DEBIAN 12: more relevant than ever as a Linux desktop

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#Debian #Linux #bookworm

00:00 Intro
00:38 Sponsor: Check out TuxCare's newsletter for news about Linux security
01:24 Debian 12 Stable
02:17 Not completely FOSS anymore
04:24 Desktops: not that outdated
09:16 Apps and packages
11:14 Who it's NOT for
13:02 Debian 12 is a great desktop
14:33 Sponsor: Get a PC that runs Linux perfectly
15:25 Support the channel

So, to begin with, Debian 12 moves away from its pure "FOSS" roots. Debian 12 now enables the non-free firmware repo by default IF Debian detects you'll need it on your computer. Just know it's possible to disable this during the boot process.

Debian 12 actually splits non free software into 2 different repos: non-free, which is for packages and apps that don't conform to Debian's guidelines on free and open source software, and non free firmware, which is the same thing, but specifically for drivers and firmware.

Debian isn't generally known for shipping the very latest and greatest desktop environments, but Debian 12 isn't far off. For Plasma users, you get the very latest, KDE 5.27, with all its bug fixes and updates, which means you're not missing out on anything.

If you were using Debian 11, you were using KDE 5.20, so you're jumping a full 7 versions ahead, which means your experience will be drastically better, whatever your use case.

If you're a GNOME user, you'll get GNOME 43, which isn't the latest, but GNOME 44 wasn't a huge update by any means. If you were using Debian 11, you were on GNOME 3.38, which means you'll get a whole 4 new versions worth of features, support, performance improvements.

Of course, Debian 12 also updates virtually every single package and app they ship. You get the LTS kernel version 6.1, and you get the Mesa drivers 22.3, and the nvidia drivers 525.

All in all, 67% of packages were updated from Debian 11, and the repos now include 11000 new packages as well, for a total of more than 64 000.

Of course, Debian 12 isn't a desktop for everyone. If your use case is "I like using the very latest thing", then obviously, it's not for you. If you want the most beginner friendly distro, while Debian isn't a bad choice; it's also not the easiest. If you want to game on Linux, Debian will also not be your first choice.

In the past, I would never have recommended Debian Stable as a desktop for most users. It was too old, too outdated, the older applications in its repos were just not a great experience, and Flatpak wasn't super well supported. Older desktop environments were also lackluster, as each new release brought some crucial improvements that you really couldn't do without.

With the maturity of formats like Flatpak, snaps or AppImages, you don't have to care about what versions of apps are in your repos. If you need something newer, you can get it, without adding a third party repo that might mess up your system's dependencies and shared libraries.

And desktop environments on Linux are now very mature, which means using a 6 month to 2 year old desktop isn't a dealbreaker anymore.

And of course, Debian stable won't be for everyone. Tinkerers, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and people who like to game won't find what they want in Debian 12. But for anyone who just wants a computer that works reliably, day after day, without failed updates or stuff that randomly breaks, Debian 12 is an obvious choice. In terms of combining stability, software availability, and now, hardware support, nothing comes close.

[piusbird]

Former Debian contributer here.The installer moves very slowly in terms of graphics. This is because the iso can't ship a display server for technical reasons related to memory usage limits, basically the installer wants to run in as little ram as possible. 64MB or less was the target last i looked. So all the graphics are being drawn on the kernel framebuffer in vesa mode iirc. Part of being the Universal Operating System involves not breaking the experience for users on older hardware if we don't have too

[maikeru]

Pretty funny that debian stable now has a newer kernel than mint

[psupogh]

It's important to note that updated versions of some of the software, including the Linux kernel, are available in the official Debian backports repository. I'm currently running kernel 6.1 on Debian 11 which came with 5.10 out of the box. New flatpak, libreoffice and such are also available there if needed.
So using Debian stable with the availability of flatpak *and* backports is way easier than it used to be: you still have a rock solid base which doesn't suddenly break on you because some GRUB or systemd stuff got an update, but selected apps can be updated to their newest versions if needed.
It's also worth mentioning that if one wants something close to latest and greatest then there's Debian unstable branch which contrary to its name is no less stable than e.g. Arch. Great for enthusiasts and Linux youtubers :).

