Due to the end of support for Windows 10, I have decided to move permanently to Linux for work purposes. I have tried this transition before, but not very successfully. Back then I was using a version of Linux called “Ubuntu”, but all sorts of unpleasant bugs, glitches and other “surprises” had a habit to happen in it, which made me wonder what other version of Linux I want to switch to. Without hesitation, I chose “Debian” because it is generally considered to be the most stable version of Linux.
However, very soon I realized that this stability will cost me a lot of nerves. It turned out that in Debian, as in the more technical version, there are lots of pitfalls, and I came across all of them while trying to cross the abyss separating Windows from Linux. It was very painful and cost me a few reinstalls of Debian from scratch. On top of that, the monitor calibration profiles couldn’t be salvaged, as Linux uses a different file system format that Windows doesn’t understand, even with specialized tools.
In addition, my main working PC has a video card from NVidia, which makes it absolutely necessary to install its native drivers that do not particularly fit into the Linux’ ecosystem. Just because of those drivers, I had to reinstall Debian 3 times, until I found adequate tutorials on the Internet (the native Debian instructions for installing NVidia drivers are painfully confusing). Overall, I managed to figure it out with the help of a programmer friend, and I learned a lot in the process. Now I know some of Debian’s whims. Here they are:
- Creation of a password for the root user is mandatory. This step should never be skipped during installation.
- If some of the peripheral hardware is glitching out, like a graphics tablet, do not delete the native tablet drivers from the system, because if you try to do this, Debian will destroy half of itself and you will no longer be able to log into your computer. This mistake also cost me a yet another reinstall of the system. Instead of deleting, these drivers should be blacklisted.
- Installing NVidia’s native drivers is an ordeal, from adding their proprietary repository to the source list, to installing Linux headers together with build-essential tools (which also turned out to be an important step that is not mentioned in the old instructions, since the header files were removed from Debian quite recently). On top of this, the necessity to activate the MOK key, which is essential for anyone with a “Safe Boot” enabled PC.
- Mastering the skill of using the console is an inevitability, and it is better to memorize some frequently used commands by heart. With all those things said and done, I’m now an initiated user of Linux 👽
What’s even more funny is that when I wanted to report to Debian developers just how bad things were set up, that the removal of the wacom library alone was dragging the entire operating system down to the grave along with it, was when I saw their bug tracker, the desire to post anything evaporated, because it was completely unclear how to do it. Who knows, maybe I’ll throw myself at this unshakable wall again in the future… But in principle it is clear why their distro suffers from some degree of idiocy. In any case, I am happy with how Linux works, but this victory cost me a lot of despair. Now I only have games on my elderly Windows, and do all the most serious work on the OS of the penguins 🐧
