justinmaccarthy

My next task was to install Java and Eclipse onto Debian. Now this turns out to be a little complicated because there isn’t a apt-get package for Java. Also the apt-get package for Eclipse is not in the “sarge” build, which is what I’m running.

Understanding why this is an issue is requires an understanding of apt-get. For apt-get to figure out the dependances for a package, it needs to know its installed. So just downloading the jdk/jre and unzipping it will work but you will break apt-get. To solve this you need to install some Dummy packages. I found out here (Java on Debian) and
here (Debian notes) how to do that.

Next Eclipse.The Debian Eclipse packages are in the unstable sources. I’m running sarge, but I want eclipse and only the Eclipse package from unstable. To get the latest and greatest version of a package you can use apt-pinning. There is a beginners guide here.

I’ve just splashed out on a Nikon digital camera , the D70. I love it. I bought it on a whim, after using a friends and so far I have no regrets. Not bad since it cost about $1400.

I had my PowerBook with me on holidays so I used the Apple iPhoto software to import my photos for my camera. Now iPhoto is very easy to use, like most of the applications on the Apple, it just works. There are lots of nice features, but there are also a few missing features. One I find really annoying is the fact that iPhoto doesn’t autorotate images. It annoys me because it should be so simple to do, using the EXIF info that the camera provides.

So the best why to deal with annoying features to to fix them. Since these applications are not opensource, the hack will have to be more subversive than just fixing it.

So first step, lets see what we can use.

Applescript : there are sample applescript to rotate a image provided by apple.
Perl : there is a perl module that read EXIF info .
Folder actions : you can attach scripts to folder that will run when an item is placed into them.

Seem that we should be able to stitch something together with the above .

With my base Debian system up and running it was time to get X and KDE installed.

This turned out to be simple.

apt-get install x-window-system

downloaded, installed and configured X , with a few simple prompts.

apt-get install kde-base
apt-get install kdm

installed kde2.2 and the kdm window manager.

Easy. Who said Debian was difficult to install ??? Rubbish

So, I decided to try a different distro, Debian. I choose Debian to try for a few different reasons.

I’ve been more interested in Debian and BSD since buying a PowerBook. Fink uses apt-get and is quite Debian-y.

Also, I was reading Neal Stephensons “In the beginning was the command line”, and his distro of choice was Debian, so I wanted to see GNU/Linux from his prespective. Interesting book, interesting read in retrospect, as it talks about Apple, linux and MS, and some of the ideas have come together in OsX .

Redhat (the Linux flavour I’m most familiar with) are looking for more and more money.

Lastly, I’ve read its really unfriendly to install. Can’t resist that really can I?

So the first thing to get to grips with is how to get the distro. Debian has alot of different options in this area, both in install method and in release (stable, unstable, testing etc..) Too many for Granny, but this isn’t the distro for Granny.

I choose the net install, an 100MB ISO image, that boots up, installs a bare bones. Usual Linux fare here. Create a computer name etc. (This box is called Mandlebrot)

Actually it turns out that the netinstall ISO is much friendlier than the last full,stable iso. Partitioning etc is handled better etc.
Once the base system is installed you currently get the testing release by default. This in turn points to sarge at the moment.

apt-get is the package mamager with Debian. You edit your package repositories in /etc/apt/sources.list This contains urls etc. where the debain packages are stored. I edited mine to point to the Irish debian mirror for sarge. Also I added the Debian security repository.

Ran apt-get update and everything works.. got my basic Debian linux installed! That was way too easy.

Next step: add xFree86 and a window manager.