New to Debian

Skybear · 2026-07-10T05:22:32+0100

I’m going to be installing Debian on my laptop.

While I don’t anticipate any problems, is there anything I should be aware of going into it?

piorunz · 2026-07-10T06:08:07+0100

No, just jump right in! Debian is very solid and stable, comes with hardware drivers to aid installation. It is also easy and fast to learn. Have fun exploring new territory. Come back if you have any questions after installing.

CaffeineAddict · 2026-07-10T06:29:00+0100

Skybear said:
I’m going to be installing Debian on my laptop.

While I don’t anticipate any problems, is there anything I should be aware of going into it?

You now become super user, congrats!

wizardfromoz · 2026-07-10T07:35:14+0100

We've got your back...sing out if you need us.

Avagudweegend

wizardfromoz · 2026-07-10T07:46:54+0100

I should add a little on my above, on installers.

Ubuntu developed the Ubiquity installer, which since their 24.10 release has been replaced with its successor Subiquity.

Linux Mint still uses Ubiquity.

Your new "baby", Debian, uses the Calamares installer. It is noticeably different, but IMO very user-friendly.

Wiz

kc1di · 2026-07-10T11:40:06+0100

Debian is a fine Distro and you should have no problems. It does some things a little different and you may have to configure things to suit your style. But all in all you should be able to get it going with minimal fuss. We are here to help if needed. Good Luck!

Perpetual Padawan · 2026-07-10T11:50:58+0100

Debian is the Big Great Grandaddy of about a zillion other distros, including Ubuntu, Mint, Zorin, MX, antiX, and literally hundreds more. You're on about the most stable, solid ground a Linux user can be on if you're using Debian Stable.

Skybear · 2026-07-10T12:36:27+0100

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the support!

ron.alan · 2026-07-10T13:11:20+0100

What's your Desktop Environment of choice? Just curious. As you can see in my signature, I use Mate. Xfce is also a good one.

Rocketing-warp9 · 2026-07-10T14:09:09+0100

Best wishes! Hope ya enjoy!

GatorsFan · 2026-07-10T16:14:20+0100

Add yourself to the sudoers list in Debian after installation

su root

then

sudo usermod -aG sudo username

reboot - now you can use sudo

Mike-BTU · 2026-07-10T19:02:30+0100

ron.alan said:
What's your Desktop Environment of choice?

Yes!

I use KDE Plasma with Debian 13, and couldn't possibly be any happier! And Wayland works flawlessly in it.

Mike-BTU · 2026-07-10T19:04:40+0100

DontBreakDebian - Debian Wiki

wiki.debian.org

CaffeineAddict · 2026-07-10T19:19:14+0100

Mike-BTU said:
I use KDE Plasma with Debian 13, and couldn't possibly be any happier! And Wayland works flawlessly in it.

Same for me, except wayland, I refuse to convert.

Mike-BTU · 2026-07-10T19:33:51+0100

CaffeineAddict said:
Same for me, except wayland, I refuse to convert.

I have dual monitors, two different sizes. And IIRC Wayland was created to handle that situation.

Skybear · 2026-07-11T04:12:28+0100

ron.alan said:
What's your Desktop Environment of choice? Just curious. As you can see in my signature, I use Mate. Xfce is also a good one.

I’m not sure which DE I want. So I’ll load a few, try them out, and then decide. I’m loading them into UTM. It should be easy to remove the ones I don’t want. I’ve used Gnome on Ubuntu so I can probably skip that one.

Skybear · 2026-07-11T04:20:56+0100

I’m using UTM on a Mac, so I need to get the ARM-based ISO.

I already had UTM installed. Great program. Easy to use and very clean GUI.

I found a good video for installing Debian on UTM / Mac :

Skybear · 2026-07-11T05:02:52+0100

I have come across an error message when installing Debian:

Followed by this message:

wizardfromoz · 2026-07-11T05:27:55+0100

Likely someone with more knowledge than I on Macs and networking issues will be able to assist.

However if I understand that UTM is a virtual machine solution, then you could look to switch from NAT to Bridged and see if it detects your physical router settings.

HTH and good luck.

Wiz