[HLUG] debian 3.1

[j michaelson]

hello everyone,

i bought linux format and it had debian 3.1 on the cover dvd. i've
tried debian based distros like ubuntu and kubuntu but they didn't
come with much software (this is a major problem since i don't have an
internet connection), so i was quite keen to give debian a try.

the installation seemed a bit prehistoric compared to distros like
suse but it didn't give me any problems. the only problem i did have
was with the screen resolution, the maximum i could set it too was
800x600, which is a bit low considering my monitor can handle
1600x1200. i couldn't find any yast-like graphical configuration tools
so i had to open a root terminal and use this command...

dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

... i guessed my way through most of it and enabled the higher
resolutions that i wanted.

i'm still getting used to debian, but i kind of like it. it lacks a
lot of the fancy graphical tools of the more modern distros, but that
just pushes me to actually learn a bit more about the system. i like
the fact that they favour older stable programs instead of the buggier
modern versions (nothing to stop me installing the newer stuff if i
want it). their ideology is pretty sound too.

john michaelson