What's the advantage of Kali Linux?

[Priest_Apostate]

I can't answer to the others - but I found out that vim on the Debian 12 was actually set up with vim.tiny. Once that was removed and installed with the correct one, the vim commands that I've been studying for the LPIC-1 then began to work as expected. vim.tiny doesn't have the same functionality with those expected commands.

I used the which command, which gave me the /usr/bin/vi.
I then used the readlink -f command on /usr/bin/vi - this gave me the /usr/bin/vim.tiny listing.

Personally, I don't know why that wasn't advertised (as it would have saved me some hours trying to figure out why were my inputted commands not working) - but once I installed vim (then removed that vim.tiny), the commands properly worked.

This might help for you (https://linux-tips.us/install-the-full-version-of-vim-in-ubuntu/).

 

[Trenix25]

I can't answer to the others - but I found out that vim on the Debian 12 was actually set up with vim.tiny. Once that was removed and installed with the correct one, the vim commands that I've been studying for the LPIC-1 then began to work as expected. vim.tiny doesn't have the same functionality with those expected commands.

I used the which command, which gave me the /usr/bin/vi.
I then used the readlink -f command on /usr/bin/vi - this gave me the /usr/bin/vim.tiny listing.

Personally, I don't know why that wasn't advertised (as it would have saved me some hours trying to figure out were my inputted commands not working) - but once I installed vim (then removed that vim.tiny), the commands properly worked.

This might help for you (https://linux-tips.us/install-the-full-version-of-vim-in-ubuntu/).

My /usr/bin/vi points to /etc/alternatives/vi which points to /usr/bin/vim.athena. I do have a /usr/bin/vim.tiny, but it doesn't appear to be connected. Using /usr/bin/ls -al should read those symlinks. I'm seeing a reference count of 1 on each of those showing that there are no hard links associated with any of those files.

Signed,

Matthew Campbell

 

[osprey]

@Priest_Apostate wrote:

I can't answer to the others - but I found out that vim on the Debian 12 was actually set up with vim.tiny. Once that was removed and installed with the correct one, the vim commands that I've been studying for the LPIC-1 then began to work as expected. vim.tiny doesn't have the same functionality with those expected commands.

I used the which command, which gave me the /usr/bin/vi.
I then used the readlink -f command on /usr/bin/vi - this gave me the /usr/bin/vim.tiny listing.

Personally, I don't know why that wasn't advertised (as it would have saved me some hours trying to figure out why were my inputted commands not working) - but once I installed vim (then removed that vim.tiny), the commands properly worked.

The default installation of debian installs a lot of basic programs to enable a functional system and doesn't make too many judgment calls about them. It leaves a lot of choice for the user with its great number of packages. In this case of text editors, it installs a few like basic vim and nano. The user is then free to alter things.

In relation to the use of vi and vim, it's "no bad thing" to be able to run both of these text editors from the same family, especially if one is in the position of dealing with a number of different linux installations, some of which only have vi installed with no other options.

It was common in older installations, especially servers, to only have vi, so dealing with them to write text to create or alter configuration files was the only option. Some keyboards only had the qwerty sections so navigation in files had no arrow keys.

It's possible to experience the peculiarities of vi from vim by setting the following in a file:

:set compatible

Then the file will only respond to vi commands. Some differences are that it uses the letter keys: h, j, k, l, for navigation in Esc mode, and doesn't use the arrow, home or end keys. There's no syntax highlighting. There are other differences. To return to modern vim functioning, set the following in the file:

:set nocompatible

The user can see some terse info on the matter in vim by setting in the file one has open:

:help compatible

To exit the help screen, type in Esc mode:

:q

and that should close the help screen and take you back to your file. Note that if these manipulations are done in a file, they only apply to that file. To make settings persistent one needs to use the .vimrc file.

 

[Priest_Apostate]

I think my main issue was that because I was focused on studying for my cert (as well as gaining further expertise in Linux, of course), I was trying to find out why were my inputted commands screwing up - as I tend to focus on user error as the immediate cause first. So it was reassuring to learn that it wasn't just me.

ETA: I also can't speak to the installation of basic vim, as I wasn't given the explicit choice to install vim.tiny - if that were the case, I would have (out of curiosity) researched for the differences between that, and regular vim.

 

[Priest_Apostate]

But to get back to Kali, is it fair to say that aside from the packages that come with it, there isn't a difference between it, and Debian?

 

[f33dm3bits]

The advantage of Kali is that we get to tell new Linux users not to use Kali.

 

[CaffeineAddict]

The advantage of Kali is that we get to tell new Linux users not to use Kali.

Perhaps, even more realistic advantage of Kali is that it attracts new Linux users?

I got to know Linux thanks to Backtrack videos on youtube, and very likely new Linux users experience the same with Kali.
Then only after that, it's your\our turn to tell those newcomers to install something else instead of Kali.

 

[f33dm3bits]

Perhaps, even more realistic advantage of Kali is that it attracts new Linux users?

For the wrong reasons, most of those users just want to become "hackers" and don't actually care about Linux, Linux is just a road block in the way they need to get past as fast as possible. I guess it can be a reason but there's never a good enough reason the skip the basics so that you get get moving to your actual goal.

 

[Trenix25]

For the wrong reasons, most of those users just want to become "hackers" and don't actually care about Linux, Linux is just a road block in the way they need to get past as fast as possible. I guess it can be a reason but there's never a good enough reason the skip the basics so that you get get moving to your actual goal.

In that case, they aren't becoming hackers. They are becoming script kids that only know how to use tools written by others. A real hacker knows a lot, like about operating systems and networks. Before becoming a hacker a person needs to learn a handful of programming/scripting languages and a decent amount about operating systems and networking. How will they help their clients if they don't have such knowledge? So many think there's a magical hack button buried in there somewhere and they want to find it in their quest for cyberdomination.

Signed,

Matthew Campbell

 

[f33dm3bits]

In that case, they aren't becoming hackers.

I know that, if you aren't willing to go through the basics but see the basics as an obstacle than you won't get anywhere when it comes to anything.

 

[Terminal Velocity]

There is a major effort the last few years to make Debian user friendly and take to consideration totally new users straight from Windows. In that regard Debian and Kali are going very different paths. I don't know how the Kali developers are taking a user friendly base distribution and make it the pain that Kali is