. If you don't look, you may not see the difference.
If you were using Mint Xfce or KDe, then you will have to change to Cinnamon or Mate. Some differences, but not to hard. Or switch to SolydXK, a distro developed after Mint DE quit making KDE and Xfce versions.
It is not Mint, but if you are comfortable with Mint, then you will feel at home there.

LMDE requires a deeper knowledge and experience with Linux, dpkg and APT

Like Oscar Meyer says, "Baloney."

The opinions stated above are mine and others may not agree. Try making a live USB and take a test drive.

[Crewp]

If you have been using Mint (Main Version) for a year, you should not have to much trouble with LMDE. If you get stuck, that's what we are here for.

[Zam]

Great, thanks. I have been using both MATE and Cinnamon; I'm currently trialing SolydX in a VM too. I’ll see how it goes.

Why does one need deeper knowledge of APT, when packages can still be installed via the Software Manager?

[Previous1]

I dunno. Maybe because Debian has no PPAs.

[kurotsugi]

Why does one need deeper knowledge of APT, when packages can still be installed via the Software Manager?

that's because you can't fix a broken system with software manager. we use apt for:
1. simulate package installation
2. fix broken package
3. fix a broken system

none of them could be done via software manager.

[gtsfer]

Like Oscar Meyer says, "Baloney."
The opinions stated above are mine and others may not agree. Try making a live USB and take a test drive.

I'm going with Oscar Meyer and jsalpha2 on this one. For your first try with Linux, maybe not LMDE. But I don't think it's any different than say LM 16, Mate or Cinnamon. You won't be using the terminal commands "any more" with LMDE.

If LMDE has "no PPAs", then exactly where is it that I get my updates and most of my software installs from? (using the default repositories)

[py-thon]

If LMDE has "no PPAs", then exactly where is it that I get my updates and most of my software installs from? (using the default repositories)

You get your updates (mintupdate checks for them or you can check with terminal) from the servers with LMDE-repositories (mint-mirrors contains the list). You can choose the mirror to use with mintsources (to get the fastest one).

PPA is something Ubuntu uses. But as LMDE is not based on Ubuntu you can get problems using a ppa.

You use the LMDE-repositories instead to get your software (in form of packages). You can install the packages with software manager, synaptic (package manager) or using the terminal. Packages thus installed are automatically (rather semi-automatically because you have to approve and type your password) checked for updates.
You can add other repositories to your sources list if you want (and trust the maintainer of the repository). For this you should have some in-depth-knowledge to avoid problems in case a package exists in more than one repository on your sources list.

If you are still missing some program (package) you can search for a package from Debian Testing (currently called Jessie) in https://www.debian.org/distrib/packages and install it with gdebi.
If you can't find it there you can look whether the maintainer of the program offers a deb-package to install with gdebi.
If you can't find that you can look for an rpm-package which you can convert into a deb-package (using alien) to install with gdebi.
Packages installed with gdebi are not automatically updated, so you have to check for new versions or vulnerabilities yourself.

[gtsfer]

Thanks for the clarification but it was more of a comment as I don't have a problem. Nice explanation tho.