[pw]

The hardest part about Debian is trying to find the right iso😅

Debian +xfce will always have a special place in my heart.

[collectorguy]

Debian's motto is "The Universal Operating System", so the installer has to work on every sort of system out there, assuming as little as possible about the hardware. They have their priorities right. Fashion trends are not important immediately, but a good installer will give users options to get there. They have live images too.

[toma.cnc]

Debian 12 also officially supports LinuxCNC, the open source software for CNC machine control, be it a laser, mill, lathe, and even 6 DOF robots, well anything up to 9 axis, and about a gazillion inputs and outputs! 😃

[Winston_Payne]

I've been using Bookworm with KDE for a few weeks and have been loving it. Wayland on KDE isn't quite where I need it to be yet, so I'm still using X11 (and will need to through Debian 13, at least). Otherwise, no complaints! Debian is fantastic when you just need a system that works the same way every time you turn it on. You're locked into certain bugs through each release, but you can at least rest easy knowing that you won't see any new bugs pop up at the worst possible moment (especially and including bugs which could potentially render your system unusable).

[thinkrofficial]

Debian 12 user here:
It’s amazing! Truly, it’s actually so much better than Ubuntu and it’s super easy to use

[Captain_Rimmer]

As a Debian user, I found this overview of Debian 12 to be very thorough and informative. It is one of the best I have seen. Great job.

[moistness]

I was already strongly considering going to Debian 12 after it finally got released, and this video solidifies that decision. It was the first distro I was running and the distro I ran for the longest before starting to distrohop like crazy. But looking back, I can value some of the simplicity Debian gave me. Outdated packages were never a problem, maybe they couldn't do all the fancy sh*t that I never ended up using anyway on my rolling release desktops, but they did the job, and did it well.

[RobotoSkunk]

I've installed Debian 12 a few weeks ago and it has been the best choice for me. Even I've used Fedora for a time, but I had a lot of issues with Nvidia and some packages I needed.

Obviously I have switched the APT repostories from bookworm to testing to get the lastest packages after installing it

[Linux_ASMR]

Being able to pick your desktop environment when installing debian is very convenient. I wish more mainstream distros did so.

[jeefonyoutube]

Been running debian sid for years. Highly recommend

[DrathVader]

I had this idea for a while now - rock stable and slow-moving Debian base with flatpaks for user applications, but I never could be bothered to actually format my SSD and test it.
Thanks for checking it out!

[thejonte]

Wow! Looking forward to watching this new Linux Experiment video!

[Jp-mljo]

Tu as nommé un chapitre "Debian 21 is a great desktop"

I was looking for this video, using debian unstable since january and didn't have any problem until now! My favorite distro by far. Stable vanilla experience, up to date desktops and deb ecosystem.
Thanks for the video

[linuxrant]

Debian rocks it's like the best all rounder os for me. Runs great on old stuff and runs great on modern stuff. when you get debian you have the most stable linux experience which is also very customizable. If you are a debloat nerd like me, follow an online guide for installing raw debian-minimal with some window manager. you will get a system running at 250 mbs of ram used on cold boot.

[eddieoconnor]

True story: I was assisting someone who wanted to move away from Windows since their Windows XP computer was long in the tooth....I showed this person Linux KDE Neon....and when they kept asking me "what else ya got"?...I finally just showed them Debian 11....I then showed him the desktops....and when I showed him MATE?...he chose THAT running Debian 11. Sometimes it doesn't have to be flashy?....it has to be comprehensible to the user. He had no problem using LibreOffice...Firefox..and eVince PDF reader...now?...he calls me almost every few months to thank me profusely for making his PC "a joy to use" again! So while I happen to be a "Fedoran" for LIFE?...there are some folks out there who don't need the bright, flashy stuff....they just need an OS that makes them productive again without getting in the way.

[skirnir]

A cool feature added in gnome 42 is the ability to extend your monitor as a virtual display via RDP, so you can use a tablet as a secondary screen.