* Erich Minderlein erminderlein@locoware.de [20061027 13:11]:
For the user applications I would like to use as much as possible stable applications, also for a low update rate. (gnome desktop, gdm, evolution...) For the hardware I am forced to use up to date kernel drivers X server etc . I did not succeed up to now to resolve these dependencies. So I cannot use the notebook. Do I need dbus ? it is broken when installing gnome desktop environment. I definitely need udev, but it is also broken. other dependencies may show up when continuing
So I cannot use the notebook up to now for user work. how to proceed.
Stable¹, up2date, low update-rate. Chose 2 of them. :)
* Very stable, not up2date, low update rate: Debian stable * Quite stable, more up2date, not so high update rate: Debian testing * Unstable, up2date, high update rate: Debian unstable
grml is similar to the third option, with less "Unstable" inside. If you are following the grml release cycle, the upgrade path² is not such pain in the ass. Especially because I run several regression tests and report every found problem to the Debian BTS³ (hey, call me a wrapper around Debian/unstable! 8-)), but also thanks to nifty stuff like grml-policy-rc.d (I hope you are aware of it, are you?).
Oh, and to keep the update rate in the third option lower: you could pin grml to Debian/testing (as proposed by T in his mail).
If nothing of the above is an option for you, and if Debian stable via d-i does not work, you can install plain Debian via grml:
http://michael-prokop.at/blog/2006/08/11/install-debian-etch-via-grml/
Make sure you get a recent kernel version then, use backports where necessary and useful.
But of course all of the above depends on your exact needs.
¹ Not necessarily as in "stable software", but as in "stable packagemangement, stable upgrade path, stable bugs".
² http://wiki.grml.org/doku.php?id=upgrading
³ http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?submitter=mika@grml.org
²^² Daddy, help! We are running out of iso8859-numbers. Let's get some coffee instead.
regards, -mika-