Table of Contents

To easily find this page again just use either a search engine and search for “Make Debian fun again” and it will be one of the top results or use https://tinyurl.com/MakeDebianFun - either works fine. Email Peter (peter at allebone dot org) if you need help. He is a registered user here.

This is a site for Debian testing users to learn some additional things about Debian. If you need some guide that doesn't exist just ask and if someone can do it we will create one. You can email if need be. Also using Debian Testing really helps make the OS more polished if you are happy to submit bugs and help developers resolve them. This is the version that is the final line of defense before stable, so you can make a difference.

The objective of this kind of guide is to push the limits of what's possible on Debian and have fun learning while being part of the Debian Testing crowd.

I have also ensured when things did not work, instead of going and changing the instructions so you don't see what happened, I have instead corrected issues and problems so that you can fully see how to repair borked systems when need be. This should help you to troubleshoot better if in a situation where things break and need repair. The guide is for learning and its good to know how to fix things that are broken.

Also, anyone can contribute if you want. Its an open wiki so feel free. Also try to show different ways to do the same tasks from time to time not always the same way so everyone can see how many ways there are to do things under linux. Sometimes its nice to do things 'wrong' then show how to fix them as well, as it gives a better explanation as to what's happening and shows everyone how to recover from mistakes).

Debian Guide Starts Here

The Initial fun stuff - install (This leaves you with Debian Stable):

Step 1 : Find Media

Finding Debian media to install from

Step 2: Actual Install

INSTALL How To Install Debian For Home (Not Enterprise Or Server) With BTRFS And Be Cool Like Everyone Else Here (And Also Install Ubuntu If You Like Being Cool That Way Too Because All Debian Based Distros Are Cool)

Step 3: Learn BTRFS subvolume fixes and install Timeshift

How To Install Timeshift And Snapshot The Disk And Then Revert Any Problems Really Fast And Never Break My System Permanently Ever Again (And Be Cool). You should do this if you are scared of things breaking.

Some Extra Packages

Install the apt-listbugs and apt-listchanges packages

Fix My System To Be Like The Guide Section (May have to do this prior to step 3)

» » HELP! I Didn't Follow Instructions And Instead Set A Root Password And Now Cant 'sudo <command>' Section

» » HELP! I Didn't Follow Instructions And Installed With Ext4 Instead Section or have btrfs with incorrect subvolumes

Debian Testing Section Starts Here - The fun stuff continues after the install:

Upgrade

Step 4: How To Upgrade A Stable Version Of Debian To Testing (Or Debian+1/Debian Next)

Future Step: Once your testing version eventually 'becomes' stable you need to upgrade again to testing but take some precautions first

Install steps complete, misc steps from now on

Firefox

Move To The Snap Version Of Firefox ESR

Firewall

Install A Simple Software Firewall

Theme

How To Theme Debian Or Ubuntu

Backup

How To Backup Debian Or Ubuntu

Example Sources.list for Trixie

This is an example sources.list file for Debian Trixie in case you changed it

This is the basic section complete, just getting your basics right is great as you now have a secure, stable system to build on. You will be surprised how few problems you have when everything is done correctly to begin with. Once you are happy you can move onto the next section.

Main Section

Once you have the system setup with the basics like correct partitioning, @, @home, timeshift and deja dup for a daily backup of home, and it all nice and secure and how you want it, then here are some extra things you might or might not want to do but can be fun:

ZramSwap

How To Setup Zramswap And Make Your PC Awesome

Swappiness

How To Change Linux Swappiness

Improving memory management on modern systems (AKA stopping "freezing" issues)

Improving memory management on modern systems

Virt-Manager

Virtual Machine Manager For VM's And Other Cool Stuff (Basically Just VM's But Still)

Overclocking For Games

Overclocking with GWE and test in Apex Legends from Steam

SecureBoot

Rough guide as to how I got secure boot working. Could do with someone testing/improving.

Visual Studio and other useful snaps

Install Visual Studio and some other useful snaps

Enterprise/Server section

Here guides relating to server or business will exist. For example how to install Ubuntu LTS for a desktop dev in a work environment or how to install Debian Server (no GUI) etc.

Set CPU Scaling No GUI

How to set the CPU Scaling if you are on server (ubuntu server etc) without a GUI

Convert a Physical Machine to a Virtual Machine

How to convert a physical machine to a VM and fix it up so its fully modern (secure boot etc). A demo with a windows VM is shown.

Moving from Virt-Manager to Cockpit

Once you have shared storage then you will want to move to cockpit so you can migrate VMs between hosts or monitor hosts

Other Cool Stuff Section

Here guides relating to other cool stuff will be added such as a cool firewall like OpnSense or other cool things not related to the other sections.

Reattach to Disconnected SSH session

Ever notice how you can reattach on Ubuntu during an upgrade? Here is how.

I want to make a usb key that boots with just the ISO of the distro I downloaded

I want to make a usb key that boots with just the ISO of the distro I downloaded - here is how.

Tune Ext4 to give you a bit more space

Secret command for more space but only if you know what you are doing.

Maintaining a Testing install - Checking repositories/packages installed are clean

Checking for packages that are removed from testing that you would be unaware of

Convert BTRFS metadata to dup if not already setup that way

Checking that you have dup for metadata

Add BTRFS no_holes filesystem feature if missing

Checking that you have no_holes support

Auditing a system for malicious items/malware etc

Auditing a system for malicious items/malware etc

Notes

BTRFS Note

A Note On BTRFS on SSD and RAID

Secure Boot Note

A Note On Secure Boot

Rolling Sid Note

Once You Have Become An Expert, Why Not Upgrade To Sid For Fun?

QUESTIONS

If you have a question or comment thats not urgent you can leave it here